MA Psychology guide

[dewisant]

MastersinPsychologyGuide.com

Looks like a good source?

[dewisant]

America's Best Online Graduate Psychology Programs

This is the online stuff from the above.

[mednat]

The utility of these degrees depend alot on what you wish to do with it. If you are seeking a clinical role then fullfilling licensing requirements is a huge thing to look for. If that's the case, I would research any program you're interested in a lot, because they usually have internships and practicums that are often harder to complete when the school is not located in your local area.

[Exfactor]

I really don't see a reasoning for a masters in psychology unless you lack a bachelors in psychology, need to bring your GPA up or need clinical experience. I would focus on going straight to a PhD. There are so many programs out their offering nothing but theory based degrees, where individuals with master degrees have no clinical experience. Most of the information you will learn during undergrad as a psychology major is generally what you would learn at the masters level, disregarding the clinical experience. There are so many people in my program who have master degrees in psychology, yet all lack the clinical experience.

What good is a masters degree in psychology online if you lack human interaction or even research interaction in a lab?

[sanantone]

California Southern University's MA in Psychology is designed for licensure as a counselor. Obviously, there are going to be practicum requirements. Otherwise, you usually need a master's, preferably a PhD to get far in I/O psychology. That doesn't require a license or practicum. If you're a working adult, like most online students, and your experience is in human resources, then not sitting in a classroom is not a big deal. I'm not even sure it's all that helpful for people who don't have HR experience because I/O psych is not a clinical field.

I've thought about getting a master's in psych for two reasons:

1. I would be able to skip the 4,000 hours of interning needed for my chemical dependency license without having to wait until I finish my PhD. Capella has a self-paced program that's cheap if you can work fast.

2. I could become a licensed psychological associate. All I would need is 450 hours interning under a psychologist, and a practicum that is a part of the degree program is not required.

The added bonus is that I would be able to teach psych part-time.

[jsd]

Capella has a self-paced program that's cheap if you can work fast.

What are your thoughts on Capella? I've had my eye on this program for a while, but going with a huge for-profit school feels gross.

[dfrecore]

What are your thoughts on Capella? I've had my eye on this program for a while, but going with a huge for-profit school feels gross.

I agree - GROSS! Plus, I think they're reputation is terrible. I've never heard one good thing about this school, and I worked in HR for 10 years. Not sure if it has changed since 2000, but I'm betting it's gotten worse and not better.

[jsd]

Thanks dfrecore, that's more or less what I assumed (which is too bad, since they have so many self-paced programs that would be nice)

[mednat]

I'm not sure how the non-clinical psych fields view non-APA degrees, but from what I can tell attending a non-APA phd program makes it very difficult to get placed for internships/practicums. Of the APA options, I believe Fielding is the only school that offers a program that isn't strictly butt in seat.

[sanantone]

What are your thoughts on Capella? I've had my eye on this program for a while, but going with a huge for-profit school feels gross.

Attending there would feel gross, but no one else offers a self-paced master's program in psychology. In the end, though, they are regionally accredited and recognized by most states for licensing purposes. One of my community college instructors had a degree from Capella and another from University of Phoenix. A lot of practicing mental health professionals have degrees from Capella. They probably paid way too much money, but Capella's Flexpath programs are $2200-2400 per quarter. I've looked at dozens of other online psychology programs, and none of them come close to being affordable for me.

I'm not sure how the non-clinical psych fields view non-APA degrees, but from what I can tell attending a non-APA phd program makes it very difficult to get placed for internships/practicums. Of the APA options, I believe Fielding is the only school that offers a program that isn't strictly butt in seat.

That's if you want to become a psychologist, which requires a doctorate. APA does not accredit master's programs. APA also only accredits school, clinical, and counseling psychology programs.