How To Apply to the Right Graduate Program in Psychology: Masters Degree or Ph.D.

Throughout my years of advising, counseling, and teaching undergraduates, I have noticed that many students are confused about the next step to take in their education. They know that they would like to go to graduate school, but are unsure about what degree they should be seeking. Should I apply to a masters or Ph.D. program?

Generally speaking, it isn’t necessary to go to a masters degree program before starting a doctoral program. The structure of a Ph.D. program is designed to include necessary coursework, teaching and research experience, all of which spans apprxoimately 5 years. You will earn a masters degree along the way to earning a doctorate. So if you graduate with your Bachelors at age 21, it is very possible to achieve a Ph.D. by 26.

However, students that are typically admitted straight out of undergrad share a few commonalities. They are usually very strong candidates with what I like to call the total package — excellent transcript, high GRE scores, research experience, laudatory letters of recommendation, and a well-written personal statement. There’s no way of getting around this – and let me clear up a misconception here — YES!, the rules still apply even if you’re interested in going into Clinical Psychology. You will need prior research experience, as Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psychology are indeed research-based!

Now let’s talk strategy. If you are missing some of the key components, this is where a Masters degree comes into play (assuming that you’re interesting in obtaining a Ph.D. in the first place). Let’s say you’re missing research experience. Your best bet may be to enroll in a masters degree program to get the experience. Of course, you can also take a year off and apply to work as a research assistant to get this accomplished as well. But the masters degree program also comes along with taking more advanced, specialized coursework, and may include teaching experience, even presenting at a conference or two! All of these experiences will look incredible on your academic resume when applying to Ph.D. programs.

And I’ve mentioned before in my life story that I was clueless about how to get into grad school, right? When I finished undergrad, I hadn’t the slightest idea that I needed research experience as a prerquisite for grad school. So even though I applied with the same “great grades and GRE scores,” I didn’t gain admission to a single Ph.D. program that first go-round. Pretty crushing blow to the ego, huh? So I retooled my strategy and worked on a masters. Those two years worth of research experience – and having a clear idea of what kind of research I wanted to explore – ended up being the key elements that helped me to get into a doctoral program.

At any rate, high-quality masters level work demonstrates to the admissions committee that you have what it takes to make it in a Ph.D. program. Enrolling in a masters degree program is also a great strategy for someone who doesn’t have an undergraduate background in a particular field. Coincidentally, one of my classmates enrolled in the masters program with me had a background in Journalism. She has since earned a doctorate in Psychology.

But be forewarned, while some of your credits may transfer to your Ph.D. program, it is also possible that they may not. (Hey, just warning you!).

Wanna know the information that successful graduate applicants know?

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