Psychology majors or psychologists?

Question

I am trying to decide what to do with my schooling as of right now. I will have my Bachelors degree next summer in Psychology. From there I only thought there was your Masters and then once done with that, you can go for your PhD. I also know you can go the route of the psychiatrist and go to medical school and then your PhD. Is that correct? I am unsure, so would like the ups and downs of the both (ie. how long they take, which is more reputable, money, e.t.c.) Also, I was reading, and read that from your Bachelors you can skip your Masters all together, and begin to work on your PhD? If you can do this, why do people get the Masters, what is the ups and downs of doing this, how possible is it? Thanks.

Answer 1

You have many options in terms of schooling, it really depends on what your career goals are. If you are interested in research & teaching, then the Ph.D. is the best option. It will be hard to do that kind of work without it. And yes, you can go straight for your Ph.D. without completing a Masters degree. The reasons why people choose to obtain a Masters first usually include not feeling ready for a Ph.D. program, wanting to raise their GPA, wanting to raise their GRE score, needing to get research experience, etc...These are all important aspects that PhD programs look for in their applicants. In terms of disadvantages, you are spending extra time on the Ph.D. because most programs will not let you transfer in your Masters level courses, so you will likely have to repeat them. If you are interested in a PhD, you should start looking for schools now because you have to apply a year in advance. As for being a psychiatrist, you are right that you go to medical school because you are still training to be a medical doctor, but as a medical doctor with a specialty in psychology.