Smart Shopping:
Factors to Weigh Before
Applying to Doc Programs
Nabil El-Ghoroury, PhDEddy Ameen, PhD
American Psychological Association of Graduate Students
Topics
• Types of degrees
o Masters
o Doctorates
o Subfields
• How to evaluate programs
o Objectively
o Subjectively
Handouts
• Finding the Right Graduate Program for Me (front) and Infographic: Applying to Psych Grad School? (reverse)
www.apa.org/apags/resources/graduate-roadmap.pdf
• Doctoral Program Comparison Sheet
o
What interests you?
o
Where do you want to work?
o
What do you want to do with your
degree? (see next section)
What do you want to do?
• Producing new psychological knowledge
• Course work, thesis or dissertation, independent research & development of experiments
• MS or PhD programs
• Practicing psychology in business, educational, and counseling/health services settings
• Course work, thesis or dissertation, internships and/or practicums
• Primarily Masters and PsyD programs
• Practicing and producing Knowledge
Some Master’s
Degree Options
• MSW• MFT
• Mental Health Counseling • School Psychology
• School Counseling
• Clinical Psychology (pre-doctorate)
Ph.D.
• Focused on research • Will have to complete
a dissertation Psy.D. • More focused on clinical training • Have to complete a doctoral project • Much more likely to
be Clinical
• School Psychology – children, school, system, assessment, consultation, intervention
• Clinical – “bedside,” psychopathology, serious mental illness
o Scientist-Practitioner (Boulder) o Practitioner-Scholar (Vail)
• Counseling – “guide,” diversity, well-being, lifespan approaches
• Combined / Integrated
Source: Tony Crespi, Univ. Hartford
BLS.Gov Job Outlook
MHC / MFT Social Worker Psychologist
Median Pay $41,500 $44,200 $69,280
Typical Educ. Master’s Master’s Doctorate
Number of Jobs 166,300 607,300 160,200
Job Outlook (2012-2012)
29% (Much faster
than average) 19% (Faster) 12% (Average)
Employment
Evaluating
Programs
Brief exercise
• What do you know now that you WISH
you knew when you were choosing
where to go for your undergraduate
degree?
• Who was helpful to you in choosing the
right school then, and who could be
15 questions, 3 themes
Remember - download these two files for the next set of slides…
http://www.apa.org/apags/resources/graduate-roadmap.pdf http://www.apa.org/apags/resources/compare.pdf
• Getting in
• Being a student
Four ways to find answers
• Faculty
• Students and alums • Program websites
Graduate Study in
Psychology
• Program info
• Degrees offered
• Admissions requirements
• Application info, deadlines, fees • Financial aid, tuition, housing
• Contact info
Graduate Study database : $20 for 3 months
Where else to find
answers online
• Program websites
Faculty interests Coursework/training Accredited?• APA website
Verify accreditation status
• Licensure rate websites
ASPPB for clinical, counseling psychologists
ASWB for Social workers
Getting in
Note: Questions in bold are easily answered for accredited doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and/or school psychology
1. How many full and part-time positions are available? 2. What is the acceptance rate of applicants?
3. What is the profile of accepted applicants (background, scores, demographics)?
4. Do the program and its faculty match my interests?
Particularly important when working 1:1
Will mentor stick around for 5 years?
Accredited?
• APA only accredits doctoral programsin clinical, counseling, school, and combined/integrated psychology • Verify at
www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
• Accredited programs are required to post a link on the program’s homepage that reads “Student Admissions,
Outcomes, and Other Data”
• Learn how to evaluate the data at
Accredited?
• Important measure of quality training • Recourse for students• Protection for the public
• 12 states require accreditation at the doctoral and/or internship level for licensure
• Required for certain positions
o VA, Department of Defense o Some hospitals
Being a student
6. What is the “culture” of the program?
7. How much is tuition and other fees?
8. What kinds of funding are available? How many students are funded?
9. How much debt do graduates have? Are loans generally private or federal?
How much is tuition and
other fees?
Description 2012-2013 1st-year Cohort
Cost
Tuition for full-time students (in-state) Tuition for full-time students (out-of-state)
Tuition per credit hour for part-time students (if applicable) University/institution fees or costs
Additional estimated fees or costs to students (e.g. books, travel, etc.) Major factors in the table
• Tuition
Example table required to be available online for accredited doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and/or school psychology
ctor
• Cost of living for students relative to the amount you’re used to paying now? Consider housing, food, transportation, childcare, and other costs
• Testing Kits or Lab Fees • Health Insurance
• Liability Insurance
What kind of funding is available?
How many students are funded?
Ask the program
• What percentage of students in 1st year are funded? 2nd? 3rd?
• How much are students typically funded? Is there a tuition waiver, and if so, for how many credits? Is there a stipend? • How do you determine who gets teaching, research, and
graduate assistantships and/or fellowships and scholarships? • How many students are funded? (not how many get fin. aid)
Debt is another way to get at costs
• How many students take out student loans for tuition? • How much debt do students have upon graduation?
Exiting and graduating
11. How long does it take to graduate?
12. How many students actually finish the program?
13. Where do students tend to work after they graduate?
14. What is program’s match rate to APA-accredited internships (counseling/clinical only)?
Look for:
• Median years to completion • Variation in time to complete
• How many take longer than 7 years to graduate?
How long does it take to
graduate?
• Tuition
What is the match rate?
Look for # applying for internship and # matching to
APA-accredited internships
What is the match rate?
Look for # applying for internship and # matching to
APA-accredited internships
Verify the numbers you see in this table and/or look up programs by their match rate from
• Not all programs intend for their graduates to get licensed. Interpret this rate according to a
program’s training intent
• Also important = Pass rate of EPPP, the national
licensing exam. Verify at
asppb.net/?page=scoresbydrprogram
What is the licensure rate?
Affording
Graduate School
download infographic on next slide from:
% Doctors w/ Debt by
Degree
0 20 40 60 80 100 CCS Other 0 20 40 60 80 100 PsyD PhDThis is only for debt accrued during graduate education.
Median Debt by
Degree
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 CCS Other 0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 PsyD PhDThis is only for debt accrued during graduate education.
How much does
that debt cost?
50th Percentile of Debt (MEDIAN)
Borrowed Total Owed
Sampling of forgiveness/
repayment options
Organization Their Repayment Your Commitment Eligibility
National Health Service Corps Up to $170,000 2-5 years Licensed to practice clinically in state where
employer located, must be at approved site.
US Federal Government Jobs (Various Agencies)
Up to $10,000 per year; $60,000 max
3 years Varies.
State Loan Repayment Programs Varies Varies Practice. Eligibility varies by state.
US Department of Veteran Affairs Up to $60,000 3 years Written determination, generally for practice
related positions.
Indian Health Service $40,000 - 60,000 2-3 years Practice.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Remainder after 120 payments
About 10 years Only federal direct loans. Payments made
under qualifying plan while working in public service / non-profit org. Research, practice, and other.
Organization Their
Repayment
Your Commitment Eligibility
National Health Service Corps
Up to $170,000 2-5 years Licensed to practice clinically in state where employer located, must be at approved site. US Federal Government Jobs Up to $10,000 per year; $60,000 max 3 years Varies. US Department of Veteran Affairs
Up to $60,000 3 years Written determination, generally for practice related positions.
Indian Health Service $40,000 - 60,000 2-3 years Practice.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Remainder after 120 payments
About 10 years Only federal direct loans. Payments made under qualifying plan while working in public service / non-profit org. Research, practice, and other.
