Graduate School FAQ

 

If your question is not answered below, please feel free to contact Hannah Rodrigues (hannah.rodrigues@my.ccsu.edu) for assistance. 

 

• What will I learn in graduate school?

  • “Those interested in answering questions about the brain and behaviors pursue graduate study in psychology to engage in research that advances this discipline. Students will learn core scientific principles of psychology, often including statistics and experimental procedures. This training often results in a research doctorate (PhD) or a masters’ (MS) degree. These individuals usually continue a career in academic or basic research, often as a professor at a college or university (usually with a PhD). Some individuals with MS degrees work for business, or teach psychology at the community college level” (APA, 2014).

  • “Those interested in providing psychological services will also study basic scientific principles of psychology, but also learn skills and experience to serve clients and patients. This training often results in a PhD, a doctoral degree of psychology (PsyD) or an MS degree. Those wishing to serve patients in a health service or educational settings usually require a license from the state to practice. Most states require a doctoral degree to be a licensed psychology. Some individuals combine both research and providing psychological services, often at a university of medical research institution” (APA, 2014).

 

• Should I apply to a Masters’ or Doctorate program? 

  • “Master’s degrees are earned as either a stand-alone degree (often called the terminal master’s), or in some doctoral programs you earn a master’s degree as part of your work on your thesis. Individuals entering terminal master’s programs usually have one of two goals:

    • To gain extra training and credentials to enter a doctoral program

    • To acquire skills and knowledge to advance further in a specific career or work environment

  • Individuals with master’s degrees find employment in a wide variety of settings – private business or government, schools, hospitals, or mental health settings

  • Doctoral programs engage students in greater depth of knowledge and skills in a specialized subfield of psychology. Students interested in the production of new knowledge through scientific research – setting up experiments, collecting data, comparing experimental groups and learning statistical and analytical techniques – usually apply to PhD programs” (APA, 2014). 

 

• What are admissions requirements within graduate programs? 

  • “Requirements for admission vary from program to program, so you will need to research what each program requires before submitting an application. Most, but not all, psychology programs prefer or require significant undergraduate coursework in psychology, often the equivalent of a major or minor. In addition, many graduate programs prefer students with substantial research experience, beyond laboratory classwork. Having completed an undergraduate honors thesis or served as a research assistant in a research lab usually meets this requirement.

  • Other requirements programs may have include one or more of the following:

    • Previous work experience. Clinically related public service. Extracurricular activity. An interview. Additional information about you, such as research or volunteer experience

  • When providing additional information about yourself, such as research or volunteer experience, be sure to accurately represent the responsibilities you had and explain how they relate to the graduate program” (APA, 2014).