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Need help with applying for my second masters degree in psychology

L

Hello,
I'm 27yo male currently about to get graduated in master's of computer science. As I was studying I got so interested in psychology. I just keep thinking about it as if why I shouldn't study that!
I do not have any study in that field I just read general books of famous psychologist and perhaps philosophers.
My concern as of now is just how to apply for second master's with my situation. I have some real questions in my head and my situation is not very clear because I am an Iranian and there are great amount of obstacles ahead of me.
My goal is finding the best clinical master's program for me in a country where there's a chance of applying for residentship after getting graduated (I would love to study PHD in psychology if I did good at master's).

1- I am not be able to afford university fees on my own (sanctions here made life so hard) and government do not give Euros or Dollars that easy even to students (There's only a single rule here which government only supports you if you want to study in higher level of studying which as of now is PHD).
2- Do I need to pass extra credits in psychology before being able to even apply for master's program (if so, what are the courses and their references). Is it possible to take those extra courses along with master's program.
3- I got a little confused with master's conversion program and normal master's program (Is that program only for undergraduates who want to change their field?). In my case is that really needed or I still can apply for master's in psychology?
4- I might be able get English certifications before applying but I still would rather a program which English certifications included with that program. Because it's a little bit harder of process getting TOEFL or academic IELTS here.

I am not the most knowledgeable person on this topic but I think psychology and clinical psychology are very different. Clinical phycology is a lot more specialised and is difficult to get into. So I doubt you will be able to apply for a clinical phycology masters with only a computer science degree.

L

Quote From rewt:
I am not the most knowledgeable person on this topic but I think psychology and clinical psychology are very different. Clinical phycology is a lot more specialised and is difficult to get into. So I doubt you will be able to apply for a clinical phycology masters with only a computer science degree.

What I got confused about is that there are conversion courses (do they get me into clinical psychology?), and besides I am about to finish my masters that can be a proof that I'm familiar with researching and learning. As specialised as it is, I am ready to take and pass any course that it takes to get to the goal. I just don't know what sort of program gets me to the path I want! That's it.

Let's ask a better questions perhaps! Does conversion courses program can be used for a guy who already have one master's!? Is the award of that program MSc? If so, what's the difference between clinical master's program and conversion courses master's program!?

E

Hello, I've studied Psychology. Can I ask, what are your reasons for clinical psychology in particular? There's a lot of misunderstandings of what clinical psychology actually is. It is a very competitive section of Psychology. If you are going on to do a masters in Psychology you need to really understand the basics, the history of the different paradigms for example. You also need to decided which area of Psychology fits with you; is it cognitive, developmental, experimental, social etc.
What is the end goal? Where does your interest in Psychology lie? You might also want to consider where you sit with epistemology and ontology, as this will help you narrow down your area of psychology.
For me, I thought I wanted to study clinical psychology, however when I looked more in depth at Masters I realised it was Health Psychology that more closely matched my interests, and I went on to do a PhD in primary care medicine.

L

You are definitely right. And I'm fully aware of the need of knowing basic materials first. That's why I'm asking how to get into such field with having to spend 4 years of undergrad program. Cause I know ppl do second and third masters without going through 4 years of undergrad program.
As I already said, I started reading general psychological books that's why I became interested in such field. Perhaps I misunderstood clinical psychology perhaps not. But what I still want to know if by act of a sudden I choose the path of masters conversion courses in psychology, am I gonna have enough knowledge to choose the right path and if clinical psychology was still my choice by then, can I continue on that?
And the most important question, which still exists in my mind, is that what's the exact difference between conversion courses program and other psychology master's program considering both the awarded certificate and the process it takes to finish!?

E

Are you in the UK? If so, check to see if the course is accredited by the BPS as you will need to attain the Graduate basis for chartered membership by conversion course. It's impossible to know the difference between the conversion versus traditional route without knowing what the conversion course is. It will likely contain the basic paradigms that you'd cover but without the additional modules; i.e. you'd probably cover developmental, cognitive, social, experimental but not things such as organizational or health. You'd need to check the conversion course aptly covers both quantitative and qualitative methodology is you're aspiring for a PhD route. You've probably already done this, but if you are int he UK check out the BPS - they have sections on the types of careers and the qualifications you would need.

What about contacting the course leaders of the masters you are interested in? If you can provide them with what your end goal is and what it is about Psychology that interests you (and display the knowledge you've acquired) they may be able to advise you further.
Good luck

L

What about contacting the course leaders of the masters you are interested in? If you can provide them with what your end goal is and what it is about Psychology that interests you (and display the knowledge you've acquired) they may be able to advise you further.

Perhaps this is the best idea after all. I need to be in contact with one of the program leaders. Thank you

And I'm totally aware that I'm just getting away from my field of expertise. It is not because I didn't like it. I love computer science and there's absolutely no deny in that. There's just a new thing in my life which I like as well. I need to dig through and know if it is really the path I want to take or not. That is why I keep asking.

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