MA/MS MPS and other options. Help!

[Hopefully Psyched]

Hi guys!

I’m currently an undergrad and am planning on continuing my education to hopefully become a clinical child psychologist one day. With that being said I need some help.

I am trying to decide which masters program would be the best preparation for continuing to a PhD after I graduate. I was just offered an interview at Maryland for their MPS program but I’m concerned about the degree. I don’t know a whole lot about the MPS degree and I want to make sure it will adequately prepare me for further studies.

Here are my options just FYI:
Maryland MPS: offered interview but trying to decide if I want to accept or deny. Not sure about the MPS degree.
Eastern Michigan MS General Clinical: interviewed should here back soon. I really liked the program but don’t have an answer yet.
Western Kentucky MA Clinical: accepted. Doesn’t seem like an awful option but not sure if it’s the best either. Nice faculty, but maybe too laid back?
Villanova MS: waitlisted. Visiting campus next week. Seems to be a good program in preparing for PhD.

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[Temperance]

Hi guys!

I’m currently an undergrad and am planning on continuing my education to hopefully become a clinical child psychologist one day. With that being said I need some help.

I am trying to decide which masters program would be the best preparation for continuing to a PhD after I graduate. I was just offered an interview at Maryland for their MPS program but I’m concerned about the degree. I don’t know a whole lot about the MPS degree and I want to make sure it will adequately prepare me for further studies.

Here are my options just FYI:
Maryland MPS: offered interview but trying to decide if I want to accept or deny. Not sure about the MPS degree.
Eastern Michigan MS General Clinical: interviewed should here back soon. I really liked the program but don’t have an answer yet.
Western Kentucky MA Clinical: accepted. Doesn’t seem like an awful option but not sure if it’s the best either. Nice faculty, but maybe too laid back?
Villanova MS: waitlisted. Visiting campus next week. Seems to be a good program in preparing for PhD.

Congratulations on the interview! If your goal is to apply to doctoral programs, then what you do during your graduate studies matters more than the nature of the letters of the degree you obtain. Research experience is paramount. Will these programs give you the opportunity to produce an empirical thesis? Are there labs that you can join as a graduate student where you can work on conference presentations or publications? Would you be able to work in your research areas of interest? Ironically, a clinical master's program may not prepare you as well for a clinical doctoral program as an experimental psychology master's program would.

Is there a reason specifically why you're pursuing a master's degree to prepare for applying to the PhD? If you need more research experience, then you can get it through a paid post-baccalaureate research position without paying through the nose for a master's program.