Just graduated with Master of Criminal Justice degree from Boston U. BA in Int'l Relations. Potential end goals- FBI or other agency but with the constant hiring freezes I'd like the degree I pursue to be applicable to working in these environments and useable outside the government system. Interested in foreign service, foreign relations Intel analysis or psychology. I'd prefer not to jack up my loan debt with a psyd or phd but am interested in pursuing a counseling/psych/forensic psych degree online (we move a lot but will be settling in the DC/VA area in the next few years). Forensic psych is extremely interesting to me however without the doctorate I don't think the job prospects are too high. Int'l Affairs- would be interesting but I'm looking more for a qualification or certification as my MCJ is neither MA Psych sounds perfect, however, seem to have trouble finding out what you may do with the degree. Can you counsel under the supervision of psychologists? Counseling-LCSW, LPC, while there is licensure it differs state to state seems kind of limited if I ended up getting in with an agency as my position would not be counselor Does anyone know lower costing MA Psych degrees? I looked at chicago school ma psych with concentration in intl psych but its pricey. It would be great to find a program that doesn't require recommendations (yes I could potentially get them, but not in contact with anyone from my MCJ online program and would like to avoid trying to track them down) Thoughts? Suggestions? Open to all!
I have experience with both Psychology and Criminal Justice (see my sig line, and I'm currently in a doctoral program that I would rather not announce at the moment). With your M.C.J., you can either use that as an admission ticket to a doctoral program, or to teach at the community college or undergrad level, but keep in mind that many DL schools want you to be employed in the field you teach. The connection can be specious...."consulting" could probably cover it. As far as Psychology, every state likely has different standards in regards to counseling with a Master's degree in Psychology. However, the standards are more similar than they're different, so I'll give you the Massachusetts standards, which I'm very familiar with, and may be appropriate to you, having graduated from B.U. To become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts, you have to complete a 60-credit Master's degree in Psychology approved by the MA Board of Higher Education that includes both mandated courses (diversity, theory, psychopathology, etc.) and also 2 supervised clinical internships, the first being a minimum of 300 hours, and the second being a minimum of 600 hours. After graduation, you have to do a minimum of 2,000 hours of supervised counseling, supervised by either a licensed psychologist with at least 10 years experience or another LMHC who also has at least 10 years experience. You can take the LMHC exam immediately after graduation, but you can't be licensed until you have your 2,000 hours clocked in. Any Master's degree that will qualify you for licensure will not be cheap. You kind of seem all over the place as far as what you want to do with your degree(s). What is your preferred career path?
Hmmm Thanks Bruce. You're correct, I am a bit all over the place with my plans. Originally heading into my MCJ I figured I would eventually pursue a doctorate in CJ or Clinical Psych (forensic). However that was before I got married, had kids yadda yadda yadda (I'm mid 20's so I'm not switching careers or anything just starting out).. my husband's job has the potential to be moving us all overseas at some point (back and forth to US between postings) so I want to be as strategic as possible in my next steps in an attempt to keep as many doors open for myself to work as possible. I have experience in the psych world, but not CJ itself having gone straight from undergrad. Though my psych work did sometimes deal with court-mandated patients. I know a lot of cops, but not a single person who has pursued advanced education in CJ. Teaching could be a viable option at somepoint but with the lack of real life experience I am not a likely hire unless its a "basics of CJ" type course. Not sure if I am wrong in thinking this but I am unsure if pursuing another masters is worthwhile unless it certifies/licenses me in something, considering the job competition out there. But there are some things I would LOVE to do research on relate to CJ so perhaps the Phd CJ is where I should start exploring? Any thoughts on what one might do with that aside from teaching or researching? AHH who knows, at this point perhaps I should just take a writing class and write crime novels...atleast that is portable! Thanks for the insight Bruce. Would love to know what you've been studying in your doctorate if you care to share privately.
If your interested in enployment utilizing your MCJ and BA don't think FBI, seriously consider State Department Security.
Given your background, this program might be of interest to you (note: it does not lead to licensure as a counselor or psychologist). Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology | Online & Distance Education Only $421/credit. Total cost for the 34 credit program would run you around 14k.
