Thoughts on best psychology masters for my situation?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by sally_m, Jan 9, 2017.

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  1. sally_m

    sally_m New Member

    Hey everyone,

    I'm happy to have discovered such a supportive community. Here's my question...

    Which online psychology masters would you recommend in my situation?

    My goals are:

    1) To learn the latest thinking, especially in the area of I/O psychology/ organizational behavior.
    2) To eventually do a PhD by research at a UK university. For this, I need to gain knowledge in research methods and complete a research project.

    Shorter completion time and earlier start date would also be nice but are not essential.

    I've been looking in depth at Capella's MSc in I/O Psychology (I like the idea of the FlexPath) and University of Liverpool's MSc in Organisational and Business Psychology.

    Both seem to meet my needs. Though I have some concerns about whether these degrees would be undervalued by potential PHD programs?

    Any advice would be great. Thank you!
     
  2. sally_m

    sally_m New Member

    So after further research (here and online) I have one more option that may work for me. University of Leicester's Human Resource Management and Training MSc.

    Any thoughts on this and the other options (Liverpool and Capella), given my situation?

    Also, a little personal background... I have a Bsc in Computer Science from University of Nottingham (mainstream UK uni) and an MBA from ASU (online program). I also have approx. 19 years IT and business experience. I'm now a stay-at-home mom who does a little freelance work on the side. Going back to university and (eventually) helping solve biz problems is a secret dream of mine. I love learning, writing, and thinking about stuff. Getting a PhD is something I probably should've done 20 years ago, if I hadn't been lured by the money on offer in the corporate world. Just hoping it's not too late now...
     
  3. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    From a practical standpoint, if you're set on pursuing a UK doctorate, the Liverpool program makes sense to me, as you'll get experience in the British way of doing things, which is quite different from the US model. This could be very valuable when you make the jump to doctoral studies.

    Other than that, what are you parameters? Is cost a major concern? Prestige of the school? There are many I/O Psychology Master's programs out there available by DL, each with their good and not-so-good points (mainly cost).
     
  4. sally_m

    sally_m New Member

    Thanks for replying, Bruce!

    I'm currently leaning towards Liverpool or Leicester for the reasons you mention. In order of priority, the factors that are influencing my decision are:

    1. Quality of information taught (updated course, designed by experienced faculty, etc.)
    2. Includes a research component (teaches research methods and requires a project/dissertation).
    3. Prestige of institution (to the extent that it helps me eventually get into a UK PhD program).
    4. Earlier start date and shorter time to completion would be nice but I'd wait for the right program.
    5. Cost of program is last consideration. I don't want to be in the 60K bracket but am not necessarily looking for the cheapest option at the cost of all the other considerations.
     
  5. Jan

    Jan Member

    I believe that Bruce's points regarding the usefulness of taking the masters program in the UK are very relevant.

    In addition to the U. of Liverpool's masters program in Industrial and Business Psychology, which imo appears to be interesting but not very strong in certain areas of Industrial Psychology, you may also wish to explore other masters programs in the UK and US which appear to offer more substantive course content in Industrial Psychology such as the University of London, Kansas State University and Bellevue University.
     
  6. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

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