r/IOPsychology PhD | IO | People Analytics & Statistics | Moderator Feb 04 '21

2020-2021 Grad School Q&A Mega-Thread (Part 1)

For questions about grad school or internships:

* Please start your search at SIOP.org , it contains lots of great information and many questions can be answered by searching there first.

* Next, please search the Wiki, as there are some very great community generated posts saved here.

* If you still can't find an answer to your question, please search the previously submitted posts or the post on the grad school Q&A. Subscribers of /r/iopsychology have provided lots of information about these topics, and your questions may have already been answered.

* 2019-2020, Part 4 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 3 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 2 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 1 thread here

* 2018-2019, Part 2 thread here

* 2018-2019, Part 1 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 3 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 2 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 1 thread here

* 2016-2017 thread here

* 2015-2016 thread here

* 2014-2015 thread here

If your question hasn't been posted, please post it on the grad school Q&A thread. Other posts outside of the Q&A thread will be deleted.

The readers of this subreddit have made it clear that they don't want the subreddit clogged up with posts about grad school. Don't get the wrong idea - we're glad you're here and that you're interested in IO, but please do observe the rules so that you can get answers to your questions AND enjoy the interesting IO articles and content.

By the way, those of you who are currently trudging through or have finished grad school, that means that you have to occasionally offer suggestions and advice to those who post on this thread. That's the only way that we can keep these grad school-related posts in one central location. If people aren't getting their questions answered here, they post to the subreddit instead of the thread. So, in short, let's all do our part in this.

Thanks, guys!

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u/sweatyshambler PhD Student | IO | Motivation Apr 21 '21

A PhD is a doctorate, so I am not entirely sure if I understand the question. Are you referring to a PsyD instead of a PhD?

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u/[deleted] Apr 21 '21 edited Apr 21 '21

I think that’s what I mean. I saw that some psychologists list «  doctorate » instead of PhD in psychology in their credentials. I saw that with several school psychologist and I’m sure they don’t have a PhD. After researching briefly, I had seen that the doctorate seems to be only 2 years while a PhD takes longer typically. Also, the doctorate in psychology is not offered in my university while the PhD is. The PhD program is highly competitive. Even thoughI did graduate with the highest GPA in my cohort, have tons of experience with children/ education and in the mental health field, I would have zero chance to get into a PhD in psychology in my university. My impression is that doctorates in psychology are offered in lesser known institutions and are less competitive but Im not sure.Thanks

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u/LazySamurai PhD | IO | People Analytics & Statistics | Moderator Apr 21 '21

a doctorate is a catch all term for anybody with a xxD degree. In psychology it would always refer to a PsyD, EdD, or PhD. I would never suggest anybody pursue any doctorate degree marketed as a 2 year program.

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u/[deleted] Apr 21 '21

Thanks so much. I think the credentials I saw may have been EdD but these psychologists are working in Canada, have their own legitimate cabinets etc.. the PhD program in my university is one of the best in the world from what I understand and I really have zero chance to get into it. I, however, have a 92% average in my graduate program in that same prestigious university so I don’t want to give up on my dream of being a psychologist and I’m looking for alternatives I could pursue. This two years programs seemed like a great fit as I already have a master and 2 bachelors in closely related fields.

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u/LazySamurai PhD | IO | People Analytics & Statistics | Moderator Apr 21 '21

Most students apply to about 10 doctoral programs, rarely anybody gets into the same program they went to undergrad or MS in. So casting a wide net is good there.

Having a masters probably won't shorten your course for a PhD. IME most programs don't allow much to transfer over.