So you have decided to seek further education beyond your bachelor's degree and you might be wondering, “What can I expect of this new experience or what will be expected of me?” Although the complete answer to this question depends on your field of study and the institution you attend, there are commonalities across many graduate programs, especially in the social sciences.
Graduate training at the masters level usually requires 36 credit hours of study. In social sciences including clinical or counseling psychology, the program often includes a practicum experience or field training in which the student works as an apprentice in a chosen specialty. Course work and practicum requirements are usually completed in two years or less depending on how a student would like to progress. Students can sometimes shorten the time to degree by taking summer courses, intersession courses, and extra courses such as directed readings and independent study.
As they enter their first year of study, graduate students in the social sciences are often surprised at the level of competency they are expected to demonstrate in statistics and research design. Kate Provencher, a second-year graduate student in forensic psychology, says “although my undergraduate program provided courses in both areas, the level and depth of the information I have studied at the graduate level have taken me well beyond what I expected. I can now read scientific articles in my field without having to skip the results section which really holds the most important information. It is very rewarding to be able to understand what I once thought was impossible to know.”
Trevor Barese, another psychology masters candidate, says “Over the last two years my passion for psychological research and assessment has grown significantly. This program has instilled in me a greater understanding and appreciation of empirical research and its practical application within the field of forensic psychology.” His colleague, Rachael Perrault, adds, “In graduate school we are no longer just consumers of knowledge, but producers of knowledge.”
Frank DiCataldo, an assistant professor of psychology, teaches graduate courses and supervises practicum students. He says, “One the biggest advantages to graduate training in forensic psychology has been the opportunity to place students in forensic practicum sites within settings that I have worked in and with clinical supervisors that I have developed strong professional connections with over the years. It is an exciting transition to observe students as they move from the classroom to the field and begin to work on forensic cases with you in clinical supervision. Everything you taught them is applied to their understanding of those complicated clinical forensic cases.”
Dr. Judith Platania, an associate professor of psychology, teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses and supervises graduate theses. “Graduate study differs significantly from undergraduate study in many ways,” she says. “The most significant difference is that graduate students are expected to play an active role in their education.” Unlike undergraduate students who may follow a set course of study, graduate students have the freedom to shape their curriculum and must take the initiative to gain expertise in their area of thesis research.
“Be aware of program requirements and deadlines,” Platania says. “Get involved in your graduate education. Learn to interact in a professional and mature manner and help create an encouraging and collegial environment, both in and out of the classroom.”
On an interpersonal level, graduate study may well be one of the most exciting experiences of a person's life. “There is something about sharing an experience at this level of intensity that makes it impossible to stay distant from peers,” says Bridget Hanagan. “Everyone has fears and anxieties about what is expected, everyone experiences the joy of learning new things, especially such specialized knowledge, and close friendships make those fears and anxieties much easier to handle or to use to your advantage in a healthy way.”
Donald Whitworth is a professor of psychology and director of the graduate program in forensic psychology at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island.
