Doing a Masters just out of interest for the subject?

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Reply 20

mathperson

It's not stupid at all. I'm considering doing a master's in maths through the OU due purely out of interest.

Reply 21

issawrap

Original post by eduorclinpsych

Look into counselling qualifications - you don't need a degree to do these and it'll offer a good indication as to whether what you're interested in is actually counselling or if you want to become more specialised and go down the doctorate route.

I know I don't need a counselling degree to pursue counselling. The conversion would mostly just be to get myself into psychology, I don't have solid psychology-related career plans for afterwards, if that makes sense

Thanks

Reply 22

eduorclinpsych

Original post by issawrap

Oh I see! A conversion masters wouldn't be necessary then, but it's always a good idea just in case you decide you do want to pursue a career in psychology - just make sure its accredited by the BPS.

Reply 23

issawrap

Original post by eduorclinpsych

My understanding was always that Master's degrees are to further specialise and explore your interests.

I appreciate some career and academic paths may require further postgraduate study but fundamentally, across most paths, a Master's is not required.

I took a Master's based on interest alone and it was the best decision ever. I'm currently working through my second Master's which is based on other interests of mine and I'm loving it. Again, zero regrets. To me it's worth spending the money because I enjoy it and yes, it does open up doors.

If you're interested in Psychology don't forget you can take a part-time undergraduate degree and receive funding like a normal UG loan where it's a STEM subject. Full-time is regarded as part-time when studying with universities who offer distance learning, so you could be done in three academic years and not have the additional repayments associated with a PG loan. This would give you the chance to 1) pursue your interest but 2) build up some experience in your current field post graduation.

Thank you! Glad that you made decisions you're happy with

I'm confused by your last paragraph. What do you mean I can take an undergrad degree? I'm currently already studying an undergrad?

Thanks

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 24

issawrap

Original post by eduorclinpsych

Oh I see! A conversion masters wouldn't be necessary then, but it's always a good idea just in case you decide you do want to pursue a career in psychology - just make sure its accredited by the BPS.

Thanks and yes, it will definitely be BPS accredited!

Whether I pursue psychology further or not, I'm thinking that a MSc will be valuable on my CV and for many career paths either way. Right?

Reply 25

PhoenixFortune

Original post by issawrap

Whether I pursue psychology further or not, I'm thinking that a MSc will be valuable on my CV and for many career paths either way. Right?

Tbh, a lot of career paths will prioritise people with employment experience over someone with a masters in a semi-relevant subject (as academic experience does not always translate into real world applications in employers' minds).

I think before you jump into the masters and use up your postgraduate loan, I think you need a better idea of the career path you most likely will take - that way you aren't sabotaging your future self by using funding that you don't need to use right now, when you might want/need to do a different masters degree later.

It would be different if you definitely didn't need a MA/MSc for your chosen employment path that you've already set your heart on, and were just doing the masters for academic interest - it's slightly less advisable if you want to use the masters to test the waters re: potential career paths, as that's not really what masters degrees are designed for. Have you tried getting any work experience, or speaking to any working psychologists?

Reply 26

OxFossil

Original post by issawrap

Thank you! What is your current career? Are you now working in child therapy?

You are kinda right that I'm just looking for affirmation here. Actually, I mostly just want good enough reasons from people on why I shouldn't do this. If I get that, then I'll begin to change my mind.

What exactly did you mean by the last sentence?

Yes, I went on to work independently as a therapist for children who'd experienced abuse and neglect, and then to join a CAMHS team. Making the right connections with people in Social Services Commissioning Teams and others who could bolster my professional credibility was key.

My last sentence is to say that education should be about more than "how much money can I make from doing this course?" But the subtext is that you will need to prepared to live out that belief - from a financial pov, my career has never been easy!

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 27

bones-mccoy

Original post by issawrap

Thanks and yes, it will definitely be BPS accredited!

Whether I pursue psychology further or not, I'm thinking that a MSc will be valuable on my CV and for many career paths either way. Right?

How valuable it'll be is how much you get from the course and the experience you gain alongside it. What makes a conversion course different from other psychology MSc's is that it's essentially covers the three years of an undergraduate degree in the one year, whereas other postgraduate courses are more specialised. The idea is that you'd essentially be on the same level, knowledge wise at least, as someone with an undergrad in psychology.

Reply 28

eduorclinpsych

Original post by issawrap

Thank you! Glad that you made decisions you're happy with

I'm confused by your last paragraph. What do you mean I can take an undergrad degree? I'm currently already studying an undergrad?

Thanks

You can take a second UG degree and receive student loans if it's on a part-time basis and for a STEM subject (this includes psychology).

Reply 29

londonmyst

It's fine as long as you can afford the tuition fees & living expenses, have reasonably good heath and know that your can cope with the academic workload.
I've done several postgrads solely due to interest.

Reply 30

issawrap

Original post by eduorclinpsych

You can take a second UG degree and receive student loans if it's on a part-time basis and for a STEM subject (this includes psychology).

Really? I had no idea about that. I don't think I'd want to spend that much time on another undergrad though. Thanks for the info though, that's so interesting

Reply 31

micholate9

If you can afford it then go for it!

Reply 32

issawrap

Original post by PhoenixFortune

I think before you jump into the masters and use up your postgraduate loan, I think you need a better idea of the career path you most likely will take - that way you aren't sabotaging your future self by using funding that you don't need to use right now, when you might want/need to do a different masters degree later.

It would be different if you definitely didn't need a MA/MSc for your chosen employment path that you've already set your heart on, and were just doing the masters for academic interest - it's slightly less advisable if you want to use the masters to test the waters re: potential career paths, as that's not really what masters degrees are designed for. Have you tried getting any work experience, or speaking to any working psychologists?

I want to do the MSc for academic interest and to test the waters. I'll definitely be thinking and looking more into different potential masters that I'd want/need before making a decision and using up the postgrad loan. As of right now, the conversion is what I want to do and feels right to me. This might change later, though.

Thanks

Reply 33

eduorclinpsych

Original post by issawrap

Really? I had no idea about that. I don't think I'd want to spend that much time on another undergrad though. Thanks for the info though, that's so interesting

Fair enough! Pleased to make you aware though. Particularly useful if unable to fund postgraduate studies.

Reply 34

RianeT

Hey there !

I'm on a similar case going into psychology conversion this September with a Design background.

I've completed a few short courses in psychotherapy, volunteered in social work, and recently gotten certified as a NGH hypnotherapist, just to prep myself in this field and make sure this is what I want for my second career before embarking on the course.

I think the more you learn about psychology, the more it changes your perspectives and helps you grow in your life skills and maturity never mind whichever career path it takes you to. Personally, I think a University degree would be most benefitting in the networking opportunity it provides, and what says you can't combine this knowledge with past experiences to create your own enterprise ? If there's a start-up era it's now with everything being revolutionised by the pandemic!

Reply 35

Tammy LS

I'm starting a second master's this year for exactly this reason - it's something I have a really strong interest in and it might lead to some work, it might not, but will give me transferrable skills I will be able to use in the work I already do at the very least. I did spend a few weeks weighing up the pros and cons after receiving the offer, and the cons all basically boiled down to money. If it really interests you and you can tighten your belt for a year and get by, then go for it. It's only a year, and you will always wonder what might've been if you don't do it. I wouldn't even worry about it being something different from your undergrad - the future is interdisciplinary! My area is Linguistics and my mind is blown at how many different fields it intersects with that it would be useful for me to know more about (computer science, psychology, law, forensics, social policy, healthcare...). Philosophy and psychology combine in loads of ways and you could end up having a really interesting career involving aspects of both of them.

Reply 36

University of Kent Reps

Official Rep

Original post by issawrap

Is this uncommon, or stupid? It's not to me, but I just want to know people's opinions.

I'm currently a Philosophy undergraduate and want to do a Psychology MSc conversion just because I like Psychology and to see if it's something I would want to pursue further in terms of further study and careers. If I don't end up pursuing the latter afterwards, would the MSc have been 'stupid' or a waste?

Or is it reason enough that I simply wanted to study Psychology at university level out of interest ?

Hope this makes sense. Thank you!

Hey @issawrap,

I'm heading onto a Marketing MSc at the University of Kent, so I thought I'd share some of my views about doing a masters out of interest!

My undergraduate degree was Cultural Studies and Media with Journalism - a super wide degree, with access to a lot of different areas like sociology, journalism and media. Even within my course, I chose modules which were interesting to me, such as ones on the history of journalism, quantitative statistics and more. It's imperative to choose things which excite you - or else you won't try hard with your degree, you won't engage with the subject, and you won't graduate with good grades.
As a result, I chose my masters course in Marketing, because it's something I'm interested in and fascinated by. As I've attended each of Kent's talks and meetings about the course and their business school, I'm getting increasingly excited for September to come along and to begin studying. If you're not passionate or interested in a subject, you won't try your best and succeed.

I'd really recommend the University of Kent for their postgraduate studies. There is so much to do at Kent, such as their huge selection of over 250 societies. From rugby, to e-sports, and baking to Harry Potter - that's one for everyone, and you can be apart of as many as you'd like. Being a part of a society means being able to attend society events like nights out, movie watching, baking and more. It's a great way to socialise and meet new people that you might not otherwise find on your course. On campus, there are loads of amazing bars, such as my favourite K-Bar, and Woody's. There are some amazing cafes and restaurants, and even an on campus club.
There's quite a few postgraduate courses in Psychology to choose from, so you really can pick it to entirely what you're interested in: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate

I hope this has helped - and feel free to ask any more questions!
- Nathan
UKC Rep