Has anyone completed a MSc Psychology Conversion course?

[TheOriginalMrsMoss]

I'm considering doing a BPS approved Masters conversion course but I'd like to find out more about how much time I would need to commit to it.

I have a few options; full or part-time and keep on working. I can also attend or do one of the online course options.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has or is currently studying. What are the pro's and cons? Also, what kind of work has it led on to?

Hi, I am currently doing this course having started in September. I was a teacher for many years and decided to change careers to become an Educational Psychologist but needed to do the conversion course first. I also turned 40 this year and haven't studied since about 2005! Being completely honest, it is pretty full-on! I am 6 weeks in and have already completed 5 assignments, with a further 2 due next week. I gave up my work to do this full-time and I'm working just as long hours as I was teaching! I am enjoying it and have learned so much already - it is pushing me right out of my comfort zone - but some parts of it are way above my knowledge and ability level (especially statistics!) I don't want to put you off at all but I wish I had known how much work would be involved before I started. I am only in uni once a week on average, for 1 workshop, the rest of my classes are online though that may change next semester (I am in Scotland, so still Covid restructions) Hope that is helpful for you and feel free to ask anything else.

I did an MPhil conversion course full-time, although I had to do one year of PT study with the OU to qualify for it. It was pretty full-on; there was a PT stream but they had to be in uni one day a week and do a good deal of work around it as well. There is also a statistical element as a PP said that many people find tough, and generally more when you go on to post-grad psych training.

Yes!

A one year full time course is hard going. We had a lot of people start it while continuing to work; at Christmas they switched to the part time route!

If you are planning to go onto the EP/CP doctorate it doesn’t matter whether you go for online or in person. Just make sure it is BPS accredited.

Best of luck!

Hi. I completed mine last year. It is pretty intense...I considered full time but thankfully saw sense and did it part time, which was much more manageable for me. I didn't work but have 4 dc.

I am now doing a PhD.

Hi,
I'm thinking of doing this in order to become a psychotherapist. Have spoken to Arden, and their advisors all seem very US-based. Have professional quals that they don't seem to have heard of - like FCA for instance. Has anyone had any dealings with them? Thank you

Thank you all so much for your replies!

I didn't expect so many responses and all your replies have given me so much to think about.

Firstly, I'm older, 54. I have already spent 5 years studying professional qualifications while my 4 children were at school and it was a slog and very stressful at times.

I am really interested in the subject matter so I know I'd find it interesting. My current role involves statistical analysis so the heavy maths bias doesn't phase me.

But I still find myself hesitating when I'm at the point of signing up. I think I would either do it part-time + 3/4 days working or full time and minimal work (but that would be a big financial hit due to costs + loss of earnings).

Initially, I thought I'd be more interested in the Educational Psychology route but I'd like to find out more about clinical and forensic psychology and careers outside the state sector.

I have looked at this. What I would say is please just be mindful about how many psychology graduates there are. Getting a place on a conversion course is easy. Getting a place on a doctorate is so much more competitive though. I am sure your teaching experience will come in handy. There are so many candidates it isn't a guarantee though. So many universities are churning out psychology graduates.

I say this as someone who studied most of their first degree in psychology and has looked into in alot.

Getting unqualified jobs in mental health or retraining as an occupational therapist or social worker and specialising in mental health seem to be more productive options.

If you want to study psychology for the sake if it being fascinating then please go ahead. But, if you really need a career that is going to get you somewhere and earn money that perhaps look a bit further.

Sorry I must have imagined your teaching experience bit.. it has been a long day!

I've just enrolled to start on an MSc psychology conversion course in a couple of weeks, so I can't comment on workload but am interested in following this thread! I have worked as a teacher for the past 15 years and have just finished at Christmas to take a career break for a couple of years to spend more time with our four children. I have opted to do the course part time as a distance learning course, with the plan being that in two years I will either return to SEND education work or look to apply for an educational psychology PHD. I'm feeling a bit nervous about getting started, especially as the first module is statistics, but I'm also looking forward to it.

Sounds exciting, FamilyLife123. When you say you’ve ‘just enrolled’ …? How long was the application process?

Which institution teaches the course?

And how are you funding it? Do either the part time or the distance learning element mean it’s cheaper than full time at a concrete place?

I'm doing a psychology degree bridging course. It's online and INTENSE! I'm working full time (with 3 young children) and have found trying to fit everything in v tough but am really enjoying studying again and the course material is v interesting. I'm hoping to continue to a honours year / masters in clinical psych (in Australia so a little different).

I did mine pt online and graduated in 2019. I worked 4 days a week. It was pretty intense, but have subsequently started the EdPsych course which is VERY intense, so quite glad I had the warm-up round first!

I did one many years ago and now work as an ed psych.

I would just say that if you are thinking of working as an ed psych, you would need to do a conversion course, spend at least a year but possibly more getting relevant experience (although you may already have this), then gain a place on a highly competitive 3 year training course. Often people seem to apply a couple of times before they get on. Once you've done all if this, you'll probably be able to easily get a job because there is a national shortage of ed psychs, but it's a long haul to get there.

@LiterallyKnowsBest

Sounds exciting, FamilyLife123. When you say you’ve ‘just enrolled’ …? How long was the application process?

Which institution teaches the course?

And how are you funding it? Do either the part time or the distance learning element mean it’s cheaper than full time at a concrete place?

The enrolment process didn't take long at all - I filled in an online application and scanned across degree certificates, they replied a couple of days after requesting a copy of my marriage certificate which I scanned across, then I was offered a place the following week. I'm studying through Northumbria and got an alumni discount, but I don't think the overall cost is any different whether it's distance or in person. I'm funding via a postgraduate loan.

Doing it now, and working. It’s great

Doing it at the moment, 2 year online, feel free to ask questions!

I'm hoping to become an EdPsych if I can get onto the professional doctorate.

I’m currently studying, doing part time online and working 3 days a week as a teacher and have two dc in secondary. It’s intense and you need to be prepared to do a lot of statistics work. I’d look carefully at the course content, a few students on my course have become quite disillusioned, complaints being the amount of statistics and amount of reading, we don’t have much in the way of seminars. I’m on my last taught assignment, which I’ve got an extension on and I’m still not sure how I’m going to get it done!

I’ve postponed starting my thesis module until the spring, have been feeling quite overwhelmed and so taking a break. I’m aiming to apply for the DEdPsy eventually. Im 42, so not young, but figure I’ve got 25 years left of work and I’m not sure I want to teach for that long.

@wonderstuff

Same! I've been teaching secondary since 2005 and fancied a change for second half of career. DS1 diagnosed with ASD/ADHD so have taken an interest in the neurodivergence side of things. I'm even considering a PhD rather than DEdPsych because I want to find out why autistic girls are underdiagnosed/misdiagnosed.

I really like the MSc, the stats seem okay (at least we have SPSS!).

I've worked in higher education for 20 years, and most of that with online learning. At 54, you will most likely not be the oldest on the course.

Being aware of the timeframe to complete a course online, part-time is a great start. This time to complete a course calculator shows what you can do in your time saved commuting with lockdowns, but you can use it to give you an idea of the time frame.

www.ukstudyonline.com/wfh-masters-calculator/

Everyone is different, but completing in three years is possible if you can dedicate 12 hours a week to the course.

These articles might also be helpful for you, but you sound like you have already done your research.

www.ukstudyonline.com/how-to-go-to-university-as-a-mature-student/

and

www.ukstudyonline.com/psychology-conversion-msc-explained/

Let me know any questions, and I'll be happy to help.

Good luck with your study!

A friend of mine did an MSc pysch conversion several years ago & said it was pretty intense but nothing compared to the clinical doctorate that he's doing now (& it took him 2 or 3 tries to get a place!)

I've looked into educational psychology as well and I think the only place that offers the course in Scotland is Dundee, so it'd have to be accessible for you.

Good luck!

Hi all. I'm interested in getting a PhD in clinical psychology. I got my bachelor's in Psychology from the US so it isn't BPS accredited, but it was thr equivalent of a first.

It's encouraging to see that there are graduates of the msc conversion course that went on to get PhD or edpsy.

I wanted to check to see if it is possible to go from the conversion course straight to a PhD. A lot of the conversion programs emphasize that it would be the first step in the path to become a clinical psychologist, and that graduates can go on to apply for specialist masters courses. Two masters would be very expensive! So, any insight into this would be really helpful.

Can anyone share any feedback they have from completing a conversion course? Where did you go? Does it matter where you go as long as it is accredited? I'm looking at Glasgow and Exeter in particular but they're both 15k :(

Thank you!!

First of all - don’t call it a PhD in your application! 😊 Although it is the same level, it is a professional doctorate.

The vast majority of courses will require you to have demonstrable work experience after you have completed the BPS-accredited degree. The idea is that you will put the psychology you have learned into practice and then be able to talk about and reflect upon this in your application to the doctorate.

Online conversions may be cheaper for you? It doesn’t matter where you go as long as it is accredited.

Getting onto DClinPsy courses is hard as fuck. Most of my cohort on the conversion course had that goal. Most of them managed it in the end, but for pretty much all of them it took several applications plus a few years working for free or close to free in Assistant Psychologist roles or similar, often taking on huge responsibilities with minimal support. And, without wishing to be a dick about this, the conversion course I did was U of Cambridge, so it was generally academic, high-achieving people. At least that's how it was when I converted, and I'm not aware that anything has changed since. The number of doctorate places is very limited and there is consequently huge competition for them.

Once you get onto a DClinPsy course, assuming you like the work and so on, you are pretty much set as there are plenty of vacancies, but getting onto the doctorate is a real bottleneck.

I would echo the above. Some amazing students on mine and still trying to get that doctorate spot

Would you mind saying if you were a primary or secondary school teacher and if this matter in terms of transferable skills? What area of Ed Psychology would you ideally like to get into? Are there jobs aplenty?