 |  |  | Hi Adina,
You've done well to note how big of a commitment pursuit of a Ph.D. in social psychology would be. I think that at this stage you should consider different potential paths before applying to doctorate programs. Some ideas I've suggested to my students in the past:
1) If you're focused on education and further exploring a graduate degree but are uncertain if it's for you, take a few graduate-level classes from an accredited university as a non-degree seeking student. With this option, you will have to pay for your own tuition. However, it gives you a chance to explore graduate coursework and get a sense of whether it's for you.
2) If you're interested in social psychology research, you might try to gain employment at a college or university as a research lab assistant or lab manager. This will let you get some hands-on experience in a lab, and it could help with the all important recommendation letters needed to gain entry into a doctorate program.
3) Go for a master's program. You would not need to earn a master's degree in psychology to then proceed to a doctorate program. If you're uncertain whether social psychology is for you, I would recommend exploring more career-related master's degrees since they would help you with non-academic careers.
The biggest thing to consider is what you would like in a career. In general, most social psychology Ph.D.'s work in academia. The path from graduate school to an academic position is long, at times challenging, and always highly competitive. In order to work at a college or university, most people need to have much more than a Ph.D. These days, it's typical for new faculty to have multiple publications, numerous conference presentations, and even some competitive research grant awards in addition to some teaching experience. All of this is on top of the dissertation, comprehensive exams, and coursework that are a part of the doctorate program.
If you're debating an academic career path, I recommend obtaining a copy of the book "The Compleat Academic." It offers an excellent chapter about what's expected in graduate programs. It also has insightful chapters about what the realities are of faculty work.
Now, there are plenty of non-academic options for social psychologists that I did not mention. However, I'll abstain from making this reply too long. Hope there are some helpful points here!
- Jay L. Michaels
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