Can anyone speak to the feasibility to attend RISD as fine studio artist BFA while taking psychology courses at Brown as required for entrance into a master/ doctorate level certificate degree in clinical psychology ?
If this screen name is your real name, I would urge you to change it asap. Here is how:
Are you already enrolled at RISD? If not, and you really want to be a clinical psychologist, you might want to look at multiple college options…not just RISD.
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This is a great question for an advisor at RISD.
The joint program is challenging- RISD students spend a LOT of time in their respective studios, and to “do” art well, you can’t be popping in for fifteen minutes here and half an hour after lunch. Students tend to schedule very large blocks of time for their work, and their actual in-class commitments of course are time-consuming as well. So while technically it’s feasible to walk up the hill and take a few classes at Brown, as time permits, it’s a scheduling challenge to give both institutions your A game.
For people I’ve known who have done PhD’s in Clinical Psych- it’s not just the psych classes. You need college level statistics, you need field/shadowing hours in a clinical setting, you need research output as an undergrad to present a strong application for grad school. So ALL of these things are quite doable and available in Providence- everything from hospitals to clinics to prisons and halfway houses… easy walk or bus ride from the Brown campus. And the Psych department itself-- right on campus- has a lot of research going on. So it’s easy to arrange, but time consuming to actually do well. A professor who wants to work with you, isn’t likely to think that “2-3 pm on Thursday’s is a convenient slot for me”. Your availability will dictate the quality of the non-class time activities that you need for grad school that you’re able to participate in.
So ask an advisor at RISD if they know students who have pulled this off. And if not, figure out what you really want- the kind of intense art immersion and pre-professional training you will get at RISD to become a working artist, or a broader liberal arts education which will prepare you for grad school in psych.
It’s possible to major in Fine Arts at Brown BTW… and cover off the Psych and Stats and research requirements. Or major in Psych and take a lot of Fine Arts courses at Brown, and maybe one or two classes at RISD. That’s likely easier to schedule than to enroll at RISD but take the right class sequences at Brown…
But reach out to someone at RISD-- I’d start there. I know a few successful psychologists who did not do undergrad majors in psych… but that’s because they majored in a different social science (or bio or chem… very hot right now for research into brain functioning/neuro).
Good luck!
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Thank you, that was a very detailed reply. My D is lifelong talented in the Fine Arts and while I might be biased, I am an artist and she has an undeniable gift ) but also knows that she wants to work in clinical therapy field in her future career as well. She is unusually intuitive and creative and she has clear strengths in both areas. As she perceives things, the two are quite reflexive and interwoven creatively and intellectually. From what I’ve gleaned from researching bachelors level degree programs , it does seem challenging to accomplish with solidity the 5-9 psychology prerequisite studies while at BFA schools. But this artists wont have needs met with entry level arts courses in an average BA or BS college.
Her future masters level studies in psychology for clinical licensure could be accomplished at a less competitive program ( read: expensive but available if one can afford them) but she wants to have strong undergrad psych courses and stimulating classroom learning exp. as well as opportunities for placement work exp.
Ultimately the dual degree programs seem to be the best option for her other than choosing one of the larger public universities in coastal regions like UCLA/ SUNY /UW? etc. The challenge my teen is having is that there simply aren’t many DD ( Dual Degree ) programs to choose from and the RISD /Brown DD doesn’t allow one to transfer into that DD program as a transfer unless they apply and get accepted to both Brown and RISD individually for freshman year entry - and they’ve missed that deadline. So far, from what we’ve found there is SMFA/ TUFTS, Parsons/Eugene Lang, what else ??? seeking more options for her
FYI, she will not necessarily intend on applying to PHD programs ( with sole research or teaching pathways) so the cutthroat competition for PHD entry isn’t necessarily a roadblock , and not where were focussing our worries for now
Take a look at counseling Master’s degrees, not Psych. The programs are much easier to be admitted to, and if her interest is one-on-one therapy with clients, it may be enough (depending on the population, licensing requirements, etc.) I know a couple of young therapists who were shut out of the more competitive doctorate programs but seem to have satisfying careers nonetheless. The most academically talented/ambitious of them got a counseling/MSW degree, the others did things like school counseling, family, etc. Just a Master’s.
There are fewer undergrad requirements so even if she’s missing something she could probably do a summer program after she finishes her Bachelor’s.
Psych at Brown is pretty rigorous, and I’m not sure how a human being would balance studio time at RISD with Psych major at Brown. But if the RISD degree plus a summer (and a course here and there at Brown) could qualify her for a counseling Master’s-- could be the best of both worlds. And the Counseling Master’s is a different list of U’s than a Psych Master’s although there will be some overlap. Purely pre-professional.
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During her visit at Brown she toured with student who was taking quite a variety of courses yet he still managed to work in a psychology based placement program that he spoke highly of- which landed really well for her goals. we shall see how her RISD portfolio communicates and go from there TY !
If she’s talking about 8-9 courses total, that adds up to 1 per semester, plus a second one during some semester. I think one per semester is probably doable, but I’m wondering about the semester when she’d have to take two. I wonder if summer courses (not necessarily at Brown – could be at another university, I imagine?) might be able to fill the gap. These courses might not be transferable as RISD credit but they could still be on her record as non-degree course work. Just tossing that out as an idea – not sure if it will work.
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Has she considered art therapy?
sure, yes she’s looked over the programs for art therapy - but while this could be a nice combination of talents, her giftedness in fine studio arts and her strong interest in working as a clinical therapist seem limited with early focus on only a career in art therapy - shed like more in depth study in. both separate fields
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