PA: You could look into the Counselling and Human Development Minor, offered by the Faculty of Education: https://www.sfu.ca/education/programs/undergraduate-studies/minors/counselling-human-development-minor.html.

TB: Research assistant positions in research labs are not necessarily limited to students currently enrolled in a psychology program. While some labs may prioritize current SFU undergraduate students, I encourage you to reach out to labs directly (at SFU or other institutions) in order to determine their requirements and preferences. In your applications to research labs, it may also be seen as an advantage to have completed your undergraduate degree in psychology (or at the very least, you can promote it as a strength in your application).

SU: I can only speak for course- vs. thesis-based programs outside of counselling/clinical but it depends on your goals. After my undergraduate degree, I applied for the Master of Science in Population and Public Health (research-based) and a Master of Public Health (course-based). The requirements of each program are completely dependent on the individual school and the program itself. I'd recommend looking on their website or contacting someone for the program you're interested in. A course-based program often has a certain number of practicum hours/semesters that you would need to complete. Those can be helpful to build your network or possibly get a job post-graduation. A thesis-based program allows you to have more flexibility with the timing of your program. There are often still courses that are required for you to complete but a large component of the program will be completing a thesis project (often including writing a thesis and an oral defense).

TB: I agree with Stephanie, and I'd like to add that thesis-based counselling psychology master's programs can be particularly useful if you want to pursue a PhD in counselling, as most of those programs will have a research-based dissertation component. Be sure to review the requirements of different programs and see which programs best line up with your career goals. 

TB: While I cannot speak on the differences between MSW programs and counselling programs, it is important to consider that if you want to register with a governing body such as the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, you will need to have completed certain courses relevant to counselling psychology. I encourage students to see if their prospective grad programs enable them to reach that course requirement.   

PA: We'd recommend taking courses in the area of Law & Forensic and reaching out to the labs in this area to get involved; you could connect with the Lab Director and Lab Team Members to ask them more about what forensic psychology/grad programs could entail: https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/research.html

PA: This depends on the Counselling PSYC Graduate program; we'd suggest checking with them directly! You can also find a list of Canadian Graduate Counselling PSYC programs here https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/membership/students/graduate-programs/canadian-graduate-programs

SU: It depends on what program you are trying to get into! Generally speaking, if a professor knows you well they will write you a stronger reference letter. A lot of skills can be quite transferable between different programs (e.g. communication, leadership, even some research methods/data analysis). For example, all of my reference letters were from professors in Psychology but I applied to Population and Public Health and got into the program. Remember to ask early (3-6 months) and remind them of deadlines through your application processes!

SU: I did all of my reaching out to potential supervisors through email. A lot of professors have lab websites which you can take a look and read through the projects they are working on, as well as relevant publications. It's helpful if you read through some of their publications and mentioning something interesting that you've read or something that you're curious about that relates to their research idea. It can be helpful to have some idea of what research you'd like to do for a master's, phd, etc. and propose that in the email so that the professor has an idea if you're even reaching out to the right person. You could also preemptively attach your CV and transcript so the professor has an idea of who you are. If it doesn't work out, you can also ask for referrals, if they know anyone at that faculty, institution, or generally who would be better suited to fit your research interests. Some research programs require you to have a supervisor before applying and some you can find after getting into the program. I'd recommend reading the website of the program you are interested in or reaching out to their academic advisor for more information/insight as well. 

PA: For Counselling PSYC at SFU, please check with their department directly. For our Clinical PSYC Graduate Program at SFU; please see our program stats here: https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/graduate/clinical-psychology-program/program-statistics.html

TB: The GPA requirement may be a barrier for students who apply to certain programs or labs. There are some grad programs which do not have as high of a GPA requirement, and some applications will provide a space for applicants to provide comments which could be an opportunity to explain aspects of their application (e.g., gaps in studies, circumstances affecting academic performance). It is also important to consider that GPA is often just one of several aspects that make a person competitive for grad school and lab positions. What are some other experiences that you can get to make yourself a well-rounded student? In some cases, a strong background of relevant work or volunteer experience can strengthen your application more than a high GPA would.

PA: Please check with the specific graduate programs, as each graduate program application will vary! For many graduate programs in general, you may want to consider the following for your application process: GPA, relevant coursework, relevant work experience/volunteer work, statement of intent, reference letters, any other supporting documents such as transcripts, specific scores on certain exams, etc. Again, it really depends on the type of graduate program you are applying for, as it may differ across the board.

PA: That depends on what you want to do in the future; if you are hoping to apply to PSYC Graduate Programs (i.e., Clinical); we highly recommend looking into doing Honours. As per our PSYC Graduate Program website: Students admitted to our graduate programs have a Psychology Honours degree or a Psychology Major with strong research experience, as well as excellent performance in psychology methodology and statistics courses. In other words, Honours will be a good idea to prepare you for graduate school, but you can still apply to PSYC graduate programs with just a PSYC major (just as long as you still have a strong application overall ie abundant research experience, strong GPA, reference letters, etc). Feel free to also make an appointment with the PSYC Advisors via Advisor Link to discuss this further.

PA: Having abundant experience in research labs overall is always a good idea, as it will give you a better idea of what ares of Psychology you may want to pursue in the future! It's common for our students to be involved in 1-2 research labs during their undergrad. You'll want to consider factors such as balancing time in the labs with coursework, how the lab's research relates to your own specific area of interest, etc.

TB: I think it is important to get a breadth of experiences for a number of reasons (e.g., identify the populations and type of work that you are most interested in doing; build your professional network and potentially work with people who can write reference letters for you in the future), though I would not say that this is a necessity if you are able to get the types of experiences you want at a depth that prepares you for grad school. Similarly, if you can get relevant experience outside of a research lab (e.g., a community organization), this can also be a great way to develop a breadth (and depth) of experience beyond what you might get from working in one lab.

PA: Yes, some labs may require that you've taken certain courses with the professor/lab director first. The earliest you can apply depends on you! There is no strict rule on 'when' is the best time, but definitely the earlier you are eligible (i.e., when you've met all the pre reqs and/or obtained the min GPA), the better. If you are looking into doing Honours down the line, it'll be a good idea to get involved early so that you can explore your research interests/options and get a better sense of what type of project you want to pursue.

PA: Start getting involved in their research lab first! We'd suggest looking through our list of PSYC research labs and reviewing their website in detail (what research are they involved with? does this research resonate with me and is it a good fit? what are the requirements to get involved ie they may require you have taken certain courses first, etc). The important aspect is you'll want to make sure to do your research into the labs you know you want to get involved with and connect with the lab director/professor afterwards to show your interest. Once you've gotten involved in their lab, it'll be easier for you to approach them for Directed Studies or an Honours Project (as they'll be familiar with you and your work etc).

PA: It would be best to check with the research lab directly, as some labs may prefer to work with current SFU students (unless perhaps they've previously worked with you when you were an undergrad student). Please check with the PSYC lab directly re: eligibility as an alumni: https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/research.html

PA: Feel free to connect with the SFU Financial Aid and Awards office for more information on scholarships, awards and busaries:  https://www.sfu.ca/students/financial-aid/undergraduate.html