Career Opportunities

Majoring in Psychology

Now that you know what psychologists do and some of the fields in which they specialize, you might be interested in pursuing a career in psychology. Click here for a list of the many divisions of the American Psychological Association, providing further evidence of the diversity of pursuits available to budding psychologists. A career as a psychologist would potentially permit you to combine teaching, research, and practice in any variety of fields.

A major in psychology is attractive because it is intrinsically interesting, provides marketable skills, and prepares students for further education or for employment. No undergraduate major enhances one's ability to understand human and animal behavior more than psychology does. A major in psychology also is attractive because it does more than provide training in a narrow discipline aimed primarily at getting a first job. Students who major in psychology improve their abilities in writing, speaking, and problem solving. These students also learn to be open-minded skeptics capable of objectively evaluating claims made by scientists, advertisers, politicians, and people in everyday life. Most undergraduate psychology programs also provide experience in using statistics and computers.

BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGIST

If you decide to major in psychology as preparation for a career as a psychologist, you need to realize that the bachelor's degree is not adequate preparation; you must pursue graduate studies. Though psychologists might have a bachelor's degree in a field other than psychology, they usually have a bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) in psychology. You would need 1 to 2 years of study beyond the bachelor's level to earn a master's degree (M.A., M.S., or M.Ed.). A master's degree usually requires advanced courses in psychology related to a field of specialization and completion of a written thesis or original research study. The most popular master's-level fields of specialization are clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and school psychology.

You would need 4 to 6 more years of study beyond the bachelor's level to earn a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D.). The Ph.D. requires advanced courses in research methods, statistics, and a specialized field of study. It also requires completion of an ambitious original research project, which is then described in a written doctoral dissertation. The Psy.D. requires advanced courses in a particular field of study, usually clinical or counseling psychology, and an internship in an applied setting, such as a community mental health center. The Ph.D. indicates expertise in conducting research; the Psy.D. indicates expertise in providing therapy. But note that many psychologists who practice clinical or counseling psychology have a Ph.D., which means that they, too, are experts in providing therapy and have served an internship. Most states require that a person earn a doctoral degree, serve a two-year internship, and pass a licensing exam to be licensed as a psychologist. The Ed.D. is normally offered by an education department and usually signifies expertise in relating psychology to education or counseling.

Gaining admission to graduate programs in psychology can be very competitive. Clinical psychology programs, for example, admit about 1 in 10 applicants. If you are considering a career in psychology, you should be aware of ways to make yourself more attractive to prospective graduate programs:

1. You must earn high grades--at least a B average for desirable graduate programs, and a B+ or A- average for the most competitive ones.
2. You must perform well on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which is analogous to the SAT or ACT exam that you probably took for entrance into your undergraduate school. The GRE includes three subtests that measure verbal ability, mathematical ability, and reasoning ability, and an advanced test of general knowledge of psychology.
3. You might also be required to take the Miller Analogies Test, which assesses the ability to reason through the use of analogies.
4. You should perform research under faculty supervision and, preferably, present your findings at one of the many undergraduate psychology research conferences each spring. These conferences are announced in the APA Monitor, APS Observer, American Psychologist, and Teaching of Psychology, one or more of which should be available in your library or from a psychology faculty member.
5. You should serve an undergraduate internship in a setting geared to your career goals. You might be able to serve a teaching internship under faculty supervision or a peer counseling internship sponsored by your campus counseling center.
6. You should get to know several psychology faculty members so that they provide advice and, eventually, write letters of recommendation for you. It is impossible for professors to write sterling letters for students they hardly know.
7. You should be active in your psychology club, Psi Chi, or Psi Beta (the national psychology honor societies) chapter.
8. You should seek part-time, summer, or volunteer work in a position that is related to your career goals.
9. You should broaden yourself by taking courses in disciplines other than psychology. These might include courses in logic, writing, public speaking, and computer science.
10. You should discuss your career goals and graduate programs of interest with your faculty advisor. If you intend to proceed immediately to graduate school, you should begin considering graduate schools no later than your junior year.

You can get information about psychology and graduate training from psychological associations. These include the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, the Canadian Psychological Association, regional associations, state associations, and local associations.

OTHER CAREER OPTIONS

Individuals who major in psychology also might choose to pursue graduate study in disciplines other than psychology. Many psychology majors pursue graduate study in law, medicine, computer science, or business administration. Of course, to pursue any of these careers, you should take courses that will prepare you for graduate study in your discipline of interest. For example, psychology majors who plan to attend medical school must also take courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

With proper course work and student teaching experience, you can become a high school teacher. The combination of a bachelor's degree in psychology, appropriate elective courses, and experience in a relevant setting can make a graduate attractive to prospective employers.

With a proper background, psychology majors can compete with business majors. Business firms consider the following attributes for entry-level employees: first, technical skills such as accounting and interviewing skills; second, conceptual skills such as problem-solving ability; third, social skills such as understanding human behavior; and fourth, communication skills such as writing, speaking, and listening (Carducci & Wheat, 1984). If you intend to enter the business world with a degree in psychology, you should consider taking courses in accounting, management, marketing, and other related areas. You might serve as an undergraduate intern in a local business or industry and seek part-time and summer employment in a relevant setting.

Psychology majors are attractive to employers of all kinds because the psychology curriculum enhances their social, communication, and problem-solving skills. A recent survey of psychology alumni found that the majority (66 percent) of respondents were employed full-time in a wide range of occupations one year after graduation. The most frequent occupations reported by respondents were in the fields of administrative support, social work, counseling, general administration or management, marketing, research, and computer science (Borden & Rajecki, 2000). And American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) has found that students with bachelor's degrees in liberal arts majors that provide a broad background-such as psychology, philosophy, history, and English-progress more rapidly in management than business or engineering majors (Candland, 1982).

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