Careers in Psychology
Special thanks to Professor Mitch Handelsman for maintaining a website with lots of information about graduate school and careers in Psychology. The following is a selection of information from that website. For more information, especially relating to the graduate school application process and preparation, please see the complete document on Professor Handelsman's website.
What Can I Do With a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology?
Many Things. Below are several articles published in the PsiChi newsletter that present many options for careers for graduates with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. You may be surprised at the diversity of fields in which Psychology graduates find work.
I'm Getting My Bachelor's Degree in Psychology - What Can I Do With It?
What Can I Do with a BA in Psychology?
How Do I Maximize My Chances of Getting a Good Job With an Undergraduate Psychology Degree?
Job Skills Valued by Employers Who Interview Psychology Majors
"Working Your Degree", from CNNMoney
Do I want to go on to graduate school?
There are some jobs in the human service or mental health fields that you can get with a bachelor’s degree. In general, however, the more education you have, the more opportunities open up. Many positions in the mental health fields require a master’s degree. In order to become licensed as a psychologist, you need a doctoral degree—either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. (doctor of psychology). If you desire a career in academia (teaching or research), a Ph.D. is usually required.
Do I want an M.A. or a Ph.D.?
To answer that question, you should explore your goals. For example, if your lifelong dream is to do counseling but not to teach, a master's degree may be fine. A doctoral degree takes considerably longer to obtain than a master's. For example, you should expect to complete your Ph.D. in 5 - 10 years, with about 8 years being average for a clinical Ph.D. Most Experimental Psychology Ph.D. programs are somewhat shorter—some finish in 4 years. However, the trend now is for an Experimental Ph.D. to enter a Post-doctoral Training Program (post-docs) for a year or two before hitting the job market. Although doctoral programs take some time, it is not just a matter of going to classes. You will also be working on research, possibly teaching, and doing more and more actual psychology. In clinical programs, you spend some of your time doing clinical work, and your last year is a full-time, paid (although not much) internship during which you are essentially functioning as a psychologist.
In Ph.D. programs the expectations of performance are quite high, and they are competitive to enter. One of the reality checks is to see how you would measure up against the competition trying to get into these programs. Go to a library reference desk and look over the APA publication called Graduate Study in Psychology (ISBN 1557986606), which contains information about average GPA and GRE scores, as well as preferred/required courses. You can also find information about many graduate programs on the Internet.
Some doctoral programs prefer applicants who have earned already a master’s degree (along with some experience in the field). Norcross, Sayette, and Mayne, in their book Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology (Guilford Press, 1996; ISBN: 1572304952) say this: “In clinical psychology, Psy.D. programs and practice-oriented Ph.D. programs tend to accept proportionally more incoming students with master’s degrees than with baccalaureate degrees only...Two-thirds of incoming students in APA-accredited counseling psychology programs already held their master’s” (p.12). (By the way, this is a good book for you to read if you are going into clinical or counseling.) Although it may take an extra year or so to get a master’s and transfer into a doctoral program, it may well be worth the investment. Also, a master's degree can increase your chances of getting into a doctoral program if you were not successful with only a baccalaureate.
The UC Denver Department of Psychology offers master's degrees in two areas: Clinical and Industrial-Organizational. Also, the UC Denver School of Education offers several master's. programs in areas such as counseling psychology, family counseling, and public school counseling. Another degree that may be relevant for those interested in mental health careers is the MSW, or master’s of social work. These degrees are offered at Colorado State University and the University of Denver.
Applicant Information from psychgrad.org
A Guide to Careers in the Helping Professions
Marky Lloyd's Careers in Psychology Page
Graduate School and Employment Resources
