Psychology Degrees
Whether it be a healthy person who has suffered a loss, a student who has behavioral problems or a person with a mental illness, all will benefit from guidance and counseling from someone trained in the psychology of human behavior. Those who earn a degree in psychology have many options for careers that involve helping people who need ongoing guidance, short-term counseling or long-term therapy. Depending upon a person's type and level of education, they may help people in various settings such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, businesses or in outpatient settings.
Demand for those with a degree a psychology is strong for those who earn degrees at each end of the educational spectrum. Human Service Assistant jobs are expected to be plentiful and require only an associate's or bachelor's degree. Counselors and Psychologists with a doctoral degree should find ample job opportunities but those with a master's degree may find their options limited.
Psychology Degree Options
- Associate's Degree – An associate's degree in psychology prepares students for entry-level human service assistant positions.
- Bachelor's Degree – This degree is a good basis for those who want to continue on with studies in any social or behavioral science area and is sufficient for entry-level jobs working directly with people in a human services role. Additionally, employers across many industries employ people with this degree for all types of entry-level positions.
- Master's Degree – Those with a master's degree in psychology have often met the educational requirements for becoming a licensed counselor or a licensed psychologist in limited settings. Some master's programs are designed to prepare students for doctoral degree programs or for high school and community college teaching positions.
- Doctoral Degree – Doctoral programs in psychology will prepare students to become professional, licensed psychologists who can work independently.
Schools
Psychology degrees are typically offered through psychology departments and are available at most universities as well as many colleges and online schools. At the graduate level, students should make sure the program they are considering meets their state's licensing requirements for counselors or psychologists. Some schools offer combined master/doctoral programs while others offer separate programs. Doctoral programs in psychology often have selective admissions and usually have specific prerequisite requirements.
Coursework
Below is a sampling of the types of coursework a psychology student may take:
- Child Psychology - This course covers factors that impact a child's emotional, social, cognitive, language and motor development.
- Abnormal Psychology - Major classes of mental disorders are examined with a focus on causes, symptoms and latest research.
- Social Psychology - Examines the theories and research concerning individual's interrelationships with others and society.
- Counseling and Psychotherapy - Teaches students concepts, theories and techniques of various approaches to psychotherapy and counseling.
- Drug and Alcohol Abuse - Students learn about psychological and behavioral impacts of drug and alcohol abuse as well as causes and counseling strategies.
- Human Neuropsychology - This course introduces brain-behvaior relationships that result from brain injuries and brain-related disorders.
Aptitudes and Interests
Those who choose to study psychology and want to work directly with patients need to be compassionate, caring and sensitive. They should be mature, emotionally stable and have strong people skills. Those who want to conduct research need to be detail-oriented and have a long-term outlook since research studies can take years.
Career Options
Career options depend to a large extent on the type and level of psychology degree a student earns. Some examples of career options are listed below:
- Human Service Assistant
- Educational Counselor
- Rehabilitation Counselor
- Mental Health Counselor
- Substance Abuse Counselor
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Clinical Psychologist
- Organizational Psychologist
- Research Psychologist
Related Majors
There are a number of specializations within psychology that students can choose as a major in some schools or as a concentration in others. These specializations include:
- School Counseling
- Addiction Counseling
- Mental Health Counseling
- Human Services
- Marriage and Family Counseling
- Rehabilitation Counseling
- Clinical Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
Other related degrees include:
- Social Work - Program which focuses on helping patients function in society.
- Sociology - Students study human behavior within society.
- Psychiatry - Students attend medical school, earn an MD and complete a four-year residency in psychiatric care.
How To Evaluate Psychology Degree Programs
The following factors should be considered when selecting a psychology degree program:
- Licensing Requirements – Most states require that counselors and psychologists be licensed. Requirements vary by state and by type of license so students need to determine whether the program meets all the requirements for their intended field of practice.
- Accreditation – The school chosen needs to be accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies and doctoral programs should be accredited by the American Psychological Association.
- Licensing Exam Pass Rates - Pass rates on counseling or psychologist licensing exams should be compared against other programs.
- Program Intent - Some master's programs are designed as preparation for doctoral programs while others are intended as terminal programs resulting in a professional career.
- Flexibility - At the graduate level, students typically must choose to specialize in an area such as mental health counseling, school psychology or mental health. Students may want to consider whether they can easily change focus once they have started the program.
Resources
American Psychological Association
Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
Association for Psychological Science
American Mental Health Counselors Association
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
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