Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEducational RequirementsOther Psychology Career Options
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Educational Requirements
Other Psychology Career Options
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In most cases, becoming a psychologist takes somewhere between eight and 12 years of schooling. However, when considering acareer in psychology, this timeframe is not always cut-and-dry. The amount of time it takes to complete your college education depends largely on your specialty area and career interests.
If you want to pursue a career in psychology, it is important to be aware of all the educational and training requirements forbecoming a licensed psychologist. Take the time to research your options and carefully examine your goals before you decide if this is the right career for you. This information can help.
Educational Requirements to Become a Psychologist
At a minimum, working in this field generally requires that you earn abachelor’s degree in psychologyor a related field such as sociology, education, anthropology, or social work. The next step is to decide if you want to earn a master’s or doctorate-level degree.
The reason it’s beneficial to make this decision even before beginning undergraduate schooling is that some programs do not offer a master’s degree in psychology. In such cases, you will need to enroll in a graduate program after earning your bachelor’s degree and then spend four to seven years working on your doctorate.
To become a clinical psychologist, you will need an undergraduate degree (four to five years of college) plus a doctorate degree (four to seven years of graduate school).For thisspecialty area of psychology, most people will spend between eight to 12 years in higher education.
Of course, there are other career options in psychology that do not require as many years of college. For example, you could become a licensedmarriage and family therapistwith a master’s degree, which would only require two to three years of graduate study.
If you decide not to pursue a doctorate at this point, start looking at differentmaster’s degree programs in psychologyor in related fields such as counseling or social work. Learn your options and what each educational path prepares you for in terms of a psychology career.
Bachelor’s Degree
If you have a degree in a different field and want to become a psychologist, you may need to complete a number of prerequisites before you would be accepted into a graduate program.
Master’s Degree
A master’s degree can be a great way to delve deeper into aspecific field of interest. However, a master’s is not always necessary. If you are interested in what is known as a terminal master’s degree in a field such as counseling, social work, or school psychology, you can often enter the workforce immediately after completing your education.
What Is a Terminal Degree?A terminal degree refers to the highest degree you can achieve in a specific field, which is often a doctoral or graduate degree.
What Is a Terminal Degree?
A terminal degree refers to the highest degree you can achieve in a specific field, which is often a doctoral or graduate degree.
In other cases, you might use your master’s degree as a stepping stone toward a doctorate, or you might choose to forgo a master’s program andgo directly into a Ph.D. or Psy.D. program immediately after earning your bachelor’s degree. The path you take depends largely on your career goals and the graduate program offerings at the school you choose to attend.
Doctorate Degree
The length of your doctoral program depends on many factors, including the specialty area you are pursuing as well as whether or not you have already earned a master’s degree. In order to become a licensed psychologist, every state’s licensing board requires that you earn either a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) or a Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology).
As with your master’s degree, the doctorate degree you pursue really depends on your career goals. If you are interested in acareer in research, a Ph.D. might be the best choice. Ph.D. programs place greater emphasis on research, experimental methods, and training graduates to work as scientists.
If you are more interested in starting a private therapy practice, considera Psy.D degree. The Psy.D. option tends to be more centered on professional practice and clinical work, preparing graduates to enter careers in mental health.
The American Psychological Association recommends that you enroll in an accredited program. Accreditation provides public notification that an institution or program meets certain standards of quality.
In addition to your doctorate, you will be required to complete a year-long postdoctoral training period before you can be fully licensed to practice in your state.
Degree Requirements for Other Psychology Roles
It can be helpful to learn about different degree options and requirements for various careers in psychology. Here are a few to consider. Please note that these represent the minimum educational requirements in these fields. Additionally, job opportunities and pay are generally greater with advanced training.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a psychologist requires a substantial commitment of time, but this can be a rewarding career. Before you decide if becoming a psychologist is the right choice for you, consider your goals and resources as well as some of the potential alternatives. There are many different types of mental health professionals.
You might find that being a psychologist is the perfect choice for you, or you may find that an alternative career path is better suited to your needs. For example, you might also considerbecoming a psychiatrist, counselor, physical therapist, or enter some other career centered on helping people. There are also a number of types of psychologists and each field has its own educational and training requirements.
9 Highest Paying Psychology Careers
6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.Tokar S.What is a terminal degree?Southern New Hampshire University.American Psychological Association.State licensure and certification information for psychologists.American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: How are they different, or not so different?American Psychological Association.Why APA accreditation matters.American Psychological Association.Postdoctoral fellowships.Additional ReadingDinos S, Tsakopoulou M.Becoming a Psychologist: Is Psychology the Right Career for You?Kuther TL.The Psychology Major’s Handbook.U.S. Department of Labor.O*NET OnLine.
6 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.Tokar S.What is a terminal degree?Southern New Hampshire University.American Psychological Association.State licensure and certification information for psychologists.American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: How are they different, or not so different?American Psychological Association.Why APA accreditation matters.American Psychological Association.Postdoctoral fellowships.Additional ReadingDinos S, Tsakopoulou M.Becoming a Psychologist: Is Psychology the Right Career for You?Kuther TL.The Psychology Major’s Handbook.U.S. Department of Labor.O*NET OnLine.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.Tokar S.What is a terminal degree?Southern New Hampshire University.American Psychological Association.State licensure and certification information for psychologists.American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: How are they different, or not so different?American Psychological Association.Why APA accreditation matters.American Psychological Association.Postdoctoral fellowships.
Bureau of Labor Statistics.How to become a psychologist.
Tokar S.What is a terminal degree?Southern New Hampshire University.
American Psychological Association.State licensure and certification information for psychologists.
American Psychological Association.Doctoral degrees in psychology: How are they different, or not so different?
American Psychological Association.Why APA accreditation matters.
American Psychological Association.Postdoctoral fellowships.
Dinos S, Tsakopoulou M.Becoming a Psychologist: Is Psychology the Right Career for You?Kuther TL.The Psychology Major’s Handbook.U.S. Department of Labor.O*NET OnLine.
Dinos S, Tsakopoulou M.Becoming a Psychologist: Is Psychology the Right Career for You?
Kuther TL.The Psychology Major’s Handbook.
U.S. Department of Labor.O*NET OnLine.
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