The Psychology Major
Are you a psychology major? Maybe thinking of becoming one? What are the real pros and cons of this educational path? Many students each term talk with me about wanting to major in psychology. Some of these students bring up concerns about job opportunities, and if the major will help them obtain advanced degrees.
While I encourage you to speak with me personally about your specific situation, let me open the conversation by pointing out the elephant in the room. Many people have negative assumptions about the psychology major, often repeating tired tales clouded with misinformation. Of course, the psychology major is not the right choice for everyone, but there is much to understand about this popular option, and we must first begin by separating fact from fiction (critical thinking!).
Below are a couple of resources that may be worth looking at to help you gain a better understanding of the psychology major:
For now, keep in mind that an academic associate’s or even a bachelor’s degree, regardless of major, is a fairly general degree. This has to do with the shared common core, and how even in the courses associated with a declared major, the information is still fairly broad. This is especially true when you compare the course objectives at the undergraduate level with those accomplished in graduate school. This means that the higher up you go, master’s and doctorate degrees, the narrower the scope of your studies (the more specific you get in your area of emphasis).
If a student does not plan to attend graduate school, and will instead be stopping after the associates or bachelor’s degree, then I often ask that person to think about what kind of skills would be most beneficial when schooling is complete. In psychology, one can expect to develop a number of human service and research skills, as well as to gain a wealth of knowledge about human behavior and how the mind works. As time goes on, you may find that interpersonal skills and emotional awareness are some of the more powerful abilities that one can develop to help accomplish personal, academic, and career goals.
Speaking of the path to a bachelor’s degree, a very important but often overlooked point is how technical associate degrees are not generally designed to transfer! Academic associate degrees are what are angled more for that direction. If you are looking to go on into a bachelor’s program, make sure your college advisor is aware of this and work together to ensure the courses you take will indeed transfer. College advisors can make mistakes, and ultimately it is YOUR responsibility to get from point A to point B as smoothly as possible!
If you do plan to go on to graduate or professional school, then you also need to consider what undergraduate major will provide the best foundation for your future studies. Some graduate programs require certain degrees, others only need specific prerequisites to be met. Across the board, graduate programs also tend to look at your GPA, scores in standardized tests, how many credit hours you took each semester (to see if you can handle a lot of work at one time), what kind of extracurricular activities you participated in, any leadership positions you held, experience in the field, and the academic rigor of your undergraduate program. That was not intended to be an all-inclusive list, but it does illustrate how graduate school itself takes a multi-pronged approach when it comes to determining what students will be accepted.
Either way, I also tend to ask students to take some time thinking through what type of work they REALLY see themselves doing (a career, not a job!), and what kind of salary range they will require to meet the needs and wants of this life. People have different priorities – some are focused heavily on how much money they want to make and are willing to do work they may not be happy doing, or even trade-off family time and free time to meet those financial goals. Others are more committed to doing what they love, regardless of pay, with a primary interest in being more available for family and friends. Then of course, you can fall anywhere in between on any of those dimensions. In my conversations with students, I have noticed that many are not entirely certain about what they want to do, and are not sure how much money would be “enough”. This is understandable. There are many variables that must be taken into consideration, but these are questions that must be given appropriate attention to help plan the journey most fitting for you.
I want to focus specifically on psychology now, so in the next few articles I’ll write about some of the opportunities that exist at each academic level. You might be surprised that it isn’t all about being a practitioner, though that is certainly an option.
Matthew A. Webster, MA, MS, ED.D, LPC
Martin Counseling, PLLC in Katy, TX.
Dr. Matt Webster is a professional educator, nutritionist, and therapist located in the Houston, Texas area. He specializes in couples therapy, sexuality, and maladaptive eating patterns with a focus on the role of nutrition. More About Matt >>
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