What volition I learn at the graduate level?

Psychology every bit a Discipline

Psychology is a broad subject spanning the science of the listen, brain and behavior, and is intricately linked to other social sciences including sociology and anthropology, besides as the natural and physical sciences.

Individuals interested in answering questions most the brain and behavior pursue graduate study in psychology to appoint in research that advances the subject field. During graduate schoolhouse these individuals volition learn core scientific principles of psychology, often including statistics and experimental procedures. This training often results in a research doctorate (PhD) or a master's (MS) degree. These individuals usually continue a career in academic or basic research, ofttimes as a professor at a higher or university (unremarkably with a PhD). Some individuals with MS degrees work for business concern, or teach psychology at the community college level.

Psychology as a Profession

Those interested in careers devoted toproviding direct psychological services to individuals and groups will besides study bones scientific principles of psychology, but also larn skills and feel to serve clients and patients. This grooming ofttimes results in a PhD, a doctoral degree of psychology (PsyD) or a primary's degree. Those wishing to serve patients in a health service or educational settings usually require a license from the country to exercise. Most states require a doctoral degree from an APA-accredited (or a Canadian Psychological Clan accredited programme in Canada) and additional supervised training experiences (internship and/or postdoctoral residency) to be a licensed psychologist. Considering licensure requirements vary by state/territory, nosotros recommend that you enquiry these for the state(s) in which you plan to practice earlier deciding on which programs to apply. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) is a good source for this data. Applied psychology career opportunities are bachelor for master'south-level individuals from subfields such as industrial/organizational and consulting psychology in organizational and business settings not requiring licensure.

Some individuals combine both inquiry and providing psychological services, often at a university or medical inquiry establishment.

How do I determine which program is best suited for me?

Selecting the graduate program in psychology that is best for y'all requires thoughtful consideration. First, think advisedly about your career goals and training interests. Then apply to programs with graduates that succeed in the type of job and training that you desire. In addition, make sure your previous education and training fix you for success in the program. As you review graduate programs, ask these questions:

  • What is the profile of recently admitted students in terms of academic groundwork, standardized examination scores, research experience, work experience and demographic characteristics? Your contour should exist similar to help ensure your acceptance to and success within the plan.
  • What is the program's success rate in terms of the per centum of admitted students who graduate, and what is the average number of years required to exercise so?
  • What are the goals and objectives of the program? Practice they match your interests and bookish preparation as a prospective graduate student?
  • For programs with an accent on academic and inquiry careers, what is the record of graduates' success in obtaining postdoctoral enquiry fellowships, academic appointments or applied research positions outside a college or academy setting?
  • For programs that crave an internship or practicum, what is the success rate of placement for students attending the program? What level of assistance is provided to students in obtaining practicum and internship placements?
  • For programs with an accent on professional exercise, what is the plan'southward accreditation status (only applicable to clinical, counseling and school doctoral programs), the tape of its graduates' success in obtaining licensure, its graduates' choice rates for advanced do residencies, and in getting jobs in after they finish grooming?
  • What types of financial assist does each program offer?

What types of employment opportunities are available to me with a degree in psychology?

Graduate study in psychology prepares individuals for multiple career paths. Many individuals pursue graduate study in order to provide psychological services to patients and clients. These individuals often discover employment as business and human resources consultants or as licensed therapists. Individuals who wish to work equally therapists must obtain and maintain a state license. While some states will license individuals with master's degrees, the bulk of states require a doctoral degree for licensure. Other students pursue graduate study to become scientists that study the heed, encephalon and behavior. These individuals often find employment every bit researchers in government agencies or businesses, or as professors in colleges and universities.

Many departments and programs track the postgraduate activities and employment of their students. You should contact your programs of interest and ask for more information on employment outcomes. Most graduates of doctoral programs enter postdoctoral training — a period of mentored preparation in either research or providing health services — before existence employed in their get-go job or starting private practice. Most graduates of primary'southward programs continue in graduate study, inbound a doctoral programme in psychology or a related discipline.

Employment setting of graduates of master's and doctoral study in psychology

Degree

Postdoctoral or graduate training

Mental health services

Business or regime

Academia

School system

Doctoral programs

41.4%

16%

9.2%

19.2%

4.eight%

Master's programs

25.2%

24.9%

fifteen.0%

five.4%

19.6%

Source : "Graduate Written report in Psychology," 2014-xv.

Should I apply to a chief'due south or doctoral degree program?

Primary'due south degrees are earned as either a stand-lonely degree (often called the terminal master'south), or in some doctoral programs you earn a master's degree every bit part of your work on your thesis. Here nosotros will hash out the terminal master's degree. Individuals entering concluding master's programs usually accept one of 2 goals:

  • To gain extra training and credentials to enter a doctoral programme.
  • To larn skills and cognition to advance further in a specific career or work surround.

Individuals with chief'due south degrees find employment in a wide variety of settings — private business or regime, schools, hospitals or mental health settings. When considering a primary's degree, yous should ask each programme what career path its graduates pursue and how the program prepares them for that path. If y'all are interested in providing health services, yous should be aware that about state licensing boards of psychology crave a doctoral caste to exist a licensed therapist.

Doctoral programs engage students in greater depth of knowledge and skills in a specialized subfield of psychology. Students interested in the production of new knowledge through scientific research — setting up experiments, collecting data, comparing experimental groups and learning statistical and analytical techniques — usually apply to PhD programs. Some PhD programs, however, offering both training in providing psychological services and the production of new cognition. Programs conferring the PsyD degree focus heavily on the application of psychological scientific discipline to provide a service to individuals or groups. When gathering data near item programs, information technology is important you understand what training and education the program provides so you sympathise what skills and abilities y'all volition acquire and how that volition prepare you lot for a career after you become your doctorate.

What is the difference between a PhD and a PsyD?

Doctoral programs differ in the type of doctoral caste awarded. The ii most common doctoral degrees are the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) and the PsyD (Doc of Psychology). Programs in colleges of teaching may offering the EdD (Doctor of Didactics) caste.

The PhD is generally regarded as a research degree. Although many professional psychology programs award the PhD degree—especially those in university academic departments—these programs typically take a greater accent on producing new noesis and engaging in research.

The PsyD is a professional caste in psychology (similar to the Dr. in medicine or a JD in law). Programs conferring the PsyD caste focus heavily on the application of psychological scientific discipline to provide a service to individuals or groups.

What are the admissions requirements for graduate programs in psychology?

Requirements for admission vary from programme to plan, so you will need to enquiry what each plan requires earlier submitting an application. Near, merely not all, psychology programs prefer or require pregnant undergraduate coursework in psychology, often the equivalent of a major or minor. In add-on, many graduate programs prefer students with substantial research experience, beyond laboratory classwork. Having completed an undergraduate honors thesis or served every bit a research assistant in a research lab usually meets this requirement.

Other requirements programs may include are one or more of the following:

  • Previous work experience.
  • Clinically related public service.
  • Extracurricular activity.
  • An interview.
  • Boosted information about yous, such as research or volunteer experience.

When providing boosted data most yourself, such equally inquiry or volunteer experience, be sure to accurately correspond the responsibilities you had and explain how they chronicle to the graduate plan.

What does a typical application include?

A typical application ordinarily requires personal data such every bit your name, contact information and degrees you accept earned. Information technology also unremarkably includes some type of personal statement, test scores and letters of recommendation. Some programs will as well crave a writing sample, such as a completed research paper or an undergraduate thesis.

Essay or personal statement

A personal argument is your opportunity to thoroughly explain who yous are, what degree you are pursuing, and why. Exist clear and concise; demonstrate why you are a good fit for this item plan, and how your previous academic accomplishments, research or employment prepares you for their program. Be aware that dissimilar schools may have dissimilar requirements in their personal statements.

Examination scores

Many graduate departments require the Graduate Record Test (GRE) and some likewise require the GRE Field of study Test (i.due east., Psychology). If the programs in which you are interested require these standardized tests, you should make sure to take these tests in fourth dimension for the scores to exist included with your application materials.

Visit the GRE website to learn more than virtually the tests and how to set. You should also visit your higher or university'due south career centre.

Messages of Recommendation

To obtain the best possible letter of recommendation:

  • Ask professors and other individuals familiar with your academic and inquiry achievements. This means, a psychology professor, lab instructor or your enquiry advisor. These individuals can write most your strengths and research achievements, and your potential for success in graduate schoolhouse. Practise non believe the misconception that a "big name" (such as a famous professor) will enhance your chances of getting into a graduate program. Programs prefer messages from individuals that tin can comment considerately on your academic achievements, research feel and potential for success. Unless this person is intimately aware of your achievements, graphic symbol and futurity goals, a letter of the alphabet from a shut professor is better.
  • Practise non enquire family unit members or personal therapists, as programs will not consider their evaluations considerately.
  • Make the procedure easy. Let your letter-writers know how to send in their recommendations, since some schools crave electronic submissions while others want hard copies. Give your writers a list of requirements and due dates for each program to help them stay organized. Also, give them a summary of your achievements, research and other accomplishments so that they may refer back to them throughout the recommendation writing process. Finally, contact your alphabetic character-writers within a week of the due dates to ensure that your letters are sent past the deadlines. Follow upwardly with the institutions to brand sure they received your documents.
  • Say thank y'all. Emails are piece of cake, but a handwritten note is usually the best way to thank letter-writers. This increases the chances that they will write you more recommendations in the hereafter.

Summarized from "Rockin' recommendations."

What is accreditation?

Many students ask about a program's accreditation. The American Psychological Association accredits doctoral programs in clinical, counseling and schoolhouse psychology, or a combination of two or more of these areas. APA does not accredit programs in other areas of professional practice (e.g., industrial/organizational psychology). Information technology does not accredit primary'due south caste programs.

Accreditation applies to educational programs (i.e., doctoral programs in health service psychology)—not to individuals. Accreditation is a organisation for recognizing educational quality as defined past the profession or other accrediting bodies. Graduation from an accredited institution or program does not guarantee employment or licensure for individuals, although being a graduate of an accredited program may facilitate such accomplishment. For more information on programs accredited by APA, visit the APA accreditation website.

Do I need a license to practice psychology?

To practice psychology in a state, province or territory of the U.S., an private must be licensed as a psychologist according to the laws and regulations outlined by that particular governmental entity. Requirements for license to practise in psychology are not standardized across states; some will license individuals with master's degrees, merely the majority requires a doctoral caste. Many states require successful completion of an APA-accredited programme (or a CPA-accredited program in Canada). In add-on, licensure for the professional practice of psychology may require additional years of supervised training experiences, such as an internship or postdoctoral residency.

You volition demand to enquiry and contact the board of psychology in the state in which you are interested in practicing for information on the supervised feel required. The Association of Country and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) provides information about state psychology boards, in improver to general information about education and exam requirements.

How much does graduate school toll and how can I pay for information technology?

The toll of graduate schoolhouse is determined past many factors. Individuals attending graduate school must pay tuition, fees and the costs of books and related supplies. Virtually individuals attention graduate school live in apartments off campus and must pay for rent, food and transportation to and from classes. Some schools require that graduate students too accept health insurance. Thus, the price of graduate school can be more than just yearly tuition. Many programs provide information on the cost of living, or will put you lot in touch with current students willing to answer questions nigh rent, transportation and other costs.

Many graduate programs offer assistance to aid comprehend the costs of graduate school. These usually come in the form of teaching assistantships (TAs) and enquiry assistantships (RAs). TAs provide funds in render for teaching services. RAs provide funds for working on a research project, unremarkably in the lab of one of the programme'southward faculty. Finally, TAs and RAs oft come with tuition remission — which means the department or programs pays for your tuition. When researching programs, you should inquire about the types of assist available to graduate students, how much funding they provide, and whether there is tuition remission.

How much debt did past graduate students have? In 2016 the APA conducted a survey of individuals that had completed primary'due south or doctoral degrees in psychology in the past 10 years. APA found that 76% of individuals reported debt from their graduate training, and the mean debt was $99,000. Notwithstanding, when we look closer at the data, we see very different trends for different degree types and subfields of psychology.

The debt associated with getting a principal'due south caste in psychology was $sixty,000. This is less than the debt that individuals pursuing doctoral degrees accrued. Those who received PhDs had, on average, $78,000 in debt, and those who received PsyD had $146,000 in debt. This difference in debt for PhD and PsyD degrees could be attributed to the differences in financial assistance offered past these programs. Nearly all PsyD recipients reported they did not have access to Fellowships or RAs as students.

PsyD, PhD, MA comparison chart

This is consistent with the data in the APA'southward Graduate Study in Psychology that show many PhD programs practice not offer tuition remission, research assistanceships, or fellowships to their students.

At that place are also significant differences in debt depending upon the subfield of psychology. Those individuals that pursued degrees in health services, such every bit clinical or counseling psychology, had on average $100,000.

health-services

Those that got degrees in bones research or not-health service subfields, such every bit Developmental, Industrial/Organizational or basic neuroscience had $70,000 in debt.

basic-research

Finding Fit When Transferring to Another Graduate Program

APA offers some new tools (PDF, 214KB) to help students think nearly the best transfer programs.

Learn more than about graduate study in psychology

"Graduate Study in Psychology" is an online resource that provides data related to graduate programs in psychology in the U.S. and Canada. It contains information most departments and programs, including the number of applications for programs, number of individuals accepted in each plan, dates for applications and access, in-state and out-of-land tuition costs, availability of internships and scholarships, orientation and emphasis of departments and programs, plus other relevant information. Subscribers can search, compare and save over one,500 graduate psychology programs in the U.Southward. and Canada.
Educators/advisors are also able to purchase Graduate Study in Psychology subscriptions for their students with Educator Purchases.

Use these other tools from APA to assist you understand and plan for graduate schoolhouse in psychology:

  • Master's careers in psychology
  • 5 FAQs nearly interviewing for graduate school
  • "Doctoral degrees in psychology: How are they different, or not and so dissimilar?"
  • Psych Learning Bend: Roadmap to Graduate School Weblog Serial
  • "Getting In: A Step-by-Step Programme for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology, Second Edition"
    This APA volume lists detailed steps for applying to graduate school.
  • "Four questions to ask earlier applying to graduate schoolhouse"
    From APA's Psychology Student Network newsletter, this article lists questions for you to consider before you lot begin the graduate process.
  • Finding the Correct Graduate Program for Me (PDF, 295KB)
    A tool to help you decide which graduate program best suits you.