Career Opportunities in Psychology
The educational and training requirements for becoming a psychologist are demanding, but the process is professionally rewarding, leading to many career opportunities. The doctoral degree is the standard academic credential of both independent practice and scientific research. The doctoral degree requires four to six years of preparation after the bachelor's. While most future psychologists major in psychology as undergraduates, degrees in related fields are also acceptable.
Statistics show that in 2002, 67% of Ph.D.'s in psychology were awarded to women and about 19% were minorities. About half of the new doctoral recipients wanted to work primarily as professional service providers, typically in direct health care.
There are many fields of psychology. Members of the largest applied group, clinical psychologists, independently diagnose and treat the full range of emotional and behavioral problems. Typically, most clinical psychologists obtain the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree, but the Doctor of Psychology degree (Psy.D.) awarded by professional schools, is also common. Other areas of applied psychology include industrial organizational consulting psychology, health psychology, clinical neuropsychology, rehabilitation psychology, school psychology, and many others.
Psychologists in an applied field must obtain a license to practice. This includes not only fulfilling the educational and supervised training requirements, but also passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. The licensing law in Pennsylvania, the Professional Psychologists Practice Act is administered by the State Board of Psychology.
Psychologists are often involved in academic teaching and scientific research. Experimental psychologists conduct research into such areas as learning, child-development, brain-functioning, family relationships, and cognitive processes. Developmental psychologists examine child and adolescent stages of growth, family and social processes, and life-span development. Social psychologists focus on how interpersonal experience, societal influences, and personality traits interact to influence attitudes, cognition, and behavior.
The master's degree in psychology provides many career opportunities as well. Individuals with master's degrees acquire knowledge and skills that are applicable in a variety of occupations such as certification in school psychology, health psychology, and counseling psychology.
If you are interested in psychology as a career, speak with a few psychologists and learn about their professional experiences and how they made their career choices. More information is available at http://www.apa.org/students, and http://gradpsych.apags.org.