The psychology major prepares students for both entry-level jobs in the workforce and advanced professional education in psychology. Students interested in pursuing a graduate education in psychology should select their electives based on their specific career interests. For example, students interested in seeking careers as mental health counselors or clinical psychologists should take additional clinical and counseling courses. Students interested in becoming research/academic psychologists should take additional courses that sharpen their knowledge in one or more subfields of psychology (e.g., cognitive psychology, social psychology, or neuroscience). In all cases, students interested in pursuing a psychology graduate education should consider additional coursework and hands-on experiences (e.g., independent studies) that enhance their research and data analysis skills, as these skills are fundamental to all areas of psychology. Lastly, students considering graduate education in psychology should:
- Seek input soon after declaring psychology as their major from psychology faculty members and their academic advisors regarding general psychology electives to create a knowledge framework that best prepares them for their specific career goals.
- Consider taking the Graduate Record Examination during their junior year.
Students unsure about which psychology career path they are most interested in pursuing should take as many of their foundation courses as possible at the start of their program of studies to acquire a general sense of each of the major domains of psychology.
Advisers will help students design individual courses of study that will help them meet their career goals, and psychology faculty members are available to mentor students and counsel them about career possibilities.