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Careers for Psychology Majors
The Psychology Department has the following set of career-related books and manuals available for short-term checkout:
- Career Paths in Psychology: where your degree can take you
- Graduate Study in Psychology 1998
- Getting In: A Step-By-Step Guide for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology
- Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology
- Survival in Graduate School
- Surviving & Thriving in Academia: A Guide for Women and Ethnic Minorities
- Several practice/strategy books regarding preparation for the GRE
Information on how to order some of these books can be found on the APA's web site at http://www.apa.org.
We also maintain bulletin boards and file drawers of materials about specific graduate and professional programs.
Career Possibilities Other than Psychology
The types of psychologists listed on pages 1 and 2 typically hold Ph.D.s in their areas of specialization. Entering a Ph.D. program in psychology, however, is not the only direction leading from the major. The Department of Psychology has an excellent record of success in placing students in a variety of postgraduate programs. Below we describe some of the directions taken by our graduates who have not entered Ph.D. programs in psychology.
Research positions in multidisciplinary areas: The major in psychology emphasizes the scientific bases for the explanation of behavior and provides excellent analytic, methodological, and quantitative skills.
The degree is an excellent starting point for postgraduate education in Neuroscience or Artificial Intelligence.
People who are trained in these fields hold research positions in universities, government agencies, or private industry.
Medical or human-services professions: Quite a few students who major in psychology choose the major as preparation for medical school-particularly those who are interested in psychiatry, pediatrics, or neurology.
Others, who are interested in helping people in non-medical ways, choose to enter purely applied training programs that lead to a Psy.D. (a doctoral degree in psychology).
Still others interested in human services, who do not want to invest the time to obtain a Ph.D. or a Psy.D., choose two-year programs that lead to an MSW - a Masters degree in social work.
Some of these programs emphasize individual counseling (particularly with children); others emphasize administrative work in social services.
Finally, a variety of two-year graduate programs in psychology departments train students to work in human services (e.g., gerontology, health education, medical counseling).
Other directions: Courses in research methods, cognitive, social, and clinical psychology are excellent preparation for law school.
Some universities house joint programs in law and forensic psychology.
Schools of Education often offer graduate degrees (Ed.D. or M.Ed.) in counseling or educational psychology.
Moreover, some students major in psychology while obtaining credentials for teaching in elementary schools (e.g., the 5-year MAT program at Trinity).
In a different vein, Schools of Business offer degrees in organizational behavior, which are similar to graduate programs in organizational psychology.
What Do Our Graduates Do?
The department has compiled a data base of majors who graduated since 1987.
Of course, this data base is limited to those who have kept in touch with us in one way or another, so it is not complete.
(We will depend on you to keep us informed!)
Although many of the respondents are still enrolled in graduate programs, the following is a sampling of those who are not:
Professors of Psychology (Ph.D.)
Attorneys (JD)
College Admissions Counselor (BA)
College Counselor (Ph.D.)
Director of a Regional Office of the March of Dimes (MSW)
Elementary School Counselors and Teachers (MA)
Environmental Activist (MA)
Foster Care Consultant (MSW)
Geriatric Therapist (MA)
House-parent in Home for Delinquent Adolescents (BA)
Marketing or Financial Consultants (MA, MBA)
Research Technicians, Analysts, and Coordinators (BA, MA)
Research Psychologists (full time; Ph.D.)
Physicians (MD)
School Psychologists (MA)
Psychologists in Private Practice (MA or Ph.D.)
Wilderness Counselor (BA)
Social Workers (MSW)
What Can You Do With a B.A. in Psychology?
Our graduates do occasionally work in interesting and well-paid jobs with only a B.A. in Psychology.
One 1991 graduate is currently a senior consultant with Andersen Consulting, for example.
These graduates have tended to be quite aggressive in seeking job opportunities.
Many of them took courses in business, computer science, or other applied areas to enhance the range of their skills.
Check with professors and the psychology bulletin boards for information about summer jobs or internships that may lead to permanent employment.
Attend the Trinity-sponsored employment fairs in the Fall and Spring semesters.
Consult with the Career and Counseling Service to develop a strong resume and learn about possible employers.
Career-Advising Sessions
Keep an eye out for announcements of Psychology Career sessions put on by the Psychology Faculty during the Fall semester.
Come prepared to ask a lot of questions.
- Human Services Careers: Clinical Psychology, Counseling, Psychiatry, and Social Work
- Non-clinical Careers: Research, Teaching, or Consulting
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