2 answers
Zakeya
Student
Flint, Michigan
2
Questions
Asked
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Which college is most recommended to have a degree in psychology?
I'm looking at colleges and I'm conflicted as to which one I should attend. I really want to become a psychologist and I prefer going to the best school possible to get my degree. #psychology
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2 answers
Linda Ann Robinson, Ph.D.
Industrial-Organizational Psychology & HR Consulting
199
Answers
Updated
Linda Ann’s Answer
Any college or university with a strong, research based undergraduate curriculum in psychology would be your best bet. State universities usually have good-to- very good research programs for the cost of tuition. So use should look at schools within Michigan at first. I say more about this idea in my next -to-last paragraph).
Understand this: you will need to pursue a PhD or a PsyD after completion of your BS in psychology. There are licensing requirements to practice as a psychologist in every state in our nation. The doctorate must be completed in order to take the national licensing examination (the Guidance Counselor from Washington DC mis-spoke saying you would need a masters degree- it is not enough except for School Psychology which has a different certification and licensing process).
Getting into a doctoral program requires the following: a high GPA, very high GRE scores, research experience at the undergraduate level and strong letters of recommendation. In order to get strong letters of recommendation you generally will need to either work with one of the psychology faculty members OR do at least one independent study of your own research ideas while enrolled as an undergraduate.
What you need to do: go to the websites of schools that might interest you and "drill down" to the Psychology Department and then to the individual faculty members pages. Read what they are doing for research. Do these faculty members have research laboratories? Do they have external funding for their research (from NIH as an example or foundations). Does the research described pique your interest? If not interesting research for you, move on to another school's website.
While at a school's website explore financial aid packages that are available to the typical student. Look at the tuition costs and other fees (dormitories if not a local school).
I can vouch for several state school's undergraduate and graduate programs in Pennsylvania (which do charge more for non-residents): Temple University and Penn State University (I am an alumna with a BS). I received my doctorate from TCU (a private university); it has a good undergraduate research program as well. I would also recommend reviewing the sub-disciplines of psychology by going to the website of the American Psychological Association: www.apa.org.
If you have any further questions, just ask! You can respond here at Career Village. Have fun searching for a suitable undergraduate institution!
Understand this: you will need to pursue a PhD or a PsyD after completion of your BS in psychology. There are licensing requirements to practice as a psychologist in every state in our nation. The doctorate must be completed in order to take the national licensing examination (the Guidance Counselor from Washington DC mis-spoke saying you would need a masters degree- it is not enough except for School Psychology which has a different certification and licensing process).
Getting into a doctoral program requires the following: a high GPA, very high GRE scores, research experience at the undergraduate level and strong letters of recommendation. In order to get strong letters of recommendation you generally will need to either work with one of the psychology faculty members OR do at least one independent study of your own research ideas while enrolled as an undergraduate.
What you need to do: go to the websites of schools that might interest you and "drill down" to the Psychology Department and then to the individual faculty members pages. Read what they are doing for research. Do these faculty members have research laboratories? Do they have external funding for their research (from NIH as an example or foundations). Does the research described pique your interest? If not interesting research for you, move on to another school's website.
While at a school's website explore financial aid packages that are available to the typical student. Look at the tuition costs and other fees (dormitories if not a local school).
I can vouch for several state school's undergraduate and graduate programs in Pennsylvania (which do charge more for non-residents): Temple University and Penn State University (I am an alumna with a BS). I received my doctorate from TCU (a private university); it has a good undergraduate research program as well. I would also recommend reviewing the sub-disciplines of psychology by going to the website of the American Psychological Association: www.apa.org.
If you have any further questions, just ask! You can respond here at Career Village. Have fun searching for a suitable undergraduate institution!
Felicia G Meadows
School Counselor and Youth Coach at Tomorrow's Future
69
Answers
Washington
Updated
Felicia G’s Answer
Hi Zakeya! You can attend any accredited college that offers psychology as a major. However, in order to be a psychologist you would need to get a Master's degree.