Psychology Department
Career Options and Graduate Study
ODU Psychology graduates are well prepared to work in a variety of areas related to mental health and social services. Although the BA in psychology is not a professional degree, nationally, about 25% of undergraduate majors end up working in a field closely related to psychology (Landrum, 2001). For example, businesses employ psychology graduates in human resources, marketing, public relations, and sales positions. Psychology graduates are marketable well beyond the bounds of psychology (Landrum, 2001). To learn more about career options in psychology at various degree levels, visit Marky Lloyd’s page (http://www.psywww.com/careers/index.htm).
Psychology majors may also choose to continue their studies in graduate school.
Students interested in pursuing an advanced degree should discuss this with their advisors at the earliest possible opportunity so that an appropriate curriculum can be planned to maximize the probability of admission to a graduate program. All graduate level programs require some type of admission test, typically the Graduate Record Examination (GRE, visit www1.kaplan.com for more information), which is similar to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT); most programs also require the subject test in Psychology. Admission to graduate school is typically based upon several criteria including:
- performance on placement tests
- undergraduate grade point average (GPA)
- letters of recommendation
- extracurricular activities
Some of the programs of interest to psychology majors are described below. One advantage of the undergraduate psychology degree is that it can combine with almost any general area of advanced study. Descriptions of various options, both in psychology and other allied fields, follow.
Some types of careers require advanced degrees. A graduate program is highly specialized and the most common fields include the following:
- Clinical Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- Developmental Psychology including Educational Psychology, Child Psychopathology, School Psychology (see Education, also)
- Psychometrics (Testing)
- Psychobiology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Forensic Psychology (Law)
- Medical Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Sports Psychology
The Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) degree enables entry and advanced level placement in community social service agencies. Fields in social work include Clinical Social Work and Social Planning and Administration.
This program offers specialization's in child development, life-span development and family relations. There is a strong emphasis on psychology.
A number of advanced degrees in education are psychology-related:
Guidance and Counseling -- certification as a guidance counselor on the secondary level; usually requires teacher certification. This may include training in counseling; it is not as competitive as counseling psychology, but typically does not allow for licensing as a psychologist.
School Psychology -- requires teacher certification for admission into the program; however some programs allow students to obtain certification while completing other requirements for the degree. This program emphasizes testing and dealing with children with special problems.
Student Personnel -- prepares for a career in any of the support services within a college or university: counseling, career counseling, financial aid, housing, student activities, academic advising.
Human Services Education -- offers a wide varied of careers in the field of education including special education, health training, etc. Field related to formal education (e.g., special education) require teacher certification.
Psychology interfaces with business in a variety of ways, especially at the managerial and training level as well as marketing. Some of the specialized degrees include
Master of Business Administration (MBA) - prepares for professional careers in various field of business that are "person-oriented", such as Human Resources and Organizational Behavior.
Master of Arts (M.A) - covers the same range of topics as an MBA but is research oriented and may lead to a Ph.D. This area is similar to Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Students interested in careers in any of these field might consider
Health Education - provides training in one of four primary areas: school and health education, community health education, workplace health education and patient education
Physical Education and Recreation - overlaps some with sports psychology
