Psychology Graduate School Options

Psychology undergraduate students have a lot to worry about. They're getting ready to take the GRE, focusing on deciding what they want to do after college, all while keeping their grade point average up throughout the entire school year. What's more, psychology undergraduates must focus on what graduate school they want to attend if they are thinking about getting a higher degree. Fortunately, there are severel resources for psychology students when they're beginning to look around for graduate schools so that they'll be well-prepared when they get ready to apply to different graduate education programs.

Knowing the Difference between PhD and PsyD

There are plenty of options when it comes to programs for graduate psychology degrees. Two of the most obvious degrees are the PhD, the Doctor of Philosophy, and the PsyD, the Doctor of Psychology. Both of these degrees are centered on a higher learning process of psychology and learning about different kinds of treatment, research, and diagnoses. However, the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) is much different than the PhD in that it offers more of a practitioner-style of learning. Instead of focusing mainly on research like the PhD, the PsyD began to be offered by educational institutions in the 1960s and focuses on training psychologists to concentrate more on counseling and techniques in therapy. The two degrees are equally respected; the Doctor of Psychology has, though, become more popular over the years.

American Psychological Association

The American Psychological Association has many resources to help undergraduates find their way in the psychology world. On their website, the APA has a section specifically devoted to students and there are many resources that are there to help them out. Furthermore, the American Psychological Association continues to publish a resources book that focuses on pointing out all of the colleges throughout the United States that are accredited by them and offer psychology graduate degrees. This book is called Graduate Study in Psychology and is revised every few years to update students on the new programs throughout the country.

Use Your Undergraduate Academic Counselors

Your school's undergrad psychology department should have a plethora of resources to help you figure out what you want to do after college and to determine whether or not graduate school is in your future. Sitting down with an academic counseler, one on one, should be able to help you put things in focus and keep you on the right academic track in your current studies.

Using your time wisely before the end of your senior college career will especially help you when you begin to look at graduate schools and determine what programs throughout the country you will apply to. Many schools offer degrees that you want, but may not have the specialized training that you desire. On the other hand, you may not know where to start when you are looking at graduate schools. But hopefully the resources above will be able to provide a generous guiding hand when starting on your educational and career psychology goals.