How to Choose a Psychology School

  5 Factors to Consider

A psychology degree program, particularly the undergraduate level ones, is all about learning how to comprehend or assess the behavior & emotions of the human beings. Now, provided that you have an analytical mind that can glean a lot of information about a person from tiny details of his/her personality, then, applying for the undergraduate level psychology program can indeed be the right way to enter the psychology career field. Here are some tips and considerations on how to choose a psychology school for your enrollment.

Discover the 5 Consideration Factors For Choosing a Good Psychology School:–

1.       Psychology Specialty:–Which Psychology Field Interest You The Most?

Although, you do have the option to apply for the General Psychology program, it would be much better for your future career prospects if you were to enroll at a specialty-focused psychology program right from your undergraduate level.

Hence, do seek the counsel of a psychology faculty member to help decide which one of the 19 different psychologist specialties (as mentioned by American Psychology Association) interests you the most.

Today’s Most Popular Psychology Specialties & Their Average Salary Prospects:–

§  Organizational/Industrial Psychologist:–$40,000 to $80,000 p.a.

§  Clinical Psychologist:–$65,000 to $80,000 p.a.

§  Counseling Psychologist:–$45000 to $72000 p.a.

§  Sports Psychologist:–$45,000 to $80,000 p.a.   

§  Forensic Psychologist:–$59,000 to $81,000 p.a.

2.       Psychology Undergraduate Level Degree Program:–Associate’s Degree Vs Bachelor’s Degree!

In terms of psychology career prospects, the bachelor’s degree is found to be more benefitting than the associate’s degree at providing vast job opportunities.

Note:–Both the undergraduate level psychology programs are there for “learning” what psychology is and not for “practicing” psychology, meaning that you will gain your official credential as a Psychologist only with the psychology graduate degrees.  

3.       Institutional Accreditation:–Choose a High-Ranking Psychology School with National or Regional Accreditation!

Since there’s no specific agency to evaluate and accredit the undergraduate level psychology programs, the psychology aspirants are therefore advised to choose the psychology programs on the basis of their institutional accreditation i.e. either national accreditation or regional accreditation.

As a side note, let me inform you that the regionally accredited psychology schools often have a high ranking status in the psychology community, not to mention that the academic credits earned from such schools are also accepted by almost any graduate level psychology programs.   

4.       Cost Of Program & Location:–Choose Psychology School Based On Your Budget Condition & Life Style!

Psychology degree programs tend to be expensive (average $7,000 for public colleges and $26,000 in private ones) but there’s the provision of student loans and financial aids to remove this issue of low-budget condition.

5.       Psychology Department:–Find Out the condition & Scope of Your Preferred School’s Psychology Department?

Before signing up for enrollment, do ascertain that your preferred psychology school has a good department of psychology, from where you would be able to easily complete researches on your interested psychology field.

Author’s Bio:

Diann Monnier is a psychologist and an education consultant. Smita Subedi works for her as a financial writer. In the blog she mentions about the scope of being a psychologist.