To the Psychology Major Going Outside of Psychology for Graduate Training
There are a number of career fields, which are not psychology, where further specialized training at a graduate school is required. In some of these fields an undergraduate major in psychology is a good one, or at least an acceptable one, to have. In none of them is it required.
- Social Work
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Criminology
- Others
In general, we recommend this above all: obtain catalogs in the fields you are considering from the graduate schools that interest you. Get them as early in your undergraduate days as you begin to get ideas about what you'd like to do. Check that a major in psychology is acceptable. Make sure that you are fulfilling the other requirements the graduate schools specify. We also strongly recommend that you take real steps to talk to the director of various agencies that might eventually hire you. See what training they feel you should have.
Several of these career fields are listed, along with some of our psychology courses which you should consider.
a. Social Work
This requires at least a Masters from a graduate school of social work. To get into such a graduate school, the B. A. major in psychology is sufficient though it is not the only possible one. The social worker sometimes works for a government agency at some level of government. Social workers also work in private agencies. The social worker uses community resources to deal with social problems at an individual level. Many social workers also do counseling and therapy. It is an occupation where one works directly with both children and adults who need help. The work can involve general casework, helping individuals to receive the benefits they are legally entitled to, general community work on large scale projects, etc. Our experience is that many students who initially believe that they want to be psychologists discover eventually that what they really wanted was social work.
Both fields are growing rapidly. Both are important. Both offer the doctoral as well as the Master's degree. The B. A. in psychology is often good preparation for a graduate program in social work. Recently, Oakland University has approved a bachelors degree in Social Work so there are now multiple paths to this type of career. The program outlines courses in several disciplines, such as sociology and psychology in order to prepare you for graduate work.
These courses should be considered:
- PSY 225 Introduction to Life-Span Developmental Psychology
- PSY 235 Introduction to Social Psychology
- PSY 321 Child Development
- PSY 322 Adolescence & Youth
- PSY 323 Adulthood & Aging
- PSY 327 Socialization in the Family
- PSY 341 Abnormal Psychlology
- PSY 371 Work with the Elderly
- PSY 452 Advanced Experimental Psychology: Developmental
- PSY 453 Advanced Experimental Psychology: Social Psychology
b. Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling
Ordinarily this requires a Masters in Vocational Rehabilitation. The B.A. in psychology is a good one to have in order to get into a graduate school in Vocational Rehabilitation. The work involves helping the physically handicapped patient to relearn skills he or she may have lost, or to learn new skills. Some skills are basic to everyday living and training is geared to compensate for specific deficiencies. Other skills are more complex and are related to work or recreational activities. The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor also applies various methods to help his or her patients adjust emotionally and socially to the limitations imposed by the illness or handicap. A typical employer is the U. S. Government Agecy, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
These courses should be considered:
- PSY 321 Child Development
- PSY 322 Adolescence & Youth
- PSY 323 Adulthood & Aging
- PSY 333 Motivation
- PSY 341 Abnormal Psychology
- PSY 343 Psychopathology of Childhood
- PSY 371 Work with the Elderly
c. Criminology
A good way into Police, Parole, or Probation work is through a graduate school such as the Michigan State Graduate School of Criminology. The Sociology Department also has a Concentration in Criminal Justice, which includes coursework form sociology and psychology. It is an excellent preparation for work in the criminal justice system.
These courses should be considered:
- PSY 235 Introduction to Social Psychology
- PSY 330 Social Cognition
- PSY 333 Motivation
- PSY 337 Interpersonal Processes & Group Behavior
- PSY 339 Emotion
- PSY 341 Abnormal Psychology
- PSY 453 Advanced Expererimental Psychology: Social Psychology
d. Others
Other possibilities suggest themselves. There are any number of graduate schools available to the B. A. in psychology (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Business Administration, Law, Medicine, etc.).