Next Steps What do graduates do with a bachelor's degree in Psychology? Some Psychology majors use their undergraduate training to pursue studies in law or medicine. Many more go on to graduate school to gain further training in the field. However, this is certainly not your only option. There are many careers that do not require additional schooling. A Psychology major is a good foundation for pursuing careers in a variety of fields such as:
For information regarding salaries, interviews, working conditions, recommended work experiences, and extracurricular activities, consult Career Choices for the Millennium published by Walker Publishing Company located in the Advising Room in 2011 Stern or in the Office of Career Services.
Many students who major in Psychology choose to enter a helping profession. These professions all require various additional graduate study and professional certification after the baccalaureate degree. Students might wish to consider one or more of the following:
If you hope to pursue a career in Psychology, you should begin thinking about graduate study early. A career in Psychology ordinarily requires a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Information can be found in the Advising Room in 2011 Stern Hall. You also may wish to examine the growing list of websites of interest to psychology majors. The following is a list of some of the sub-areas with career potential that one can specialize in during graduate school:
You should start planning your application to graduate school well before the beginning of your senior year. Plan your undergraduate courses carefully. Application deadlines for graduate schools usually occur in December and January. You should complete your laboratory courses before applying. High grades in your statistics course (PSYC 209) and laboratory courses in Psychology are crucial for admission to most graduate programs. Depending on the area of Psychology that you plan to study, particular elective courses may be considered particularly desirable. Of course maintaining an excellent overall grade average, as well as a high grade average in Psychology is critical. Membership in Psi Chi and election to honorary societies such as Phi Beta Kappa or Sigma Xi is looked upon favorably by many graduate programs.
Further, doing an independent research project or honors thesis will allow you to obtain valuable research experience that is highly valued by graduate admissions committees. Research experiences ultimately reflect on your potential as a future graduate student and professional in the field.
Many service delivery programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology, particularly those offering the Psy.D. degree, look at relevant work or volunteer experiences as well as the academic achievement of applicants. Experience in a mental health or medical setting or with people who have mental, physical or developmental disabilities may be helpful. The Community Action Committee of Tulane University Students (CACTUS) may have information about appropriate volunteer opportunities on campus and in the city. Service Learning activities or work with various community organizations can add valuable additional experience to your college resume.
Letters of Recommendation from faculty members who know you well are a critical part of your graduate school application. You will need three or four persons to serve as references. Faculty members who know you and your work will be willing to write letters for you, especially if they know more about you than the grade you obtained in their class. If they agree to write a letter of reference for you, invariably they will be willing to send it to a number of different programs that you want to apply to. You should provide the faculty member with a CV (current resume), a copy of your college transcript(s), examples of written work in psychology, a statement of your career goals and research interests, as well as typed instructions (due dates and mailing instructions) with the completed forms and stamped, addressed envelopes in which your letters of reference can be mailed. It is helpful to the faculty member to know your Graduate Record Examination scores as soon as they are available. Organize these materials and provide plenty of advanced notice to anyone who has agreed to write a letter of reference on your behalf. Don’t forget to let them know what happened and where you decided to go after graduation.
If you plan to apply to Graduate School, be sure to:
Talk to your advisor. Frank feedback from faculty members about your probable chances of admissions to particular graduate programs may help you target your best opportunities or avoid unrealistic aspirations.
Speak with faculty members whose interests are in the area of Psychology that you plan to study. Ask them about the field, schools that you are considering, strategies for admissions, and what to anticipate in graduate school.
Get information about different fields of Psychology, and about graduate programs at specific schools, before the beginning of your senior year. Various publications of the American Psychological Association are helpful including Graduate Study in Psychology which has the most detailed information about specific schools. This information can be found in the Advising Room in 2011 Stern Hall.
Attend meetings of the Psi Chi Society/Psychology Club where general and specific issues related to graduate school application are addressed by departmental faculty.
Take the Graduate Record Examination and any other required tests no later than the summer before your senior year. This leaves an opportunity to try again if your scores do not meet your expectations.
Begin requesting application materials from graduate schools of interest during the fall semester of your senior year. Be aware of application deadlines, particularly if you plan to apply for financial assistance. Deadlines are usually in December, January and February of your senior year, although exact dates will vary.
The 4+1 terminal Masters Programs in Psychology provide qualified students earning a baccalaureate degree in Psychology from Tulane University with graduate training in psychology. Students either may pursue the M.S. with an empirical thesis, concentrating in depth on a particular area of psychology OR students may pursue the M.S. without an empirical thesis and a broad training base.
General Psychology M.S. (non-thesis track)
This option provides a broad background in the theories and methods of Psychology at the graduate level, and comprises 30 graduate credit hours. No thesis is required. Students electing to pursue this option desire a broad background rather than specialization in a particular area.
Area-specific M.S. (thesis track)
This option provides an in-depth examination of the theories and methods of a specific area of psychology, including the completion of an empirical thesis in that area The degree requires 24 credit hours plus the thesis. Students electing to pursue this option. usually have initiated research as undergraduate students, and have identified a specific area of interest. The thesis advisor will provide guidance as to the particular courses appropriate to each student's unique interest. Follow this link for detail on the curriculum.
Students typically are admitted to the program during the final baccalaureate year at Tulane, allowing them to begin graduate study during their senior year. Detailed information on the programs, curricula, and admissions criteria and procedures may be found at this link: Master's 4+1 Program
The department has dedicated an area in 2011 Percival Stern Hall where psychology students will find a variety of valuable materials, many related to graduate school application. Some of these publications are listed below.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition. (2001). Most Psychologists have agreed on one style for our professional writing that differs in many details from the style that you may have been taught in a high school or college English courses. You will need to have a copy of the manual for at least one of your Psychology laboratory courses, and most Psychology professors require that all papers in their courses follow the APA manual. In addition to its technical sections on editorial style, the APA manual contains two chapters of helpful general writing tips. There is a training aid by Gelfand and Walker (1991) which you may find useful.
American Psychological Association (2003). Psychology: Scientific Problem Solvers, Careers for the Twenty-first Century. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (click to download the pdf brochure)
Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You. Washington, DC: American Psychological Associations, 1997.
Graduate Study in Psychology. 2005 Editions (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2004). Published every two years by the APA. Can be purchased for about $25.00. This book offers information including the different types of graduate programs and where they are located nationally, as well as some information about financial aid and admission standards.
The Complete Guide to Graduate School Admissions: Psychology and Related Fields. (Keith-Spiegel, P.; Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Assocociates; 1991).
Neuroscience Training Programs in North America. (Washington, DC: Society for Neurosciences; 1994). See Dr. Dohanich for more information.
Graduate Training Programs in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Related Fields. (Bowling Green, OH: Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.; 1995).