Career and Education Opportunities
Psychology majors develop a solid background in the scientific method and a strong foundation in the fundamentals of psychology, making them highly competitive candidates for postgraduate study. Our preclinical psychology training provides all the necessary courses and credentials for admission to PhD programs in clinical psychology. These features of the undergraduate program also make Brandeis psychology graduates especially attractive to employers in the mental-health and business professions.
Recent psychology majors have gone on to graduate work in clinical, applied and scientific research areas of the field. Given the broad training in quantitative and research skills, psychology students are sought after in a wide range of professional areas, including marketing and consulting, government and public policy, and social and mental-health services. Many of our graduates go on to graduate school in law, business, medicine and social work, as well as psychology, including clinical, counseling, social, developmental, cognitive, organizational behavior and neuroscience programs.
Careers in psychology can be divided roughly into two domains:
- Scientific research (developmental, social, cognitive, educational, neuropsychology)
- Psychotherapy (child or adult clinical psychology, counseling, clinical social work, school psychology)
Many psychologists mix careers in these domains, and many teach psychology as well. Other domains include organizational psychology, forensic psychology and psychology and policy development.
Clinical Psychology and the Helping Professions
Clinical Psychology
Our undergraduate curriculum includes all the required courses for entry into a PhD program in clinical psychology. In addition, clinical PhD programs require substantial research experience, which psychology majors can obtain by volunteering in faculty labs, independent study courses, honors research, and/or postgraduate research employment. It is ideal to obtain some direct service experience in a supervised clinical practicum or internship during the academic year or summers to acquire insight into the nature of the helping role.
Other Helping Professions
There are also other paths to a career in the helping professions, including an MA or PhD in counseling psychology or school psychology, a PsyD, or an MSW. Clinical and counseling psychologists work in a variety of settings including universities, schools, hospitals, social service agencies, government, law enforcement, business and private practice.
Advising
The Psychology department offers advising and information sessions geared towards students who wish to consider advanced training for a clinical career in psychology or other helping professions such as counseling, school psychology, neuropsychology or social work.