Overview
A doctorate in psychology opens up a wide range of career opportunities to students interested in the mental health field. Students holding either a PhD in Psychology or a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree will be able to pursue jobs in counseling, teaching, research and clinical work. They can expect to work in various industries, including health services, primary and secondary schools, private and public corporations, academia and government.
Requirements
Students wishing to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology need to have completed a bachelors degree before entering an online PhD program. Ordinarily these students hold undergraduate degrees in psychology, but some students with bachelors degrees in biology, physical science or math also go on to study psychology at the doctoral level.
Coursework
Completion of an online PhD in psychology will take around 5 years. Students will learn how humans interact with each other, how environment affects behavior and ways to treat various mental disorders. A major part of the curriculum includes study of quantitative methods and research design. For a PhD in psychology, students will need to complete a dissertation of scholarly work. Those pursing the PsyD degree may complete practical experience and comprehensive exams instead of a dissertation. Counseling, clinical psychology and educational psychology specializations traditionally require one year of post-doctoral fieldwork, whereas specializations like organizational psychology do not. After graduation, all states require psychologists to become licensed; licensure requirements vary greatly state-to-state and by specialization.
Potential Jobs
If you work well under your own supervision, psychology may be the field for you. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that around 34 percent of psychologists have their own practices or are independent consultants. There is expected to be growth in many areas of psychology including clinical practice, counseling and work in schools. Industrial-organizational psychologists can expect to have many jobs opening up for them, with a predicted 26 percent growth by 2018 for that concentration of psychology.
Salary
Clinical counselors and school psychologists can expect to earn an average of $64,000. Some senior level practitioners can earn over $106,000. The BLS shows that industrial-organizational psychologists typically earn more than their counterparts in a clinical or educational setting. Industrial-organizational psychologists average $77,000 per year and can earn upwards of $149,000 annually.
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