Study Methods For Psychology Students
Following a few simple study tips can help psychology students effectively learn new concepts and theories. With good study habits, students can achieve academic success in psychology. The best part? Creating good study habits won’t just help you in your psych classes. These same skills and routines will pay off in a big way in all of your college courses.
Enter A Master Of Psychology
Following your undergraduate accredited sequence in psychology, plus accredited fourth year , you can complete postgraduate study and then register as a professional psychologist. A postgraduate qualification prepares you for a wide range of professions including clinical psychology, clinical neuropsychology, community and counselling psychology, educational, forensic, health, organisations, sports and academic psychology.
How To Compare Psychology Courses
You can compare Psychology courses easily using Whatuni. The first step is to enter ‘Psychology’, which will give you a list of all the Psychology courses available in the UK. To personalise your search, click YOUR GRADES and fill out your grades in the onscreen form.
You can then use the other filters to further personalise the results by the things that might be important to you. Once youve narrowed down the results, you can browse through them, clicking on the course name to see the full course information, including course outline, module choices, entry requirements, fee information and key course stats.
Here are some factors to consider when comparing Psychology courses:
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Job Titles For Graduates With This Degree
Graduates progressing directly into employment take up a wide variety of roles. The following provides a sample of initial roles listed on the Graduate Outcomes Survey by graduates approximately one year after graduation:
- Applied Behaviour Analysis Tutor
- HR and Payroll Graduate Programme
- Kindergarten Teacher
Differences Between Phd Psyd Eds And Edd Degrees
- A PhD is the traditional psychology degree which places an equal emphasis on research and clinical training. PhDs in psychology are offered by traditional universities and are highly competitive.
- A PsyD is a practical degree offered by professional schools of psychology, and it will emphasize clinical practice with only a minimum of emphasis on research. Entrance into PsyD programs is less competitive than for PhD programs, and if you want to help people with counseling or psychotherapy, this is the degree for you.
- Many students pursue an EdD in psychology to increase their skills if they work in schools, while others use it to change careers and work as professors, in hospitals or in private practice.
- The EdS is a unique degree, and is normally offered by university departments of education. Its the only non-doctoral degree you can get that will let you practice psychology, and it leads to jobs in school psychology.
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Psychology: Grade Descriptors For Gcses Graded 9 To 1
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What Makes A Good Therapist
Some of the qualities that are helpful for therapists to have include : analytical skills, communication skills, compassion, flexibility, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, listening skills, observational skills, organization, patience, resourcefulness, speaking skills, and writing skills, to name just a few .
In other words, a therapist needs to be able to communicate effectively with a client to be able to figure out what the client is looking for from a therapy session. This requires patience and listening skills as therapists need to understand what a clients problem consists of before they can start treating it.
Therapists need to be observant, so they can hear things that are not explicitly stated by the client.
A therapistâs job consists of being able to effectively understand a clients problem and to develop a treatment plan collaboratively with the client.
This requires therapists to be resourceful and flexible so that they can treat their clients in an individualized way based on what their clients need and are able to do.
Finally, therapists need to be organized so they can keep track of the work they have done with their clients. This record-keeping includes writing skills and speaking skills so that the therapist and the client are always on the same page. This mutual understanding is key to any therapy session.
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Bachelor Of Science Majoring In Psychology
As a BSc Psychology student youll study a variety of approaches to the discipline, ranging from the quantitative to the qualitative and personalised, and the theoretical to the practical.
Modern psychologists base their theories on observable and repeatable behavioural data, ranging from counts of simple behaviour in animals to verbal reports of emotions and feelings in humans. As a result, practical work in the laboratory or field is an essential part of your major.
As part of your major youll complete a capstone course, PSYCH 399 Communicating Psychology, where youll work independently and in small groups to communicate psychological ideas and research using a range of media, including grant proposals, podcasts and print.
Combination Of Qualificationstypical Offer
Your application will be considered individually based on the particular combination of qualifications and subjects that you are taking.
We can consider combinations of accepted qualifications, of which some common examples are:
- A*A at A level plus grade D in the BTEC National Extended Certificate OR the Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate
- A*A at A level plus D3 in a Pre-U principal subject
- A*A at A level excluding Accounting plus A in the LIBF Level 3 Diploma in Financial Studies . While we can consider this qualification as an equivalent to a third A level, please see the information above for guidance about preferred subjects.
We can also consider combinations that are not listed and that do not include A levels. You should read the information about essential and preferred subjects and subject combinations. We cannot consider different qualifications if they are in the same subject area.
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Breakdown Of Gre Scores
After you complete the GRE, expect to get the results in 10-15 days. Your score report outlines your personal details, including your name, address, date of birth, major, and test dates. The test report outlines your GRE test score and an associated percentile rank. The GRE breaks down into a verbal reasoning section scored on a 130â170 scale a quantitative reasoning section scored on a 130â170 scale and an analytical writing section scored on a zero to six scale. ETS scores the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections based on how many questions the test taker correctly answers. A trained ETS reader scores the essay for the analytical writing section.
How do I determine if my score competes well against other applicants? Each school collects its own average GRE scores by program. Go to each school’s official Web site and do research to see how you compare to other applicants. The admission requirement and FAQ pages stand as good places to begin your inquiry. If you do not hit the target, it does not mean you do not qualify for graduate school. Other factors come into play such as your performance at the undergraduate level, work experience, and other information in the admissions packet such as your essay.
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How To Become A Family Therapist
For example, a marriage and family therapist might help a married couple understand why they have been fighting.
A marriage and family therapist might also help a family learn how to better deal with one of their members anxiety issues.
To become a therapist, one must first earn a bachelorâs degree, ideally in psychology or a similar field. After that, one can enter a masterâs program in counseling psychology, marriage and family therapy, or a related field, and earn their supervised clinical hours of experience .
In the United States, licensing is administered regionally by governing boardsâin California, this is the Board of Behavioral Sciences.
For more information on marriage and family therapists, visit this or this website.
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Is Work Experience A Prerequisite To A Psychology Graduate Program
Many students enter master’s programs in psychology with at least a year or two of work experience in psychology in a capacity such as research assistant. The necessity of this level of experience depends entirely on the department and professors and their lab. Some professors in your particular area of expertise want research assistants as part of the graduate program, and may want them broken in. Others will not require work experience because of the nature of the program.
Use your research skills to contact the psychology department and, in particular, the professors who focus on your specialization to determine if they accept new students, and what they seek in new graduate students for work in the labs. Faculty members generally list their acceptance status on their profiles. If the professor you wish to work with requires some level of work experience and you donât have it, other skills may compensate for the deficit. For instance, if you worked in a corporate environment for a couple years, you may bring some skill sets of interest to a psychology professor specializing in industrial/organizational psychology. A prospective forensic psychology student with work experience in the justice system holds firsthand knowledge that may interest a professor specializing in forensic psychology.
Choosing The Right Degree
Undergraduate study
If your goal is to become a psychologist, you need to ensure your degree is accredited by the British Psychology Society . “It’s essential that you take a BPS-accredited degree, advises Lisa McGilvray. “Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership is the first step on your journey to becoming a Chartered Psychologist.”
At Strathclyde, our BA Honours programme in Psychology is BPS-accredited. They provide an excellent foundation for your career in psychology and helps to provide you with a key understanding of human behaviour and the mind.
It’s essential that you take a BPS-accredited degree. Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership is the first step on your journey to becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
Postgraduate degree
Following completion of your Honours degree, you’ll need to complete a postgraduate degree in order to become a professional psychologist.
At Strathclyde, we offer three Masters degrees:
- personality disorders
- or family/relationship problems
Through working as a clinical psychologist, you’ll work with individuals dealing with these issues in order to improve their quality of life.
The MSc in Clinical Health Psychology is offered on a full-time and part-time basis at the University of Strathclyde and is specifically designed for those interested in further professional or research training in Applied Psychology at Doctoral level or a career as a Practitioner Psychologist.
Sports Psychologist
Counselling psychologist
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What Will I Study On A Psychology Degree
Your modules are likely to include:
- Research methods how to design experiments and surveys and analyse data, including using relevant software packages.
- Statistics essential for analysing whether data has anything meaningful to say.
- Cognition includes areas such as memory, language and how we learn.
- Biological psychology for example how the brain is structured.
- Developmental psychology how children and adults change with age.
- Social psychology looks at human interaction, such as behaviour in groups.
- Vision/perception how we see.
As you progress you can select more specialised modules. Depending on your university, areas could include mental health, personality, intelligence, sleep, autism, forensic psychology, clinical psychology, occupational psychology and many more.
How To Become A Child Therapist
Child therapists help children develop in a more healthy way. For example, a child therapist might help a child understand why they cannot focus in school, and figure out ways to help the child focus better in the classroom .
Child therapists also help diagnose and treat mental health disorders in children and work with families to support the child.
Like most therapists, the path to becoming a child therapist begins with a bachelorâs degree in psychology or a related field. From there, one should earn a Masterâs degree in child development or clinical psychology, and accrue the requisite number of supervised hours of clinical experience.
This path is again similar to that of a psychotherapist, although one interested in specifically working with children may tailor their training to specialize in techniques like expressive art therapy and child-centered play therapy. One can also go on to earn a Ph.D. or Psy.D. to be a more desirable candidate.
For more information on child therapists, visit this, this or this website.
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How To Become A Behavioral Therapist
Behavioral therapists help people overcome unhealthy behaviors that are self-destructive. Behavioral therapists typically treat people with cognitive disabilities, such as autism, to manage their behaviors, but may also work with people with obsessive-compulsive disorders or substance abuse issues .
Someone who wants to become a behavioral therapist should first earn a bachelorâs degree in psychology or a related field. After earning a bachelorâs degree, one can start working as a behavioral disorder counselor. In order to become a licensed behavioral therapist, one must earn their masterâs degree in psychology or counseling, and work towards licensure.
Licensing requirements vary by region, and similar to psychotherapy requirements, every state in the United States requires a masterâs degree and 2,000 to 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience for behavioral therapist licensure.
For more information on behavioral therapists, visit this website.
Learn More: Our Psychology Subject Guide Links What You Learn In Class To Your Career
If you are interested in studying the subject at degree and post-graduate level in order to become a psychologist, you can work in a huge range of areas including:
Sports helping athletes to build mental strategies to improve their performance and handle pressure.Education studying child development and helping children experiencing difficulties with their education.Clinical and counselling treating people with mental health needs.Forensic – assessing and treating criminal behaviour, which can involve working with offenders and victims of crime.Occupational aiming to increase the effectiveness of an organisation and improve job satisfaction.Neuropsychology studying how the physical function of the brain affects the way we behave and helping to treat people suffering from brain injuries.
Learn more about jobs in psychology.
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Other Ways To Prepare
The sheer amount and depth of information you’ll be required to absorb and apply in the field of psychology make solid study habits essential. As a bonus, these study skills will also help you in the core non-psychology classes your college requires.
Read about the lives of prominent psychologistshow they came to the field, their schooling, their specialties, and their contributions. If you’re new to the field, you might be surprised by the variety of approaches, theories, and advances. You also might find some inspiration.
Likewise, take the initiative to explore the many avenues a psychology degree can open. Careers in psychology span far wider than you probably realize, and learning about them can help you narrow your focus and choose a concentration in college.
Talk to your school’s guidance counselor about how they decided on their career. When did they know this was the career for them? What helped them as they prepared for it? What challenges do they find most difficult at work? How does their career in psychology affect them personally?
Using Your Psychology Degree Skills Youll Gain That Will Help Your Career
On a psychology degree youll develop a good mixture of analytical, numerical and writing skills, which will be useful in many different types of jobs. For example, in business, finance and law you will need to communicate clearly in writing, understand both written information and numerical data, and have good analytical skills. If you become a journalist, your academic background should help you deduce whether theres an interesting story lurking in statistic-heavy reports or press releases.
Some of the knowledge you gain may also be useful outside of psychology. For example, if you work in HR or recruitment or as a manager, knowledge of areas such as personality, psychometric testing and group dynamics can be helpful. If you work as a primary school teacher, your understanding of child development is likely to be useful.
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Pearson Edexcel Btec Qcftypical Offer
D*D*D* in a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in a relevant subject area.
We are able to consider the above BTEC qualifications in a relevant subject area. Where possible, we are looking for your BTEC qualification to include units in both Natural Sciences and Social Sciences.
If your BTEC qualification is humanities-focused, we would typically only be able to consider your application if you have strong existing GCSE performance in core science subjects , or equivalent qualifications. If your BTEC qualification is science-focused, we would typically only be able to consider your application if you have strong existing GCSE performance in core essay-based and humanities subjects, or equivalent qualifications.
See the âCombinations of qualificationsâ section for information about combinations of A level and BTEC qualifications that we can consider.
Different Types Of Therapists And Counselors
- Clinical Psychologists are trained in psychological theories and treatment methods.
- Psychiatrists are trained medical doctors with a specialty in psychiatry. Their emphasis is on the biological causes of mental disorders, and they treat patients by prescribing medication.
- School Psychologists are trained in psychology with an emphasis on education and child development.
- Psychoanalysts delve into the unconscious mind and may have any number of theoretical orientations: cognitive, behaviorist, existential, and more. Psychoanalysis is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders.
- Licensed Social Workers help people gain access to the support they need, and they have supervised internship requirements similar to psychologists.
- study psychology, therapy, counseling or social work, and they help couples, families, and parents and children improve their relationships, find strategies to overcome problems, and work together for the good of the family.
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