Choosing a major...? Please help

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'm currently a senior and I'm in the middle of my college application. I want to be a psychiatrist in the future, but I'm not sure what I should be majoring in. My plan was to major in psychology in undergraduate school, however, psychology is among the lowest earning majors according to Time Magazine. Does this mean that I shouldn't pursue a career in this field? or does that only mean those who only have a psychology degree earn the least?</p>

<p>I thought that psychiatrists are well paid because it is a medical profession. Should I double major, if so, in what? I'm going to attend medical school after undergraduate school, so it's not like I'll just be settling with a psychology degree. What is the career outlook on psychology and psychiatry right now? I know that psychiatry requires a medical degree because psychiatrist can prescribe medication, but is that the only difference between the two?</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your help!</p>

2

<p>If you go to the discussion home there’s a whole pre-med section which should have helpful discussions. I think people say that you can major in whatever you want as long as you take the requisite science courses; in addition, supposedly medical schools are interested in people with humanities and other majors. Being a psychologist is quite different (and probably does pay less) because you don’t go to medical school!</p>

3

<p>It means that if you graduate with an undergraduate degree in psych you will be earning less than people who graduate with a degree in, say, engineering. People who want to work in psychology generally require at least a masters degree in that field or in a related area like social work. You can also get a PhD in psychology - or go the med school route and choose psychiatry or neurology. An undergraduate degree in psych is only the first step to a professional career.</p>