<p>hi everyone,</p>
<p>i'm a sophomore psych major/bio minor in college and am thinking about applying to psyd programs eventually. however i haven't/didn't even consider taking more hard science/math classes (such as chem or calc). by the end, i will have taken 2 stats courses, 5 bio classes for my minor (2 labs), and an experimental psych along with a slew of other psych courses. assuming i have solid research experience, would this be enough to get me in to at least a graduate program right off the bat? or what types of courses should i look into taking? thanks!</p>
<p>Strong science courses would prep you more for psychiatry (which requires medical school), since they can prescribe medication. Clinical psychologists (who may have a masters degree, a PhD, or a PsyD) treat psychological disorders by testing and diagnosing individuals, tracking their progress, and using psychotherapy techniques. They may work in conjunction with a psychiatrist or medical doctor if they believe medication will help a patient. </p>
<p>Getting good grades in hard sciences also won’t hurt your application, since it will show that you can do well with a challenging course load. I think your course load is challenging enough. I don’t know much about PsyDs (I’ve looked closely at PhD programs though), but internships will help you by giving you some experience to draw upon in your personal statements. Consider though, that PsyD programs are often very expensive, whereas PhD programs in clinical psychology may be fully funded. But if you really don’t like research, the PsyD may work better for you if you can afford it.</p>
<p>Just one note: you can’t be a clinical psychologist with a master’s degree. In most states - actually, I think all 50 states - in order to be licensed to professionally use the title “clinical psychologist” you have to have a PhD or PsyD from an APA-accredited program. MS recipients are often called therapists or mental health counselors.</p>
<p>But otherwise, NovaLynnx is correct in that you don’t need hard science classes to get into a PhD program in psychology unless you are interested in neuroscience or psychobiology/biopsychology.</p>