Psychology Major/Business Minor?

College Majors Business Major
1

<p>I've been at a technical school since I graduated high school working on a nursing degree. It's a long story, but I've decided to switch majors. I'm transferring to the University of South Carolina in the Fall of 2011.</p>

<p>I've decided to major in psychology for a few reasons. First, I LOVE studying psychology. I've taken a few classes and I really do well in them and they interest me to no end. When other students are making C's, I'm passing with flying colors because it almost comes natural to me.</p>

<p>However, I'm not interested in counseling/therapy. I briefly considered getting a masters in professional counseling or going for my PhD in school counseling or clinical psychology, but I'm not really interested in that work. I'd really like to go into business (I'm considering marketing, PR, or human resources).</p>

<p>Therefore, I've decided to go for my BA in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration. My long term goal is to get my MBA, but I know the good programs require work experience, so I'm planning on getting an entry level position in one of the fields I mentioned to get said experience.</p>

<p>Once I graduate with my undergrad, I plan on moving to Rock Hill, SC so I can find work in Charlotte, NC (30 minute commute), where I'm sure jobs are more prevalent than in Columbia, SC. If I graduate with a GPA of 3.75 or higher, with involvement in a student association (like the American Marketing Association or Women in Business), hopefully an internship, and the work experience I already have (1 year hosting/serving at a restaurant in high school, 1+ year as a receptionist at an eye doctor, a little under a year as a bank teller, and about 2-3 years back to serving while I work on my degree), is it possible for me to find a job making around 30,000 a year in Charlotte?</p>

<p>I thought this would be the place to ask this question. I still have three years before I graduate with my undergrad, but I'm a planner and I want to do whatever I can to make it easier to find decent entry-level work after I graduate. I don't want to be a bank teller with a bachelors degree like some people do. What can I expect out of this degree with a well rounded education and good grades?</p>

2

<p>With your level of intelligence and motivation I think you will do very well, especially considering that you have a natural interest in hr and marketing, which is what that degree will prepare you for. Just practice your interviewing and make sure you are well</p>

3

<p>…rounded, which includes not obsessing over your future.</p>

4

<p>Human Resources (HR) and Marketing are two of the areas that might value your training in Psychology and business. You shall be able to make $30,000+ in those areas.</p>

5

<p>I have a similar question, how can a person with a psychology degree get business experience? I want to try to get an MBA, but is it possible for psychology majors to find relevant experience?</p>

6

<p>KnitKnots, your best bet is to use your psychology degree to market yourself for an HR or a sales job- that is the most likely way a psych major will get their foot in the door for business. If you are still in college, take as many business classes as possible, if out of college consider taking some non-degree courses from a college or university and getting some basic computer certifications like MS office and HR-related software.</p>

7

<p>Thank you for the responses. How about my other question? Is an entry level HR or marketing career at $30,000 realistic, or will I be paid less? I’ll be working in Charlotte, NC if that helps.</p>

<p>I’ve looked at HR Generalists, but they ask for 2-5 years of HR experience. So will I be looking for HR Assistants instead? I’ve seen their salary from the high 20’s to the low 40’s and everywhere in between. I’d really like to make at least $30,000 starting out, if that’s possible.</p>

8

<p>You should look into transferring into the Moore school of business there at USC. There is a career survey on the site that gives the starting salaries of some USC graduates. Those in the arts and sciences make an average of 36K. Those from the management or marketing program in the school of business make about 40K to start on average. What you need to do is get internship and part-time work experience in the field of HR or marketing your junior and senior year (personally I would go into HR if I were you, marketing’s for schmucks). Then you will have the necessary 2 years experience as soon as you graduate. Also, pay close attention to experience requirements, but not too close. If an entry-level job asks for 1-3 years experience and you have 2 good internships that add up to 9 months experience, I guarantee you they aren’t going to hold that against you. </p>

<p><a href=“Career Center - Career Center | University of South Carolina”>Career Center - Career Center | University of South Carolina;

9

<p>Wow, you have no idea how much you eased my mind with that comment Inmotion12! Thank you for that.</p>

<p>I considered the Moore School of Business, but I’m really passionate about studying Psychology and making it work for me in the business world. I’m hoping the minor in Business Administration at USC will help with that</p>

<p>Another question or two for you. During my Junior year, if I wanted to find an HR internship, how would I go about doing that? Do I go to business myself and see if they offer internships or do I go through the college? I’d love to find a job related to HR to do the entire time I’m working on my degree, but if I go to school during the day, what kind of jobs are out there? HR departments generally don’t work at night, right? I’m not sure where to start.</p>

10

<p>You can still take plenty of classes in psychology with your electives. You should be double majoring in psychology or minoring in it with what you want to do and what you care about. In the business school you can take a lot of business classes that study group, individual, and organizational behavior.</p>

<p>I used to be a psychology major and I love the subject as well, but through tons of research I came to find out that the undergrad psychology major was a very poor choice for a myriad of reasons. However, I still plan on taking at least a couple of psychology classes simply because it interests me and it is useful for any career that deals with people. </p>

<p>If I were you with your interests, this is what my career plan would be.</p>

<ol>
<li>Major in business managment and double or minor in psychology</li>
<li>Take as many classes as I can that relate to organizational behavior and HR related issues.</li>
<li>Join student organizations and/or student government.</li>
<li>Go to the school career center in my first couple weeks of attending school and find as much information as I can about internships and part-time jobs in HR. Put my name in the registry and get career counseling/resume services.</li>
<li>Read the career surveys from my school and start calling the companies that are hiring graduates from my school and asking about job shadowing and informational interview opportunities. Make sure to read about how to conduct an informational interview and proper behavior on a job shadow.</li>
<li>Go back to career center and ask about the same subject. They are likely to have some opportunities available in job shadowing or interviewing.</li>
<li>Do the job shadow/interviews and start building a network.</li>
<li>Get some leadership roles on campus through organizations or student government. Join professional organizations in my intended field.</li>
<li>Get an internship/part-time job and continue building a network while gaining experience.</li>
<li>Stay in contact with my network and attend job fairs at my school.</li>
<li>Continue to get more experience as I get close to graduating. Keep contacting people I’ve met with and work on resume/cover letter.</li>
<li>Get a job offer(s) before graduation.</li>
<li>Get a couple of years of work experience and try to take on some leadership roles in the company.</li>
<li>Start looking into graduate schools in industrial psychology or organizational behavior. </li>
<li>Apply to graduate schools as I prepare for leadership/managment roles in my company </li>
<li>Go to grad school, get an advanced degree, get a promotion to managment.</li>
<li>Look into starting my own consulting firm or other small business with my extensive experience.</li>
</ol>

11

<p>The only thing is that I’ve heard that getting a minor in business admin/management is about the same as any other liberal arts degree. And that just as many business majors have trouble finding work as psychology or communications majors. I considered switching to business admin at USC and I almost did so, but many many people have told me to major in what I love and minor in business and it would amount to the same thing and I’d enjoy it more and get more out of it. I’ve also found through research that many companies value your degree a whole lot more than your major, and the most important thing is a well-rounded education and a good resume.</p>

<p>I’ve heard both sides, and I think I’ll stick with the plan I have now and hope for the best. I still plan on doing all of those other things (internship, networking, shadowing, graduate school) though. I just think a 4.0 in Psychology with a minor in business will look the same or even better than a 3.5 in Business with a minor in psychology.</p>

<p>I’d LOVE to double major, but it’s too late for me to do that unless I add another two years of school.</p>

12

<p>WRONG. Those people lied to you. A psychology or communications major doesn’t even come close to a business degree in terms of job prospects and opportunities. There is soooo much data out there that supports that. And a well-rounded education is important which is exactly why all states require a core curriculum made up humanities, social sciences, and natural science. The first two years of college should be spent getting a well-rounded education. The next two should be spent studying a specific career field and getting experience in that field, while spending a small amount of time taking electives, i.e., rounding out your education, and participating in school organizations/clubs. </p>

<p>Then don’t major in psychology, minor in it. I know for a fact that unless you are a late junior or senior that you will have enough electives to accomplish that. If employers in the business field valued a psychology degree the same way or better than they did a business degree than the would be recruiting at the psychology department the same way they do the business department, and they don’t. </p>

<p>And why do you think you’re GPA will go down if you switch to business. Business is considered a fluff major at most schools, and it actually could be as easy if not easier than getting a psychology degree, which would involve a lot of research and writing that can be tedious and time-consuming.</p>

13

<p>That’s exactly what I mean. It’s considered a “fluff” major, in the same way psychology is. The biggest issue is that I’ve applied for the four year university as a psychology major. If I’m accepted, I don’t know how easy it would be to switch. I’ve already switched once. I’m concerned that if I did it again, it may look much worse.</p>

<p>And the reason I think my GPA will go down is because psychology courses come completely natural to me. It’s like I don’t even have to try because I love the material so much that I barely even need to study. Business classes, although maybe interesting, don’t come as naturally as psych.</p>

14

<p>I want to bring this topic back up just to ask a few questions concerning my particular situation. I am studying psychology at uc Berkeley, but am interested in going into the business field. Since I can’t change my major anymore I want to see if I can do anything, specifically coursewise, to make myself a better candidate for an internship or something. I thought by minoring in English I could display critical thinking skills, but I guess minors are useless? </p>

<p>I remember going to an organizational/industrial psychology q&a and one of the panelists said that taking business/economics classes would make me a well rounded candidate, but I don’t know if it was true. Anyone have any opinions?</p>

15

<p>Economics, math, statistics, computer science, and business courses are the ones employers love to see because they teach students the skills/traits that translate to on-the-job success. Don’t worry if you can’t fit everything in, but take as many of those types of courses as you can.</p>

16

<p>What sucks about all of those classes is that there are so many pre-reqs that, by the time I finish them, my two year window will be up. </p>

<p>Any other recommendations or should I just do my best with what I got (psych major, english minor)?</p>

17

<p>^That’s bull. The intro courses in those classes require no prerequisites except for high school level english, reading, and math.</p>

18

<p>My bad, I thought you meant for me to take upper div. classes. </p>

<p>It’s hard to believe that intro classes can make that much of a difference.</p>

19

<p>Same with me am also studying psychology as my major thinking of going for industrial psychology and i also want to go for hr or business as my minor but so confuse about it… need help asap</p>