How long does it take to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology?

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Earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology offers one the opportunity to learn a great deal about how the human mind works along with their behavior. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of psychologists is expected to increase by 12% from 2012 to 2022.

Earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology

A degree in psychology is an undergraduate-level certification/degree. It typically takes four years to earn a degree in psychology. However, there are students who are able to complete the course in just three years, while there are students who may take up to five years to complete all the coursework in order to earn their degree.

What Can One Do with a Degree in Psychology?

A considerable amount of individuals who graduate with a degree in psychology typically want to work in the area of social services. A couple of the jobs that can be filled by those with a degree in psychology include:

•Psychiatric technicians
•Case managers
•Psychological rehabilitation workers

A considerable amount of students choose to find work in fields outside the area of psychology. According to reports, the most common fields of employment include:

•Human resources
•Marketing
•Real estate
•Sales

How to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology

For those who think that earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology is a good choice for them; they will need to ensure that they learn all they can about the educational requirements. Precise requirements can actually vary significantly from one program to the next, but most of the psychology programs require undergraduates to complete several general education courses, psychology electives and core psychology courses. A couple of the commonly required core psychology courses include:

•Statistics
•General psychology
•Personality psychology
•Experimental psychology

As soon as one determines that earning a degree in the field of psychology might be a great choice, it is important to start making plans early. For those who are still in high school, it is better to take psychology courses offered by the school, in addition to other science subjects. As one begins college, it is important for one to take note of all the classes that one will need to take in order to graduate and build a 4-year course schedule and any elective that one wishes to take – this way, students will make sure that all of the required classes are completed.

A typical 4-year course schedule to earn a psychology degree might look somewhat like this:

First Year

•Fall Semester:
-Math
-English literature
-Introduction to psychology
-and life science.

•Spring Semester:
-Life science
-English literature
-Developmental psychology
-History and careers in psychology.

Second Year

•Fall Semester:
-Government
-Abnormal psychology
-Personality psychology
-One or two elective courses.

•Spring Semester:
-Biopsychology
-Psychological testing & measurement
-Statistics and two elective courses
-General education courses.

Third Year

•Fall Semester:
-Cognitive psychology
-Psychology of learning
-Two electives
-Experimental psychology.

•Spring Semester:
-Sensation & perception
-Social psychology
-Two electives
-Ethical issues in psychology.

Fourth Year

•Fall Semester:
-Senior seminar courses
-History of psychology
-Research courses and required courses you will need to complete the degree program.

•Spring Semester:
-Psychology elective courses
-Advanced level subjects or clinical practicum courses that you would want to take prior to graduating.