How long does it take to get a bachelors degree in psychology

Working in psychology means becoming a practitioner or researcher in the field of science that pertains to the mind, thinking and behavior. Psychologists can work in many different capacities, each of which are rewarding in their own way. Whether they’re helping individuals understand and modify their own thinking and behavior or conducting research to advance the field of psychology, psychologists make a difference in people’s lives.

If you’re wondering how long does it take to become a psychologist, you’re likely to find that patience is a necessary virtue for students pursuing this opportunity.

Psychologist isn’t a career path that you can attain with minimal time and effort. If you’re going to commit to putting in the coursework, field experience and research required to become a fully qualified psychologist, you should expect to be in this career preparation stage for the long haul.

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How Many Years Does It Take to Become a Psychologist?

The timeline to becoming a psychologist is longer than that of many other occupations. While you can earn an undergraduate degree in as little as a few years, an advanced education is required for careers with the job title of psychologist. Earning the license required to work as a psychologist may require additional credentials, including supervised work experience and licensing examinations.

So, how many years of college to be a psychologist? Just how long you will spend in school depends on what type of psychologist you want to be. Some programs require as little as one or two years of graduate school after earning your undergraduate degree. You may be able to become qualified as an industrial-organizational psychologist in as little as five years.

Other types of psychologists require a lot more preparation. If you want to work in clinical or research psychology, for example, you need a doctoral degree in the subject. Earning a doctorate in psychology typically takes at least four more years and may take up to seven years. By the time you factor in the postdoctoral experience that is required in many areas to qualify for licensure, you’re likely looking at 12 years of career preparation beyond high school – and that’s assuming you complete your undergraduate studies on schedule.

Because of the extensive study and preparation required to become a psychologist, only a very small portion of active psychologists were under age 26 in 2019, according to the American Psychological Association. Of the more than 110,000 psychologists surveyed, fewer than 1,000 were under age 26, compared to nearly 5,000 in the 26- to 30-year-old age range and more than 17,000 in the 31- to 35-year-old age range. 

 How Long Does It Take to Get a Psychology Degree?

There are degrees in psychology at every level you can imagine, from the two-year associate’s degree to terminal doctorates. The typical time it takes to earn these degrees range from one to two years to as long as seven years. However, some of these degrees build on top of each other, so your years of schooling may stack on top of each other. For example, a doctorate in psychology that takes four to seven years of study really requires a minimum of eight years of schooling, because you must have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Two-Year Degrees in Psychology

For newcomers to a college education, the quickest psychology degree you can earn is the associate’s degree. Offered by community colleges and junior colleges, associate’s degree programs typically consist of at least 60 college credits and can be completed in two years of full-time study, assuming that students take a full load of courses. Much of an associate’s degree curriculum is general education coursework. However, pursuing an associate’s degree in psychology might take classes in research methods in psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, forensic psychology, personality theory and child or adolescent psychology.

At the associate’s level, degrees in psychology often act as stepping stones to a bachelor’s degree. If you opt not to pursue any further studies, your career opportunities in the field of psychology will be very limited. Associate’s degrees in psychology may prepare students for junior-level roles only in fields like mental health and human services.

Four-Year Degrees in Psychology

Psychology degrees are popular at the undergraduate level. A bachelor’s degree in psychology usually requires around 120 college credits to complete. Students who enroll full-time can often earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in psychology in just four years. It’s not uncommon for students to take longer than four years to earn a bachelor’s degree, especially if they change their major during the course of their college studies.

In a bachelor’s in psychology program, students develop an undergraduate-level understanding of the study of the mind, mental processes and behavior. Most programs include coursework in physiological psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, abnormal psychology and experimental psychology.

Coursework in a bachelor’s degree program in psychology might include everything from the psychology of personality to the psychological principles behind learning. Because research matters in psychology, students often take classes in psychological research, experimental psychology, statistics and data analysis. Graduates of a bachelor’s degree in psychology should understand the systems of psychology and of psychological testing and assessment, even if they don’t plan to work in a clinical or research role.

Although graduating with your bachelor’s degree in psychology is an important milestone and a major step on the path to your career, it does not make you a psychologist. You need at least a master’s degree, if not a doctoral degree, to hold that job title, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Master’s Degrees in Psychology

Master’s degrees are available in many different areas of psychology, but the extent to which they qualify you to work in actual psychologist roles varies. This graduate degree can be enough to land a role as a psychologist in the field of industrial-organizational psychology, the BLS reported. In all other areas of psychology, you need a higher level of study than a master’s degree to work as a psychologist. Although some schools offer standalone master’s degree programs in clinical, counseling or research psychology, master’s degrees in these areas are often earned along the path to a doctorate. If you do earn a master’s degree in one of these areas of psychology, it may cut down the time it takes to earn your doctorate by awarding advanced standing.

Master’s degrees typically take one to two years of study and typically include a thesis, which may be based on original resources. You can find master’s degrees in areas like industrial-organizational psychology, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and experimental psychology. Master’s degrees require at least 30 credits of graduate study and less than 60 credits.

Specialist Graduate Degrees in Psychology

One type of graduate degree that’s rarely talked about is the specialist-level degree. These degrees include at least 60 credits of graduate study. Some specialist-level degrees are the Education Specialist (EdS) and the Specialist in Psychology (PsyS), both of which can prepare students to work as school psychologists. Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees that comprise 60 credits of study are also specialist-level degrees despite the name “master” appearing in the degree title, according to the National Association of School Psychologists.

Doctorates in Psychology

Finally, there are doctoral degrees in psychology, the most common of which are the traditional research-based Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the professional practice-based Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree. A doctoral degree in psychology is an intense endeavor that includes a great deal of research or practical experience hours. Doctoral degree programs in psychology require at least four years of study and research or fieldwork, and they can take as long as seven years to complete. Earning a PhD tends to take slightly longer than a PsyD, Psychology Today reported, typically taking five to seven years compared to four to six years.

Psychologist Career Requirements Beyond the Degree

An advanced degree is generally required for licensure as a professional psychologist, but that’s not the only requirement. Most states require psychologists in counseling and clinical practice to complete an internship, typically as part of their doctoral degree, and a year or two of supervised experience, according to the BLS. Earning your license in psychology also requires you to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, the BLS reported.

Psychologist Jobs With a Master’s Degree

A master’s degree is the next level of education after the bachelor’s degree. This graduate degree program typically requires two years of full-time study, although some programs can be completed in less time, and some can take three or more years to finish. If you complete your bachelor’s degree on time and get started immediately in a master’s degree program with modest credit hour requirements, you can complete your education in six total years.

The main type of psychologist career you can hold with a master’s degree is industrial-organizational psychologist. Industrial-organizational psychologists draw on the theories and principles of psychology to address problems and goals in workplace settings. In a master’s degree program in industrial-organizational psychology, students might take classes in psychological principles as they relate to organizational development, personnel selection, work motivation, employee training, strategic change, leadership, work performance measurement and graduate-level research methods and statistical analysis.

A couple of states accept a master’s degree for school psychologist roles, according to the BLS, but more commonly, this career path calls for a slightly more advanced degree somewhere in between a master’s degree and a doctoral degree.  

Psychologist Jobs With a Specialist-Level Graduate Degree

School psychologists work primarily work with school-aged children who have mental health, developmental and learning and behavioral disorders. For many school psychologist positions, you need what’s called a specialist degree that requires additional coursework and practical internship experience.

In an Educational Specialist in School Psychology (Ed.S.) degree program, students learn children’s cognitive abilities and intelligence, their academic skills and the behavioral, emotional and social issues they are facing. Some coursework in an educational specialist degree program has more to do with the education side of the field, including classes in educational research, consultation and collaboration in the classroom, educational leadership, program evaluation, curriculum instruction and academic intervention. Other classes lean toward an emphasis on psychological principles, including multicultural perspectives, behavioral and crisis intervention and cognitive behavior therapy. Ed.S. degrees often take three years of full-time study to complete, including a year-long supervised internship.

Some employers of school psychologists will also consider candidates with a Ph.D., Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) or Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree, according to the National Association of School Psychologists.  

Psychologist Jobs That Require a Doctorate

In other areas of psychology, a doctoral degree is mandatory if you want to use the title of psychologist. Although the potential areas of specialization in this field are numerous and varied, there are three particular roles that require a Ph.D. or Psy.D. Earning a doctoral degree in psychology typically takes at least four years of study, but some graduate students take up to eight years or longer to get their degree.

Clinical psychologists treat patients with diagnosed mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. They can hold either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. in clinical psychology, taking coursework in psychophysiology, clinical neuropsychology, psychoanalytic models, human development through the lifecycle, social psychology and professional and ethical issues in psychology. Upon completion of a clinical psychology program, graduates have classroom education and hands-on work experience in psychological assessment, psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Counseling psychology focuses more on applying psychological approaches to helping patients who are dealing with difficult situations or life events than on treating diagnosed mental disorders. As a result, students in a Ph.D. or Psy.D. program in counseling psychology tend to take more courses in counseling and therapy, including multicultural counseling and couples and family systems therapy.

Research is another area of psychology that requires a doctorate. Traditionally, Ph.D. programs are more heavily based on research than professional Psy.D. programs, and as a result, are better choices for psychologists who intend to work primarily in research.

Additional Resources  

How Long Does It Take to Become an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist?

How Long Does It Take to Become a School Psychologist?

What is the Difference between a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Psy.D.?