What is the general course for a M.D in Psychiatry?

Question

I am still a high school student. I am interested in a job in Psychiatry - Psychology - Sociology. I firmly Believe that to know Psychiatry you have to know Psychology.

My ultimate question is this. Can one major in Psychology (going for Ph.D) minor in Sociology and still get into Med school, Aiming for an M.D in Psychiatry? I know this path calls for alot of schooling, but I am willing to do it. Also, are there any special classes that I would have to take to even qualify for med school?

Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

As an undergrad you can have both a major and a minor - psychology and sociology will work fine for you and are available at most universities. But as you move toward a PhD you will be required to choose one or the other primarily (the point is that you are becoming more and more of a specialist in one topic). That doesn't mean you can't keep working on the subjects of both fields in your research, though.

As for preparing for med school, med school applicants can major in any and every field because med schools don't require particular majors. Many advisers say it's important for you to choose your major based on what you're interested in and good at, then supplement your major with pre-med classes. There are specific classes you have to take to be considered by med schools, but you can do them in addition to your major and minor classes. Here's a very good page on this topic:
http://www.science.purdue.edu/academic_p...

Other resources:
http://www.cpp.umich.edu/students/health...
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~acadadv/premed2...
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/pre...