if i wanted to be a psychiatrist what do i have to major in in college?

Question

i am fully aware of the differences between psychiatrists and psychologists

Answer 1

I have no idea why everyone is telling you how to become a psychologist when you asked about the academic path to becoming a psychiatrist.

Anyway, you can major in anything you want in college, but choose a college with a good "pre-health" or "pre-med" advisory system. The advisors will not only make sure you take all the necessary prerequisites for medical school admission, but will also assist you in getting "shadowing" or other volunteer (or sometimes paid) positions in the medical field while you are in college. This is tremendously helpful when applying to med school.

The med school prerequisites vary a good deal from med school to med school, but generally consist of 1 year of biology (with labs), 1 or 2 years of chemistry (including organic chem, with labs), 1 year of physics, 1 semester or 1 year of psychology, 1 or 2 years of English, and - sometimes- 1 semester or 1 year of calculus.

You might decide to major in psychology, chemistry, or biology, or you might not. There is no one major for everyone. Medical schools like to see well-rounded candidates. Two of my recent students who are now in med school majored in art history and computer science. (Of course, they also completed all of the "pre-med" requirements.)

The only other piece of advice I have is this: if you are still in high school, take AP calculus, and get a high score on the AP exam so you don't have to take it in college. (Almost all med schools accept this in lieu of taking calculus at the college level.) This will remove one of the requirements when you reach college, so you can take other courses instead.

Best wishes to you!

Answer 2

For Psychologist or Licensed Therapist a PhD in Psychology of course. For Psychiatrist you would also have to have an MD or DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) and a specialist degree in Neurology. You would be looking at 8 to ten years of University and internship.

There are quite a few openings in the field, because people are going Nucking Futs.

Answer 3

To be a psychiatrist, you need to go to med school. Major in biology, minor in psychology. With a masters in psychology you can work as a counselor. To be a psychologist you need a PhD in psychology. If you decide to go that route, majoriing in biology for your undergraduate is still your best choice, since grad programs in psychology prefer candidates who have a grasp of the physical things that can affect a person's psyche.

Answer 4

Pre med, psychiatrists are medical doctors. You will also need med school after getting your BS. You can be a psychologist or therapist with a BS and MS in psychology.

Answer 5

You don't have to major in anything specific. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, having completed medical school, an internship, and residency. Medical schools require matriculants to have a solid background in the sciences. As long as your college curriculum includes this solid background, you may major in whatever subject you choose.

Answer 6

Be sure you know what it means to be a Psychiatrist! They deal more with the physiological and bio-chemical aspects of mental illness.

Psychologists are therapists with advanced degrees that are more involved with treating mental complexes and distortions.

But, to answer your question........ start by getting your BS in Psychology.

Answer 7

major in bio or the sciences, (chem) ect. write your medical school admission test, then go on to train in psychiatry, it's a long road, goodluck
oh, i was just looking at what other people said...you should not major in pysch or sociology, those will NOT help you get into medical school!!! you need math and sciences, maybe minor in psych but thats it, you'll learn all about mental illness in medical school and when you learn the discipline of psychiatry

Answer 8

Probably Pre-Med and then once you get into med school you'll be able to specify that you want to be a psychiatrist.

Answer 9

psychiatry is a specialty of medicine - all psychiatrists are fully trained md's so you need to enter pre-med

Answer 10

Its a specialty of medicine - (hence the MD after the name) - so go heavy on math, chem and bio