Do you plan to continue with more school after your bachelor's degree?
Yes No

Do you have above average quantitative skills and writing /thinking skills? Do you have significant research and field experiences in psychology? If NO Work to improve these skills or consider alternative career paths. If YES Are you willing to commit the time, energy, money, and personal sacrifice required for graduate study? If NO Consider working for a while after you receive your B.A. degree. Perhaps graduate school will be a more realistic possibility later. If YES Are you interested in a career as a scientist/scholar, primarily concentrating on designing, conducting, and evaluating research? If YES Identify graduate programs (Ph.D.) noted for scholarly productivity in the content area of your interests (i.e., specific topics in areas such as learning, motivation, cognition, developmental, etc.). Graduates of these programs are known as experimental psychologists. If NO Are you interested in becoming a specialist in the teaching/learning process, doing research and consulting in educational settings? If YES Identify graduate programs (Ph.D., Ed.D.) in educational psychology. If NO Do you plan to work as an applied psychologist (one who uses research findings about behavior to study and solve human problems)? If NO Consult a career counselor for help in clarifying your vocational goals. If YES Are you interested in applying psychology in work settings? If YES Identify graduate programs (Ph.D.) in industrial/organizational psychology. If NO Are you primarily interested in doing therapy, counseling, and psychological evaluations? If NO Consult a career counselor for help in clarifying your vocational goals. If YES Do you plan to specialize in evaluating and treating problems of school-age children in school settings? If YES Identify graduate programs (Ph.D., Ed.D., Psy.D.) in school psychology. If NO Do you plan to specialize in diagnosing and treating people who have relatively severe emotional and behavioral problems? If YES Identify graduate programs in clinical psychology (Ph.D., Psy.D.) and clinical (psychiatric) social work (M.S.W.). You might explore a pre-med program to prepare for medical school and psychiatry. Discuss with your advisor the differences among these related fields. Also discuss whether you should apply for terminal master's degree programs or doctoral programs. Be forewarned that admission into quality (i.e., APA accredited) doctoral clinical psychology programs is extremely competitive; only the top students in their class should consider such programs. If NO Do you plan to focus on assessing and treating basically "normal" persons who are experiencing relatively short-term developmental or situational problems in adjustment? If YES Identify graduate programs in counseling psychology (Ph.D., Ed. D., Psy. D.) and related fields (e.g., pastoral counseling). Discuss with your advisor the differences among counseling, school guidance counseling, and community agency counseling. Discus s whether to apply for a terminal master's degree program or a doctoral program. If NO Consult a career counselor for help in clarifying your vocational goals.

This decision tree was originally published in Teaching of Psychology. Poe, R. E. (1988). A decision-tree for psychology majors: Supplying questions as well as answers. Teaching of Psychology, 15, 210-213.