Answers from the Experts

A Career in Psychiatry

"I am possibly interested in pursuing a career in psychiatry. How many years of education would that take and what courses would I need to take in high school and college?"

Responses were sent from:
Northern Arizona University, Brandeis University, The University of Vermont, Juniata College, and Ventures Scholars Program.

Member Institution and Association Answers:

From Northern Arizona University:

Nothing in high school or college trains you to be a physician per se, only the study skills, thinking, etc. to get into med school and succeed. Psychiatry is a subspecialty. You will need to get into medical school, finish your M.D., take an internship, and then a residency in psychiatry. It is a long trip!

James E. Casebeer
Assistant Director
Office of Enrollment Services
Northern Arizona University
928-523-6080
james.casebeer@nau.edu

From Brandeis University:

Greetings from Brandeis! In order to become a psychiatrist, one needs to not only complete a bachelor's degree but also go on to medical school. Other possible careers include being a psychologist or social worker - both requiring an advanced degree. For high school, keep taking challenging courses and do well. Look for colleges that offer a good pre-medicine program and a good psychology program. Brandeis also offers Neuroscience as a major, which relates well for someone wanting to become a psychiatrist.

Check out www.brandeis.edu/academics to learn more of our programs.

Robert W. Andrews
Assistant Director of Admissions
Brandeis University
(781) 736-3500
andrews@brandeis.edu

From The University of Vermont:

Becoming a psychiatrist is like becoming a doctor. Relative to most professions,you would be spending a long time in school in order to become a psychiatrist. Because psychiatry is the study of the human mind and its effects on emotions and mental health, psychiatry takes a lot of years in college and med school. Some people complete their education in psychiatry in 7-9 years (undergraduate and medical school). Now, as for the courses you need to take in high school and college, you may be surprised to find out that there are no particular courses that lead you into the mental health profession. My suggestion would be to take a regular liberal arts course load (math, social science, humanities, foreign language, and physical science). I will say that it would be in your best interest to also take biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, bio-chemistry, and psychology.

Devin Harmon
Assistant Director of Admissions
The University of Vermont
194 South Prospect Street
Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: (802) 656-4624
Fax: (802) 656-4663
E-mail: Devin.Harmon@uvm.edu
web: http://www.uvm.edu

From Juniata College:

The amount of education a career in psychiatry will require depends somewhat on the work that you want to do. Becoming a psychiatrist requires an MD degree, which can take quite a while, but is certainly worth the time. If your interest is in counseling, you have many options: you can get a Masters or PhD in psychology, or Masters in Clinical Social Work.

It is possible to shorten the amount of time it takes to obtain any of these degrees by taking advantage of cooperative programs. For example, Juniata College offers students the opportunity to pursue an MD at Tulane University after only three years in Juniata's undergraduate program.

If you choose to go into social work, choose an undergraduate program accredited by the N.A.S.W.; many graduate programs allow you to get your Master's degree in just one year once you have completed a Bachelors of Social Work program.

Heather R. Doyle
Admission Counselor
Multicultural Recruitment
Juniata College
Huntingdon, PA
(814)641-3430
doyleh@juniata.edu

From Ventures Scholars Program:

Here are some links that might be helpful. Please remember that you will have to go to medical school and will have to take the same courses as a "pre-med".

http://www.psych.org/edu/med_students/index.cfm
http://www.studentbmj.com/back_issues/1001/careers/377.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5054-2003Apr21.html
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos074.htm
http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/start.htm

Carmen Andoh
Coordinator
Ventures Scholars Program
c/o Ventures In Education, Inc.
15 Maiden Lane, Suite 200
New York, NY 10038
Phone: 212-566-2522 ext. 103
Email: candoh@ventures.org
Fax: 212-566-2536
Web: www.venturescholar.org