PsyD/PhD, I have a BBA...

[eyeChing]

Hey Guys/Gals,

The more I research the more questions I have. For the sake of clarity I guess I'll try to itemize this.

1. What are the requirements to apply to Psychology graduate schools? I ask this, because I have a BBA. Would I need to take science classes?

2. I am interested in getting a PsyD or PhD in psychology, would I need to retake science classes in order to do this?

So, overall, I am wondering how many steps backwards I would need to take in order to head into the psychology field?

[eyeChing]

Why does no one respond... :/

[ghanada]

I am not currently in psychology, but I did my undergrad in pyschobio and worked in psych research lab.

I think you need to do some more research yourself and find programs you are interested in and then read about their graduate admissions requirements. Schools are very good about saying exactly what majors/courses they expect their applicants to have. For example, it took me about 10 seconds to get this from Stanford's website: "We accept students with undergraduate or Masters Degrees. An undergraduate degree in Psychology is not required. Applicants from other backgrounds are admitted. All applicants should have the knowledge equivalent to an undergraduate degree in Psychology, as they will be expected to go straight into graduate level coursework. Applications are accepted for Autumn Quarter entry only."

so I think that pretty much sums it up, you should have a similar background to someone with an undergrad degree in psych. If you haven't taken any psych classes, I think you will have a hard time getting into PhD programs. Now whether or not you need "science" classes really depends on what type of psychology research you want to do. If you want to do neuropsych, than yes, you should probably have a strong science background.

Consider the fact that you will be competing for VERY competitive programs with applicants that have an undergrad in psych, research in psych, publications in psych, maybe a Masters in psych, etc. So if you are trying to get into top programs, you might have a lot of work to do to be competitive.

I am not discouraging you at all, especially since I switched from psych undergrad to a Masters in electrical engineering and now a PhD in biomedical engineering. However, I had to work VERY hard and it took me 6 years from undergrad to get into a new field. If you are passionate about switching fields, realize it may take some extra time, but you can do it and it will be worth it.

[lucere]

Why does no one respond... :/

It might be that no one in this thread would know what a BBA even is...and you didn't provide us with much info about your interests (I/O psych, for instance, would not be as much of a stretch as cog neuro). Successful applicants typically have research experience in their relevant subfield...see above comment, which I agree with. What you are proposing is doable, but will require careful research on your part about what your specific aims are. You might be better off trying for a masters first, for instance.

[lewin]

This is an off-topic complaint, but psychology classes are science classes because psychology is a science. But you're forgiven because, for stupid historical reasons, we're usually stuck in the faculty of arts. So the answer is yes, you will usually need to have some knowledge of psychological science--via taking classes or some other demonstrable method like research experience--to get into a PhD program.