Is Psychology A Hard Degree?

In this brief guide we are going to answer the question ‘’Is Psychology a hard degree?’’ We will identify the most difficult aspects of studying psychology, as well as what qualities you will need and some tips to study psychology and not die trying.

Is Psychology a hard degree?

Yes, psychology is a hard degree, but nothing you can’t handle. In general, students have to read a lot of information and be able to take it for analysis, in addition to citing your sources and having a lot of background information for your arguments.

Psychology Degree is an ideal career for those who constantly seek the answers to everything within the human mind. From interpersonal to internal conflicts, through global phenomena such as politics and economics, everything has its origin in Psychology.

The professional of this discipline will be in charge of something as powerful as the psyche of people, who will help them understand them in the most profitable way possible for the course of their lives.

Psychology involves the mind of human beings, but also the physiological processes triggered by it. This means that most people’s physical pathologies have their origin in the psyche, which is why it’s a discipline capable of obtaining surprising results in those who decide to start a treatment.

In addition, the interaction of people’s psyches and the development of conflicts resulting from it both in organizations and in different social settings requires careful study and work carried out with a true vocation. It’s a degree that requires a lot of theoretical study and significant amounts of fieldwork.

Psychology Courses Psych Majors Should Take

Psychology is a branch of science that is dedicated to the study, research and analysis of mental processes, perceptions and human behaviour in relation to the environment in which it’s found, with the aim of understanding how the minds of people works and why influences it.

Therefore, during the career, the subjects you will study will be those related to data analysis, research methodologies, neuroscience, psychobiology or psychometrics. Since the human psyche is very complex, psychology is divided into many fields of study: clinical, cognitive, developmental, social psychology, etc.

Below you can find the most important topics that are studied in the career of psychology.

1. Biological bases of behaviour

The biological bases of behaviour are an essential area of study in the psychology career, as it allows us to know how mental processes, nerve impulses or communication between neurons are produced or what is the connection between the parts of the brain and our body.

Throughout the psychology career, it’s possible to find subjects such as psychobiology or psychophysiology, because, to be a good psychologist, it’s necessary to know what brain processes give rise to mental ones.

2. Statistics and psychometrics

Despite the fact that many psychology students do not like numbers, the use of statistics is an important part of science. And psychology, and as a science that it’s, makes use of it to achieve its objectives of predicting and intervening in human behaviour.

In addition, any psychologist must master psychometrics, a discipline that is responsible for the set of methods, techniques and theories involved in measuring and quantifying psychological variables. The tests are a necessary tool for any psychologist.

3. Sociology

Social conflicts arise within a group of society and their solution can be covered from psychology, but sociology knowledge is of vital importance to understand society as a whole.

The social problem is a situation that affects a large number of people within a society and for it to be a social problem, this situation must affect social values, social welfare, social norms in a way that is threatened.

Social psychology is a branch of psychology that analyzes the psychological processes that influence the way a society functions, the way social interactions are carried out and how social processes modulate the personality and characteristics of each person.

In the subject of social psychology, topics such as leadership or prejudice are studied, and important research in this field is reviewed.

4. Research method

It tries to offer the student a first approach to the research methods and techniques that are specific to this discipline.

Know the different research designs and the procedures for formulating and contrasting hypotheses. Knowing how to use the relevant documentary sources in Psychology with the capacity for critical analysis and synthesis, as well as keeping the knowledge and skills of the profession up to date.

Analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from research, reports and works in Psychology, etc.

What qualities are recommended to study a career in psychology?

If you are thinking of studying psychology and staying on track, you must have these qualities.

Empathy is a fundamental aspect of the career since we must learn to feel in the shoes of our patients. Only in this way will you be able to feel exactly what they feel and understand the reason for their behaviour or thoughts.
Emotional self-control is also important since psychologists must control all those emotions that arise when listening to experiences, anecdotes, memories, and problems that patients may have.
Communication should not only be limited to oral but also pay attention to the body language of patients and that used by therapists.
If you think about studying it, you must have an open mind, since many patients will have beliefs, behaviours or personalities that differ from yours.

Why study Psychology?

There are some points with which we could conclude that studying and graduating from this profession is recommended. However, as we mentioned, the person must have an interest in human behaviour and in helping people.

1. The Bachelor Degree in Psychology lasts for approximately four years; which can decrease or increase depending on each person. In addition, it’s possible to spend more time studying if one of the different existing masters is taken to achieve specialization.

2. The degree is not that difficult, but you do need to be a dedicated person who strives to improve himself. In the same way, it’s also necessary to be in constant training conducting research on your own.

3. The job opportunities are really numerous, being able to choose to perform functions in which you should not treat patients on a couch (contrary to what most people think).

4. The income of psychologists is not the highest, but they can be used to live with certain comforts. However, it’s possible to generate more income as the track record and experience increase; as well as those who stand out and strive, for example, recognized psychologists in cities or those who offer online services in order to generate extra income from the comfort of their homes.

5. No matter how old you are, anyone can study psychology. Also, due to its flexibility, this aspect does not affect at all. Remember the previous point, if you do not find a job and you do not have an office, then options such as making consultations online can be very useful.

6. Psychologists, again thanks to flexibility, can adapt their profession to the style or rhythm of life they lead. In this way, in some cases, they can choose which branch of their career to practise without having to do a master’s degree or even choose how many hours they want to work per week.

Where to Study Psychology?

There are many universities around the world to study psychology, both physical and online. According to US News, the best universities to study this career are:

Stanford University
University of California
Harvard University
University of California
University of Michigan
Yale University
University of Illinois
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton University

So, is Psychology a hard degree?

Like all degrees, the difficulty depends a lot on each person, on interest, willpower and the ability to overcome. There are no easy or difficult careers but people who really have an interest.

In order to learn a little more about the career of psychology, you can start reading a book or article, attend conferences related to the subject, talk with other people who are dedicated to psychology or are studying it.

Yes, this is something that you may not have known, but I have had to study at least 5 math subjects. Rather statistical, but not easy: regressions, analysis of variance, accumulation of frequencies, standard errors of the sample, Gaussian curves, chi-square reliabilities, many things that serve to understand how tests are made and interpreted.

On the other hand, psychology is a science that MUST be investigated. The same, the research methodology is usually also a little annoying. And it’s important that you learn it to be able to investigate in the future, every day there are new discoveries in any scientific branch, and they are made with methodology.

Psychology is a very complete career that touches various branches. There are more theoretical parts and others that are science. There are many students who have entered the race and have been surprised at the amount of biology and statistics that there is. Others, who came from more scientific branches, have become discouraged with the theoretical parts.

I think that first of all, you should ask yourself what you would like to practice in the future, and why you have this current interest in psychology. Do you like job opportunities and the functions that psychologists must develop in each of them? Do you like any particular branch of psychology? Do you know exactly what psychology is?

When starting a college career, the first year is always tough. The level of demand is higher than in High School, it’s more subject matter to study, many terms to understand and relate (in fact, the Philosophy subject is the best introduction you can have in High School in terms of the skills you have to apply to study it), types of jobs and practices that you have not generally done in high school, etc.

But as soon as you pick up the pace, you improve your skills as a student and relate the contents of all the subjects, little by little you adapt and it takes less effort to study the subjects and you end up getting better grades.

Every university degree requires effort on the part of the student, but when you like what you study, you like to learn what you are learning and you even want to go deeper on your own, it’s worth it, even if it takes more than four years to finish it.

FAQS: It’s most useless degree is art history, followed by music and biology.Is Psychology a hard degree?

Is Psychology a useless degree?

The degree in psychology is sometimes considered useless. This is because there is a lot of competition; interest in mental health increases every day, and many students enroll, it is very difficult to find work because of the great offer.

Is Psychology a good degree?

Yes, psychology is a great degree. The field of psychology has many branches, you can specialize in whatever you want most, from education to marketing.

How hard is it to get a job with a psychology degree?

Yes, it is difficult to get a job with a degree in psychology, at least compared to other majors. What you will need to stand out in the labour field is specializations, postgraduate studies.

Is it worth it to major in psychology?

It really depends on the path you want to take. With a major in psychology, you will not achieve much, since most institutions require a minimum of a Master level to practice.

What is the most useless degree?

It’s most useless degree is art history, followed by music and biology.

In this brief guide we answered the question ‘’Is Psychology a hard degree?’’ We identified the most difficult aspects of studying psychology, as well as what qualities you will need and some tips to study psychology and not die trying.

If you have any questions or comments please let us know!