Psychiatry vs Psychology
Psychiatry Majors
Psychiatry Majors are non-existant. The path towards becoming a psychiatrist is a long one, usually one would have to prepare early on in order to become a psychiatrist.
Psychiatrist vs Psychologist
Step One: Undergraduate Degree
Pre-med - At most universities, there is no pre-medical major. A student typically completes the courses to cover medical school pre-requisites. These are mostly scientific courses such as biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Another advantage of these courses is that it prepares the student for the MCAT - Medical College Admission Test. It has been increasingly common for medical schools to admit graduates with humanitarian degrees. While there are some psychiatry majors at certain universities the pre-requisite courses are the same.
Courses Required:
Chemistry – 2 Semesters
Biology – 2 Semesters
Organic Chemistry – 2 Semesters
Physics – 2 Semesters
Math – 2 Semesters (Preferred)
Additional requirements dependent on school.
Step Two: Medical College Admission Test
Psychiatry majors and pre-med students alike have to take the MCAT.
The MCAT is a test composed of four sections,
Physical Sciences: Generally covers chemistry, physics and math and assesses the prospective students ability to analyse and solve problems.
Verbal Reasoning: Like the GRE, In multiple choice layout, however unlike the GRE, these questions are fixed and are not selected based on the performance, therefore difficulty is consistant.
Writing Sample: Two short essays are answered on passages provided and specific questions asked.
Biological Sciences: Similar to the physical sciences section, generally covers biology, organic chemistry and math.
Any top tier psychiatry school will expect high MCAT scores, you can view the requirements on our psychiatry schools page.
Step Three: Medical School
Getting into Medical School in the US is difficult. Top tier schools generally base their admission on MCAT scores, application essays, interview performance, extracurricular activities, but most importantly, undergraduate GPA.
Medical School is 3-5 years but most graduate in 4. These include clinical rotations where students are involved and learn practical skills.
While psychiatry degrees don’t exist, students select courses tailored towards what they want to specialise in.
After graduation, students become doctors (Doctor of Medicine [M.D.] / Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine [D.O.]).
Step Four: Residency
The fourth step is the doctors Residency, once the students have obtained their medical degrees and have become doctors, they can apply to residency programs. Criteria for the top tier programs focus on academic performance as well as other criteria such as enthusiasm towards medicine and specialty. A psychiatric residency is the closest thing to a psychiatry major there is. It is where doctors study psychiatry first hand, as well as other specialties.
Psychiatry residencies can involve working in a variety of different departments.
Step Five: Licensing
Similar to law, medical doctors are licensed to practice by state, the basic pre-requisites are:
Holding an accredited Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree.
At least one year in an accredited residency program.
For Doctors of Medicine, pass all four parts of the USMLE – United States Medical Licensing Examination, and for Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, pass all four parts of the COMLEX – Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination. (These are spread over the doctors career, starting at second year medical school, with the final step taken during a doctors residency.)
Step Six: Fellowship (Optional)
Psychiatrists wanting to specialise (such as Forensic Psychiatry) can apply for a fellowship. This is similar to a residency but is in the more focused field. Like a residency, this too can be compared to a psychiatry major.
Other Useful Information: Employment and Pay-scale
The median psychiatrist income was $154,200 a year. Employment figures are healthy.
However, US psychiatrists are usually burdened with debt due to financing a long education. The average debt of a medical resident was $25,000. The average debt of a medical student is $158,000. These figures rise exponentially due to the higher costs associated with being a student these days.
“People who do not understand themselves have a craving for understanding.” Wilhelm Stekel
Psychiatry vs Psychology
Psychiatry Majors are non-existant. The path towards becoming a psychiatrist is a long one, usually one would have to prepare early on in order to become a psychiatrist.
Psychiatrist vs Psychologist
Step One: Undergraduate Degree
Pre-med - At most universities, there is no pre-medical major. A student typically completes the courses to cover medical school pre-requisites. These are mostly scientific courses such as biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Another advantage of these courses is that it prepares the student for the MCAT - Medical College Admission Test. It has been increasingly common for medical schools to admit graduates with humanitarian degrees. While there are some psychiatry majors at certain universities the pre-requisite courses are the same.
Courses Required:
Chemistry – 2 Semesters
Biology – 2 Semesters
Organic Chemistry – 2 Semesters
Physics – 2 Semesters
Math – 2 Semesters (Preferred)
Additional requirements dependent on school.
Step Two: Medical College Admission Test
Psychiatry majors and pre-med students alike have to take the MCAT.
The MCAT is a test composed of four sections,
Physical Sciences: Generally covers chemistry, physics and math and assesses the prospective students ability to analyse and solve problems.
Verbal Reasoning: Like the GRE, In multiple choice layout, however unlike the GRE, these questions are fixed and are not selected based on the performance, therefore difficulty is consistant.
Writing Sample: Two short essays are answered on passages provided and specific questions asked.
Biological Sciences: Similar to the physical sciences section, generally covers biology, organic chemistry and math.
Any top tier psychiatry school will expect high MCAT scores, you can view the requirements on our psychiatry schools page.
Step Three: Medical School
Getting into Medical School in the US is difficult. Top tier schools generally base their admission on MCAT scores, application essays, interview performance, extracurricular activities, but most importantly, undergraduate GPA.
Medical School is 3-5 years but most graduate in 4. These include clinical rotations where students are involved and learn practical skills.
While psychiatry degrees don’t exist, students select courses tailored towards what they want to specialise in.
After graduation, students become doctors (Doctor of Medicine [M.D.] / Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine [D.O.]).
Step Four: Residency
The fourth step is the doctors Residency, once the students have obtained their medical degrees and have become doctors, they can apply to residency programs. Criteria for the top tier programs focus on academic performance as well as other criteria such as enthusiasm towards medicine and specialty. A psychiatric residency is the closest thing to a psychiatry major there is. It is where doctors study psychiatry first hand, as well as other specialties.
Psychiatry residencies can involve working in a variety of different departments.
Step Five: Licensing
Similar to law, medical doctors are licensed to practice by state, the basic pre-requisites are:
Holding an accredited Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree.
At least one year in an accredited residency program.
For Doctors of Medicine, pass all four parts of the USMLE – United States Medical Licensing Examination, and for Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, pass all four parts of the COMLEX – Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination. (These are spread over the doctors career, starting at second year medical school, with the final step taken during a doctors residency.)
Step Six: Fellowship (Optional)
Psychiatrists wanting to specialise (such as Forensic Psychiatry) can apply for a fellowship. This is similar to a residency but is in the more focused field. Like a residency, this too can be compared to a psychiatry major.
Other Useful Information: Employment and Pay-scale
The median psychiatrist income was $154,200 a year. Employment figures are healthy.
However, US psychiatrists are usually burdened with debt due to financing a long education. The average debt of a medical resident was $25,000. The average debt of a medical student is $158,000. These figures rise exponentially due to the higher costs associated with being a student these days.
“People who do not understand themselves have a craving for understanding.” Wilhelm Stekel
Psychiatry vs Psychology
