Psychology

Careers in Psychology

Courses in psychology help develop skills and abilities used in a variety of careers. Students who complete a bachelor’s degree in psychology can work in a diverse set of fields, including careers in health services, fundraising, social services, marketing and public relations, sales, or personnel selection, among others.

Students wishing to work in specialized areas of psychology will need to complete at least a master's degree (M.A. or M.Sc.) or a Ph.D. (doctoral degree). Those wishing to pursue a graduate degree in psychology may be interested in the following areas of specialization.  

Clinical psychologists:

Often work with children or adults in institutions, for example, mental health clinics, psychiatric hospitals, and rehabilitation units. Many are in private practice, assessing and treating individuals with a wide variety of problems such as depression or anxiety.

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology to start your journey towards this career.  

Clinical Neuropsychology:

A new specialty branch within the subfield of clinical psychology. It deals with the assessment and management of brain damaged patients.

Consider completing our Pathway to UBC Neuroscience to start your journey towards this career.

Counselling Psychology:

Aims to assist people in dealing with everyday circumstances and problems, and not with serious disorders. Counselling psychologists assist people in the alleviation of their anxieties and encourage them to develop independent means of solving problems and crises in their lives. Counselling psychologists work with individuals, couples, families and groups; some work privately, others in counselling organizations and academic or school settings, whilst others are employed within business organizations.

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology to start your journey towards this career.

Educational psychologists:

Often work under a local school board where they assess children from preschool to senior secondary schools. They assess children with learning problems and consult with grade school and high school teachers and parents on strategies for remedial work. Some may work as private consultants.

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology or our Pathway to UBC Neuroscience to start your journey towards this career.

School psychologists:

Identify learning disabilities and behavioural problems among pupils in the school system and consult with psychiatrists, public health nurses and social workers, depending on the nature of the problem.

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology to start your journey towards this career.

Forensic Psychology or Criminal Psychology:

A relatively new, but rapidly growing field dealing with the relation of psychology and the law. Forensic psychologists may work psychiatric hospitals, private practice, law enforcement agencies, or penal institutions, reporting on the psychological status of defendants who are suspected of having a mental disorder with implications for a trial. Some forensic psychologists provide treatment until the defendant is ready to stand trial. Other forensic psychologists debrief victims or witnesses who have been traumatized or cannot otherwise submit to questioning. They may construct psychological profiles of suspects and help identify patterns in serial crimes.  

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology or our Pathway to UBC Neuroscience to start your journey towards this career.

Industrial or organizational psychologists:

Are in business, industry, private consulting and government. They do research on employees, perform appraisals on them, advise on employee morale, satisfaction and efficiency and submit results to senior management. They devise tests or validate existing tests which may then be used to assess prospective employees or current employees who wish to apply for advanced positions. Often the psychometric assessment instruments and the behavioural rating scales used are unique to the problems encountered by a particular business, department or industry.

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology to start your journey towards this career.

Psychiatrist:  

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D.) who specializes in mental health. They help diagnose and treat patients using various forms of psychotherapy and medications.  

Consider completing your Pathway to UBC Neuroscience to start your journey towards this career.

Research psychologists:

Work in universities or private companies. The kind of research they do depends on the career choice they made from among the many subfields within psychology. University faculty may work on problems with no immediate practical application, but they also teach with the object of training future psychologists. Sometimes university psychologists do consulting work or act as private practitioners outside the university. Company psychologists would normally work on problems of interest to their industry.

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology or our Pathway to UBC Neuroscience to start your journey towards this career.

Teaching:  

Work in higher education institutions, such as colleges or universities, to help teach and train students interested in psychology.  

Consider completing your Associate of Arts in Psychology or our Pathway to UBC Neuroscience to start your journey towards this career. 

University Transfer

Most of our courses are university transferable. However, students are responsible for confirming their selection of university transfer courses with their chosen university destinations, as transfer details can vary slightly from institution to institution. Please check the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer website for specific transfer details at www.bctransferguide.ca.

Langara Associate of Arts in Psychology

The Langara Associate of Arts in Psychology is a two-year program designed to offer focus and direction to prospective psychology majors and minors. When successfully completed, the general and specific requirements will prepare students for entry into the third-year level of most university psychology programs.

Here is a guide detailing the minimum psychology courses you need to successfully complete the program. For further details, please see Program Curriculum.

GRAPHIC GOES HERE

Note: In order to take PSYC 2320 and PSYC 2321, students must obtain a minimum C+ in both PSYC 1115 and PSYC 1215. Students must also meet one of the following math prerequisites to register for PSYC 2321: a minimum "C" grade in Foundations of Mathematics 11, Pre-calculus 11, Foundations of Mathematics 12, or Pre-calculus 12; an "S" grade in MATH 1150; or a satisfactory score (053) on the statistics version of the Mathematics and Statistics Diagnostic Test (MDT).

SFU Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Psychology

The SFU Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Psychology requires the following lower-division psychology courses. See also the university planning guide here. For more information on the minimum number of credits needed and other requirements for transferring to SFU, click here. For more information on the SFU Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, click here.

GRAPHIC GOES HERE

UBC Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Psychology

The UBC Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Psychology requires the following lower division psychology courses. See also the university planning guide here. For more information on the minimum number of credits needed and other requirements for transferring to UBC, click here. For more information on the UBC Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, click here.

GRAPHIC GOES HERE 

UBC Bachelor of Science with a Major in Neuroscience

The UBC Bachelor of Science with a Major in Neuroscience requires the following lower division courses that can be taken at Langara. For further details, please visit Pathway to UBC Neuroscience. In order to apply for transfer to the UBC Bachelor of Science with a Major in Neuroscience, you will need the following minimum courses. For more information on the minimum number of credits needed and other requirements for transferring to UBC, click here. For more information on the UBC Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience, click here.

GRAPHIC GOES HERE

Please contact psychology@langara.ca for more information on the Psychology Program options and courses.

Pathway to UBC Neuroscience (Vancouver Campus)

Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field, using empirical evidence from psychology, biology, chemistry, physics, and other scientific disciplines to study the brain and nervous system. Students interested in neuroscience can complete the following collection of courses to apply to the undergraduate program in Neuroscience at The University of British Columbia Vancouver campus. These courses explore a variety of topics, including neural transmission, gross neuroanatomy, neurological disorders, cell physiology, organic chemistry, and research design and analysis. This collection of courses also provides a foundation for further studies in neuroscience, biology, biochemistry, medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, kinesiology, and other scientific disciplines.

GRAPHIC GOES HERE

Find Out More:

Questions? Email the Psychology Student Advisor at psychology@langara.ca.

Learn more about the UBC Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience here.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Pathway to UBC-V Neuroscience

Will completing this collection of courses get me an Associate's Degree?

Currently, this collection of courses does not constitute a degree. It only provides a pathway to the UBC-V Neuroscience program. However, students can receive an Associate of Science: General degree if they complete one additional MATH course. Click here for more information on this degree option.

How will I transfer to the UBC-V Neuroscience Program?

To enter the UBC-V Neuroscience pathway, students will need to:  

• Apply to UBC science in January
• Upon successful application, they would choose Neuroscience as their top of 3 specializations in June  
• Students can enter either in either year 2 or year 2.5 of the program:  
  • Year 2.5 (Preferred Pathway): Students would complete all of the above courses. Students would then take NSCI 200 and DSCI 100 upon entry to the program in the Fall semester and enter 3rd year standing in January   
  • Year 2: Students can apply to the program once they have completed the following set of courses: CHEM 1120 + 1220, BIOL 1115 + 1215, MATH 1171 or 1173 & 1183 or 1175, and PHYS 1125. 

Please note that completion of the required courses does not guarantee entry into the program, as there are limited seats in the program.  

Additional information regarding the application process can be found at: https://neuro.ubc.ca/undergraduate/apply/

What courses should I take to fulfill my communication requirement?

Students wishing to complete an Associate of Science Degree (General) before transferring to UBC are recommended to take ENGL 1123 and either ENGL 1129 or ENGL 1130.

Students registered in an Associate of Science Degree (general program and all majors) who plan to transfer without completing an Associate’s Degree can also consider taking ENGL 1123 & SCIE 113 or 1114.