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What is a good major when trying to study developmental psychology that allows many career options but isn't too broad? And is it possible to have a completely different minor that doesn't pertain to your major?

I'm a junior and very interested in the field of psychology but have no clue where to start when it comes to college. I have many interests that are in no way related but I want a career that I am passionate about and want a good idea of what to major and minor in that will help me to be successful.
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Liz’s Answer

You might consider a school that offers a Liberal Studies degree. Liberal Studies gets made fun of a lot because it's not preparing you for a specific career, but I think that's what's great about it! As a Liberal Studies major, you'd take courses in a broad range of topics. This gives you a really well-rounded understanding of the world, which can be a great base for a future in psychology.... or law, or education, or non-profit work or.... MANY areas where it's nice to have expertise, but also a wide range of exposure. As you go, you might discover a different field that interests you, or you might narrow your focus based on what you've experienced so far. Anyway, it's something to check out!
Thank you comment icon Thank you for taking the time to reply to my questions. I'll have to look into a liberal studies degree and all that it entails. Thanks! Maddie
Thank you comment icon Best of luck to you! Remember that you don't have to know exactly what you want to do right now! Follow your interests, since that's likely where you'll find it easiest to devote your focus. You're already on the right track by asking questions like this. You've got this! Liz Heyer, PMP, MCPM, M.Ed.
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Nicoya’s Answer

I admire you thinking about these things early on. Kudos to you! Start by getting a Bachelor's degree in psychology at an an accredited university/college. Your undergraduate years is a great way to hone in on your passions/interests to determine which graduate programs will support your interests/needs (ex: financial aid, scholarships, grad school prep, employment assistance, etc). You'll be able to focus on a specific discipline/area an advanced degree.

For your minor, I recommend one that complements your psych degree and that could be leveraged as you start your career. Think about your current interests that may not be directly related to psychology, the industry you'd like to be in, and the populations you'd like to work with. For instance, if you want to work in a clinical/research setting, consider minoring in something science-related. If you want to work directly with people, maybe sociology or business would be most compatible with your degree and career endeavors.

To expand your employment opportunities and salary, I recommend getting a Master's degree followed by a Doctorate degree. Think about whether you'd like to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which is research-based, or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), which focuses on treatments. Consider whether an in-person, virtual, or hybrid program works best for you. When selecting graduate schools to apply to, ensure that the programs you pursue are also accredited and recognized by relevant organizations such as the American Psychological Association.
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Jason’s Answer

Great question. As previously stated, you would need a degree in psychology to get into those more specialized areas, however, you should probably be asking yourself more questions before you even think about selecting a major. Developmental psychology is a very broad area on its own, let alone psychology in general. Generally speaking in order to have a fruitful career you'd want to plan for at least a master's in psychology as most states have a license at that level and generally speaking, it pays very similar. However, that is speaking to direct provision of services to a patient, typically in a counseling setting.
For developmental psychology, again depending on what it is you want to do, will determine what level of education you need. If you enjoy the assessment aspect, you may want to look into school psychologist programs- again it is important to do your research about where you will likely work. For example, in New Jersey, a school psychologist is a completely separate entity than a clinical or counseling psychologist. You do not need a doctoral degree. You need to fulfill the board of education certification requirements.

Developmental psych has the potential to bring you into different areas outside of psychology. You may want to look into pediatric, or education. Again, you need to ask yourself what aspect of development are you interested in and what do you want to do with it? You may want to major in public heath because you want to help irradiate childhood cancer.

The good news is you are asking great questions very early in your life.

And minor in anything you are interested in, they have very little impact on your life in the end.

Best of luck
Thank you comment icon Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will have to look into what area of developmental psychology I want to focus on to have a more specific career idea. Maddie
Thank you comment icon good luck- take the time now to see what interests you, and what you can see yourself doing when you are 55 years old. Otherwise you will have to pivot to a different career or industry- which is totally fine but its not easy. I got my MBA at 35 with 2 kids under 5. Its doable but i'd much rather have done this when I was 23 Jason Rechtman, MA, MBA, LPC
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Priya’s Answer

To answer your question regarding majors and minors, from my experience, you can definitely minor in something totally unrelated to your major. Of course, when you meet with your college advisor, they can guide you more regarding what your specific college's rules are and what is available at that school. But, as an example, I majored in Psychology with a minor in Biology at first because I thought I was going to do something in the medical field, and ended up adding a minor in Counseling when I changed my mind to more Psychology/Counseling field. I kept my biology major since I was already working on it, and it helped to enhance my psychology knowledge when it came to upper level classes. If my college had allowed it, I would have taken an Art minor but it was not available at my school at the time. I think meeting with your college advisor when you start college can be very helpful in clarifying what you want and need. But also, do things you like. Sometimes people get too caught up in making a profitable college career, and I think that it is unnecessary to get overly worried about making sure your majors and minors fit. Even if you do a job outside of your major, while it can be difficult, may still be doable. Just pick what you think may work and know that it does not have to be set in stone on the first day. Just keep meeting with a good college advisor to keep yourself on track, I think! For now, I think exploring your own interests and schools that can offer that could be helpful =).
Thank you comment icon Thank you for taking the time to reply. Once I choose a college I will definitely get in contact with a college advisor for more information. I will definitely focus on my interests for now and choose something that I find myself passionate about. Thanks! Maddie
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Reema’s Answer

I think it depends on what you want to do with your psychology degree. I did a psych major, and then I ended up pursuing child development and political science as minors. I don’t think they have to match at all, but you should be aware that doing anything with the psych degree that is therapy related will require advanced degrees and a lot of clinical time. This is why I ended up not pursuing psychology, and went into teaching. Psych is kind of a general major which is nice so you can do other things with it, but at the same time you’re not going to be learning a whole bunch of science skills, so going into the sciences or anything technical after that would be difficult.
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