Medical Education Discussion Forums

Hey there. i am currently a sophomore in High school and i am doin a research project on biology psychology and was wondering what classes are required in COLLEGE to become a psychiatrist?

In college you need to take the courses required to go to medical school. Interestingly, you don't need to take any psychology courses in college to become a psychiatrist.

The required pre-med courses are:

1 year biology with lab
1 year general chemistry with lab
1 year organic chemistry with lab
1 year physics

You can major in any field you like, as long as you take those courses in college. You then go to medical school for 4 years followed by 4 years of residency training in psychiatry.

Make sure you aren't mixing up your terms, as a psychologist is different from a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are medical doctors (MD degree), but a psychologist is not. A psychologist can be masters level or doctoral level (PhD or PsyD). Psychiatrists can prescribe medications, psychologists can not.

Hi I am a junior in high school and so far my grades haven't been the best and I've been behind in credits but I wanna do good this semester and my senior year what should I do to be able to get into college for psychiatrist thanks

I am not good at math and I've never liked science until this year I'm in a beginner Chem class and I really like it, I didn't do good in biology last year but I've been looking back over it and I think i could if I had studied more. I really got motivated this year and don't think my lack of success in science before was due to lack of ability as much as lack of attention. I'm in AP Psych and really want to pursue being a Psychiatrist as a career. I have a extreme want to help people and love AP psych. I've aced almost every test and the class. Even though I lack in math and a bit in science could I still pursue pre-med in college or would that look dumb? Should I just pursue being a psychologist?

lilah88,

I would just do the best you can in your classes senior year and do what you can to get into a good college. I wouldn't worry too much at this point as to whether you are going to be a psychiatrist or not. You first need to do well in college in pre-med courses and then get into medical school. If you are struggling in high school, it is very likely that you will have a hard time in pre-med courses. I would suggest you talk to a career counselor and see if they believe medical school is a reasonable goal. If medical school is not a good fit for you, there are plenty of other fields where you can be a therapist / counselor without having to go to medical school.

student6895,

If you think you could have done better in your classes with better focus, then it is always possible you could do well enough in pre-med college classes to get into medical school. You can always start out taking the pre-med courses and if they are too hard, you can change your mind and go on to graduate school in psychology. I don't think it would look dumb at all to give it a try. Just be prepared for the possibility that it may be too hard and have a back-up plan.

hello, my name is marissa rodriguez and im going to enter my junior year of high school pretty soon. im confused weither or not i should take physics or ap chemistry my junior year and senior year ap biology with ap physcology, i really want to be a Psychiatrist when i grwo up and im even in this program at my school called doctors academy but im still not sure it will be good enough to get into my dream college UCLA. I've always been interwested in the medical field and socializing with others and i know this is something i want to do, im just confused on what to specifically major in and what i should do after ive met all the requirements set for high school. can you please help me, im so confused and scared and just dont want to mess up my chances. thankyou for your time and please email me back as soon as you can. missa_rodd@yahoo.com

Marissa,

With the AP courses you are taking as a junior and senior, you must be a good student. I wouldn't worry about what you need to do to become a psychiatrist yet, other than doing what you can to get into the best college for you (and it sounds like you'd like UCLA). The particular AP classes probably won't affect your chances of getting accepted. More important are your grades and SAT scores.

You can get an idea of typical grades and SAT scores at UCLA from this page.

AP psychology will probably be an interesting class for you to take, which is a good reason to take it. You don't need to take it, but doing well in AP classes is always a plus.

I assume you will have taken biology, chemistry, and physics in high school, and probably at least one of those in an AP course if not more.

I wouldn't stress too much about the specifics.

I am in 10th std and im pretty sure i want to go into psychiatry or psychology at the very least
The problem is in my school the two options i have left for that are Phys Chem Maths BIo or Psychology maths chem, bio...
Is physics really necessary for the medicinal part of psychiatry though?
My teacher said i can become psychiatrist without taking psychology in 11th and 12th but it feels like i am defeating the purpose in that case as i dont overly enjoy chem or bio, which option would you recommend?

inika,

I'm not sure if you are in school in the US, as I'm not used to the terminology "10th std". My comments are only based upon my knowledge of US schools.

You do need to take first year college level physics in order to get into medical school. It is a required course. Most pre-med college students have taken at least a high school level of physics.

You don't need to take psychology in high school for careers in either psychiatry or psychology. You don't have to take any psychology courses in college in order to become a psychiatrist. Most psychiatrists did take some psychology courses, as it is likely something they found interesting before medical school.

If you are sure you want to consider medical school, I would for sure take physics in high school over psychology, if you can only take one.

Okay, thanks a lot for the help

Hi Im in my final year of high school and interested in becoming a physiatrist, i have my grade 12 biology level class but not my chemisty one, do you think its a necessity to get my grade 12 chem class? i have enough credits and have never really been that good at chemisty, im assuming i will need it but im wondering if there is some way i wouldnt have to. thanks

JacksonP,

You will need to take pre-med level chemistry in college. Most pre-med students have taken high school chemistry already. I don't know that it is necessary to have taken it in high school, but if you are not that good at chemistry, you will likely have a difficult time with general chemistry and organic chemistry in college - both of which are required to apply to medical school.

I have never heard of specific high school classes being required for getting into medical school; however, certain classes are required to get into college. If you can get into a good college without having taken chemistry, then I would think you are fine without it. Of course, as I said above, you may have a difficult time doing well in college level chemistry courses.

Hi, I'm a sophomore in high school as well and I want to either be a psychologist or a psychiatrist. My overall average for freshman year was a 92.46% and the first semester of sophomore year is a 92.90%. I take many electives, almost all my classes are honors classes, and am involved with a few after school programs as well. I would truly prefer to be a psychiatrist, but if that isn't realistic then I'd still want to be involved in that field some how, then psychology it is. I have taken earth science, honors biology, honors chemistry, honors algebra, honors geometry, and regents trigonometry / algebra II, along with english 9R and honors english 10. Next year I'm debating between AP Biology, Physics, and AP Environmental Science. From reading the posts prior to this, it apparently doesn't matter what I take? My parents aren't very supportive of me and tell me I'm going to fail at everything I do, so I don't really think asking them for help on this would be beneficial to my future goals. Any advice on what I should do?

Also, a side note, the college I would prefer to attend would be University at Buffalo. I'm not sure if that makes an impact on any advice you could offer.

Anonymous,

You will probably want to take high school physics before you go to college, as you'll be taking college level physics as a pre-med course. AP biology is also a reasonable option, assuming you plan to take physics before you graduate. I'm not familiar with AP Environmental Science. If your high school is like most, taking AP classes will improve your weighted GPA. I'm not used to schools reporting percentages for overall grades, but maybe that is a newer equivalent of GPA.

And you are correct that for the most part, what you take won't make much difference, as long as you take the basic courses. Obviously, if you are taking honors courses and AP courses, that looks good when applying for a college. Your main goal is to get accepted to the college you want to go to. Your next goal is to be prepared for the courses you need to take. It sounds like you should be adequately prepared for the pre-med curriculum.

You really won't know until you take those pre-med college classes whether you are capable of getting the grades needed to get into medical school. If you can get A's and B's in the pre-med classes, you should have a good shot at getting into medical school.

I'm sorry to hear that your parents tell you that you will fail at everything. Based on your grades and the courses you are taking, it sounds like you are a good student and have the ability to be successful in most areas. Medical school is a particularly challenging goal, but based on what you've said, it seems like taking pre-med courses in college is a reasonable place to start. You will always have other options if you decide medicine isn't for you.

Best of luck.

Thank you for the help! I really appreciate it. I scheduled today for my classes next year and I decided on AP Biology for next year, I can still switch into Physics though. Would you recommend me taking Physics my junior year or senior year? There is also an option of AP Physics I can take once I complete Physics R. There is no honors Physics offered at my school and, if it would be very beneficial, I could trade my lunch to take two sciences. I'm very confused on what I should do. Other than asking questions online, there isn't anyone to guide me; the guidance consular at my school had very little advice to offer me when I asked which would be better for me to take next year.

hello again,

I don't see it making that much difference whether you take AP biology first or physics first. It also probably doesn't matter that much if you take honors physics, particularly since your school doesn't offer it.

If I had the choice, I would probably select whichever class I would do best (or would help my GPA the most) as a junior. You want your GPA to be the best possible when you are applying to colleges.

I don't think it is worth skipping lunch to be able to take two sciences in high school. I think most pre-med college students haven't taken more than one AP science class, and some probably didn't take any AP science in high school.

If you have taken high school level biology, chemistry, and physics, then you should be in okay shape when you take pre-med level courses in college. The college courses will be very challenging (for most pre-med students), regardless of what you took in high school.

Hi im Des'Ree,
i have a gpa of 3.2 and i am taking mostly honors classes i am now currently a sophomore at Farmville Central High school. I am very good at Science but math grade can be a little higher. I really want to be a psychiatrist to help people with questions, to give them my ideas and to listen and understand, comprehend what their saying. And so that way i can give the msome positive feedback on the subject. I would love to know what classes i need to take to become a psychiatrist and what college is best fit for people with this career in mind. Please write back and i will surely appreciate it. Thank you

Des'Ree,

Based on your interests, you may also want to consider a career in psychology. While it may not be the best indication, based just on your high school GPA so far, you may have a hard time doing well enough in your pre-med science classes in college to get into medical school. A lot will depend on how well you do in college. If you do find that the academic demands of getting into medical school are too much, there are plenty of other fields that would still allow you to do the kind of work you find interesting.

Having said that, if you haven't already read through this entire thread, it is mentioned in a few places that high school courses won't make that much of a difference in getting into medical school. In college you'll need to take the pre-med courses - biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. College math is not a requirement for most medical schools.

There are plenty of colleges that are a good fit. Find one that is strong in the departments that interest you and that has a history of people getting into medical school.

Hi, I am about to start my junior year of highschool and I have been thinking about psychiatry for a while now, and I'm not sire where to proced from here. I have so far unfortunately only taken basic courses so far, no ap's or honors, and I hope that won't affect any future career choices. I get pretty much only A's and B's. So what I basically wanted to know is am I going to be ok only taking basic classes and what should I begin to research and study as of now to pursue a career in either psychiatry or psychology. And that's another thing, I think I would prefer to be a psuchiatrist, but I really enjoy helping people with their problems, and trying to make then better with medicine, or words. So that's it, thank you for any help.

stringplayer,

I don't think you need to have taken advanced courses in high school in order to ultimately get accepted at medical school; however, a lot of times taking advanced classes in high school is an indication of a particular students academic strength. In other words, students who are going to excel in college often have taken advanced courses in high school. Getting A's and B's in high school should give you some reasonable options for colleges, especially if you get decent scores on your SAT.

How you do in college is what will really determine whether you can get into medical school. If you get A's and B's in your pre-med courses, then you will have a reasonable chance of getting into medical school. However, you may find that the pre-med science courses are too difficult for you to get A's and B's. You really won't know until you take them.

There really isn't anything particular you should be researching or studying at this point, beyond your normal coursework. You will want to select a college that has a strong pre-med science program as well as a strong psychology department. That way you can be prepared for medical school if you choose, and also get more exposure to psychology coursework to see if you are interested in that as well.

In general, getting an advanced degree in psychology will be less demanding than going to medical school and becoming a psychiatrist.

Hi, I am HS senior and I intend to go to med school in the USA next year. I can't seem to get it - can't I go strait to med school without going to college? Why is it that everywhere else HS graduates can go directly to med schools. I am an excellent student and I know I will succeed at med school everywhere.

Tammy,

I'm not familiar with the medical education system in other parts of the country, but in the US, medical school is a graduate school, meaning it is beyond an undergraduate (college) degree.

The coursework you would be expected to have completed prior to medical school can not be completed in high school.

hi, I am in my junior year of high school and so far I'm taking Anatomy/Physiology, Pre-calc, Ap Lang, Ap us, Art Cp, and Ap Psychology. I'm super interested in the Psychiatric field, however for next years classes I'm talking Ap Stat, Ap Calc, Ap Lit, Ap human Geography, Class to help freshmen, and have one open spot. I was thinking of physics or Ap bio. I'm not sure which would be better to take. If anyone can help, thanks so much!

HI,I am in 11th standard and i want to be a psychatrist i really want to get in this field and i am living in india so what steps should i take to achieve my aim i am very good at physics,chemistery and biology but not maths. ............

Hey!!!
I am Tanisha and I actually just wanted to ask if i want to be a psychiatrist what should i choose in 11 and 12 ?????????

Hello! My name's Marisa and I'm a freshman in high school and I'm thinking about being a psychiatrist. However, I don't know what classes to take. I'm currently taking Drama, Debate, Spanish, Grammar/Composition, Environmental Science, Accelerated Geometry, and Physical Science. My question is what classes should I take my sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school? I have to take biology for sophomore and chemistry for junior. I just planned on taking science classes throughout high school and some math classes. I'm already advanced in math, for my school anyway. I guess, I just don't know what classes to take. Which ones should I take so I can get into a good college?

I'm also taking PE 1.

Hi, so at my school we are doing course selections for grade 11 and I'm in grade 10. I would really like to know what courses you need to take to become a psychiatrist. I also want to know what average I have to get to be accepted in university of course averages. I kinda want to attend university in the US so any recommendations. I'm also not doing so well in math and i would like to know what my math average would have to be because I'm talking mixed functions one semester and university functions next. Thanks so much ))

Hello,

As I have read many questions and responses from this website, I still have some unanswered questions... my school system is different and I didn't take physics at all. I took geography, life science and history and I only just recently became interested in this field. With my specific subjects can I still qualify being a psychiatrist?

Chrxxlie_N,

What you take in high school really makes no difference as long as you take the necessary courses in college. Taking basic biology, chemistry, and physics in high school will better prepare you for the college level class though.