In order to become a psychiatrist, you need to go to medical school and then do a residency program in psychiatry. You do not need a masters or phd, and you don't even have to have your bachelors degree in psychology. I actually can't think of any psychiatrists who obtained their phd in psychology. I do know a few psychiatrists that have their phd in some other field - usually some area of a basic science field as they are researchers as well as psychiatrists.

I would definitely discourage someone from getting a masters or phd in psychology if they plan on becoming a psychiatrist. The extra training will be a waste of time in the long run.

If you wanted to pursue a PhD in psychology, that would probably take around 5 years after college to obtain. I'm not sure how long it would take to get your masters degree.

Leeds,

You are asking a bit of a different question than the original poster had asked. Your undergraduate major makes almost no difference in getting into medical school or in getting into a specific residency program. You are correct that you do not need to major in a basic science field, and in some ways, having a different major can be an advantage as it shows you not only can do well in basic science courses, but also have interests beyond basic science.

I would say that there is no extra advantage to having a psychology major, as much of the material will be covered in a psychiatry residency in much more depth. If you go to a college with a very strong psychology program, some of the courses may cover areas that a psychiatry residency may not cover, but in general, I would think that the coursework covered in a psychiatry residency program will be far more relevant and detailed than what you would get in undergraduate level psychology courses.

I did take several psychology courses as an undergrad - specifically, I took an intro to psych course, a brain and behavior course, and a drugs and behavior course. I took these because the topics interested me. I could have taken a few more psychology courses and made it my major, but the other courses were not of particular interest to me at that time. Would they have provided me with knowledge helpful in my current work? I can't really say for certain since I didn't take them, but the basic course topics I would have considered are all areas that I feel I got WAY more detailed experience with during my residency.

The bottom line is (in my opinion) - take the courses that interest you the most as an undergraduate while also taking all of your required pre-med courses. I would also suggest you major in a field that will be useful if you decide NOT to go to medical school. Many people either don't get accepted, or they decide that medicine isn't for them. Other than that - complete the major that is the easiest to meet the requirements. And then use your electives to take all of the interesting stuff that you won't learn about in medical school and in residency.