Psychology

An Associate of Arts degree in Psychology provides a strong foundation in understanding human behaviour, thinking, and emotion—skills that are valuable in almost any career. Students develop communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities that prepare them for entry-level positions in community and social services careers.

While some graduates enter the workforce directly, most careers related to psychology require further education. Students often use the degree as a transfer pathway to complete a bachelor's degree at a university. Continuing your studies opens the door to a wide range of professional opportunities, including careers in counselling, education, research, mental health, and organizational consulting.

Plan Your Pathway

If you’re planning to transfer to university, be sure to check out our Psychology Course Planning Guide. It outlines recommended courses and transfer pathways to help you meet admission requirements for your chosen university and make the most of your Associate of Arts degree.

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.

Clinical neuropsychology

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

Langara offers a Pathway to UBC Neuroscience: learn more below.

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.

Educational psychologist

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.

Langara offers a Pathway to UBC Neuroscience: learn more below.

School psychologist

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.

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.

Langara offers a Pathway to UBC Neuroscience: learn more below.

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.  

Langara offers a Pathway to UBC Neuroscience: learn more below.

Industrial or organizational psychologist

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.

Research psychologist

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.

Langara offers a Pathway to UBC Neuroscience: learn more below.

Teaching

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