What subjects should you take as a psychologist: tips and nuances

Psychology is one of the most interesting and exciting sciences. Therefore, it is not surprising that an increasing number of graduates are planning to enroll as a psychologist and connect their lives with this type of activity.

Psychological assistance is important, and sometimes simply irreplaceable, in various life situations. Even simple advice from a qualified specialist can solve the problems of citizens in need of psychological support.

The profession of a psychologist is not only in demand, but also well paid. This type of activity involves constant personal development against the backdrop of continuous exploration of the spiritual facets of patients in need of help.

If you decide to master psychological skills at a professional level, you should choose a university and carefully prepare for the entrance exams. We will talk about which subjects to take and what is needed to become a psychologist in

In the following video you will learn everything about the profession of “Psychologist”:

Entrance exams

The most important step on the path to acquiring the desired profession is preparation for entrance examinations. Each educational institution has its own requirements for applicants. The nuances of the educational program of a particular university are reflected in the list of entrance exams.

It is better to ask the admissions committee of the chosen educational institution about which subjects you need to take to become a psychologist. However, there are a number of general rules for psychology departments.

The mandatory entrance program for this area includes exams in:

• Russian language;
• mathematics;
• biology.

Future psychologists entering after 11th grade, in addition to the Unified State Exam in Russian language, mathematics and biology, will have to pass social studies.

A number of educational programs for training psychologists are closely related to medicine. You can increase your chances of successfully entering a university after receiving secondary specialized medical education.

To enter a medical college, 9th grade graduates will need to successfully pass entrance examinations in the State Examination Form according to:

• Russian language;
• mathematics;
• biology;
• chemistry.

Documents for admission to become a psychologist?

The application form for training as a psychologist consists of several points. It is necessary to collect documents:

• Student Application
• Certificate of complete general (secondary in the case of 11 grades) education
• Copy of the passport
• Photos
• Medical certificate form 086/U
• Original document confirming passing the Unified State Exam

Contact the desired technical school or institute where you plan to study with clarification and the procedure for submitting documents for admission to a psychologist after 9th and 11th grade.

Choosing an educational institution

Where you need to enroll as a psychologist depends on the goals of the future specialist. If an applicant plans to engage in scientific activities in the future, it is worth inquiring about the availability of an Academic Council at the university (for the possibility of defending candidate and doctoral dissertations).

To obtain basic knowledge within the framework of educational programs (bachelor's, master's and specialist's degrees), it is enough to have information about the ranking of the university and the level of the educational and methodological base. An important criterion is the accreditation of the educational institution. When hiring, this condition will be considered first.

Distance learning methods are becoming increasingly popular. This method of acquiring knowledge is more relevant for self-development. You should not count on full-fledged psychological education through remote access.

Young people who want to fully embrace the resources of the educational and methodological base and acquire practical skills are recommended to enroll in full-time studies. This type of training will provide the student with the opportunity to replenish their knowledge every day (taking into account personal consultations with representatives of the teaching staff of the educational institution).

For busy applicants (or already established specialists in another field), the best option is distance learning. Here you have the opportunity to gain knowledge without interrupting your work activity.

Where should you apply for this specialty?

After finding out all the details and details, you should make a rating of the best higher educational institutions that are suitable for your chosen specialty.
Before enrolling, you need to find out whether the higher education institution has laboratories, what departments exist there, and whether the university can graduate candidates or doctors of science. Little things like this speak volumes about the quality of a higher education institution. It is worth noting that after graduating from school, it is best to receive higher education in this specialty full-time. Despite the fact that this profession seems easy , it contains many subtleties and details that will be needed in the future. If you want to enroll in a master's program, you need to additionally find out everything about the necessary exams. To enroll in a master's program, you must pass psychology and other exams in general subjects (information about them is available in the admissions office).

Exams

We will consider in more detail what exams you need to take to obtain the specialty “Psychologist”.

Military psychologist

Military psychologists are quite popular specialists. This profession covers several areas of psychology: clinical, conflict, rehabilitation, social, etc. The shortage of such specialists is due to their versatility and high level of training.

You can master the profession of a military psychologist not only at a military university, but also on the basis of a civilian higher educational institution (retraining programs). It is recommended to find out which subjects need to be taken as a psychologist at a military university by personally contacting the admissions committee.

The list of main major subjects for admission to the Faculty of Psychology corresponds to the generally accepted ones (Russian language, mathematics, biology).

In addition to standard exams, in order to enter a military university or an institution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, good physical preparation is required. The applicant will have to pass the standards. In addition, you need to pass a professional psychological selection test.

Child psychologist

Child psychologists are especially in demand, since this area is not popular. Working in preschool institutions and specialized children's centers requires increased responsibility and complete dedication.

What exams you need to take to become a child social psychologist depend on your specialization (speech therapists, defectologists). In any case, compulsory subjects (Russian language, mathematics, biology, social studies) are included in the entrance examination program.

Clinical psychologist

The specialization of a clinical psychologist touches on medical aspects, but does not allow one to fully work with borderline states of patients (neuroses, psychoses, phobias). The competence of a clinical psychologist includes the study of the patient’s psyche and its psychocorrection using psychological techniques.

Treatment of mental disorders requires the help of specialists with higher medical education (psychiatrist, psychotherapist). What subjects to take to become a psychotherapist depend on the profile of the faculty of the medical university.

What is the difference between a psychologist, psychotherapist and psychiatrist, see the picture:

The list of mandatory entrance exams for obtaining the specialty of a clinical psychologist (as well as for a psychotherapist) includes:

• Russian language;
• mathematics;
• biology.

Today, you can get a psychologist’s education in more than 94 bachelor’s and specialist degree profiles, and 86 master’s degree profiles, in 163 universities in Russia. Where should you go to become a psychologist in order to realize your dream of a profession?

Psychologist is one of the most popular professions among applicants and high school students who strive to understand human mental activity, relationships between people, and want to help people who find themselves in critical situations. In this longread, we deliberately used many visual images of various professionals in the field of psychology so that you can get the maximum sense of how different a career this or that specialization in the profession of psychology offers.

What is the difference between a psychologist, psychotherapist and psychiatrist

Sometimes a psychologist is confused with a psychotherapist and even a psychiatrist. It's not difficult to understand the difference.

A psychologist is a specialist who mainly works with healthy people, helping them adapt to various life situations. Some psychologists work in the clinic, help doctors understand the patient’s condition, and participate together with the doctor in his therapy. Psychologists do not have the right to make diagnoses or prescribe medication. They are engaged in psychodiagnostics, psychological counseling, psychological correction, and psychological research.

A psychotherapist is a doctor who works in a clinic with sick people whose diseases can be classified as so-called “minor psychiatry”: neuroses, acute post-traumatic disorders, neurotic conditions caused by difficulties in adaptation and psychotrauma. A psychotherapist has the right to make diagnoses and prescribe medication, although his main method of work is psychotherapy.

A psychiatrist is a doctor who works in a clinic with sick people suffering from diseases from both “minor” and “major psychiatry”: neuroses, psychoses, schizophrenia, psychopathy, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. Psychiatrists can make diagnoses and generally treat with medication.

What kinds of psychologists are there?

Psychologists may engage in research, teaching, or work in applied fields. In the latter case, they are called practical psychologists. Practical psychologists are psychologists who carry out their activities in various fields: at school, in internal affairs bodies, in business, in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, in the clinic, directly performing practical work on psychodiagnostics, psychological counseling, psychocorrection.

One of the most common professional groups of psychologists is educational psychologists, school psychologists, educational psychologists . The task of such a specialist is to analyze the child’s readiness for school, the success of his adaptation at school and in the family, to diagnose developmental difficulties, to help with career guidance and social adaptation. Educational psychologists work with schoolchildren, teachers and parents.

Child psychologists work with children across a broader spectrum, from early development to adolescence. As a rule, they are involved in the development of the child, help overcome various difficulties with his upbringing, and increase the child’s ability to adapt in various situations.

Family psychologists provide counseling to families that find themselves in a difficult situation due to a breakdown in family relationships. The peculiarity of family counseling is that the psychologist works with each family member and in a group with all family members at the same time. The subject of a family psychologist's work may be family discord, the threat of divorce, problems with children, sick relatives or elderly parents.

Clinical psychologists work in a clinic where they conduct psychodiagnostics and, together with a doctor, participate in the treatment of patients using psychological methods. They are able to work with a variety of clinical tests that allow them to accurately diagnose conditions, developmental problems and mental characteristics of the patient. This allows the doctor to clarify the diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. Psychologists at the clinic, along with psychotherapists, can participate in group and individual psychotherapy.

Penitentiary psychologists work in places of deprivation of liberty, help predict the behavior of convicts, take measures to prevent suicides and self-harm, and help convicts adapt to the conditions of detention. They also work with the staff of correctional colonies and pre-trial detention centers, help avoid emotional burnout, provide support in difficult situations, and even participate in hostage negotiations.

Psychologists of internal affairs bodies and military psychologists participate in psychological examinations when hiring, study teams and give recommendations for optimizing the socio-psychological climate in them, help employees in difficult life situations, train military personnel in mental self-regulation, as well as desensitize stress upon their return from hot spots.

Psychologists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations work with acute conditions that arise in people as a result of the death of relatives and loved ones, or exposure to emergency situations that dramatically change a person’s life. A person is faced with a new reality that is difficult to accept. This causes a shock, a breakdown of all meanings. The person refuses to accept reality. In this case, the EMERCOM psychologist helps the person adapt to his new life reality.

Sports psychologists work in elite sports, help athletes cope with high workloads, teach them mental regulation skills, and prevent breakdowns. Sports psychologists also participate in team formation and focusing athletes on achieving victory.

Corporate psychologists participate in the selection, assessment and adaptation of personnel, take part in the formation and transmission of corporate culture, coach and teach soft skills within corporations: communications, leadership, overcoming conflicts, time management, etc.

Engineering psychologists are specialists whose work focuses on improving and adapting technology, equipment and work environments to improve productivity, human behavior and abilities.

Special psychologists are engaged in the psychological correction of children with various developmental features, manifested in a slowdown or pronounced originality of the child’s psychosocial development, complicating his socio-psychological adaptation, inclusion in the educational space and further professional self-determination.

Political psychologists study psychological components (moods, opinions, feelings, value orientations) in the political life of society.

Social psychologists study group dynamics of small groups, conduct socio-psychological trainings, and also engage in sociometry, psychodiagnostics, counseling and the use of psychotechnologies in the field of socio-psychological phenomena.

There are also many other specializations of specialist psychologists: debt psychologist, legal psychologist, forensic psychologist, psychodiagnostician, neuropsychologist, etc.

As you can see, there are many specializations in psychology. Therefore, when choosing a university and specialty, you should pay special attention to the educational profile.

How to build an educational trajectory, which specialties to choose

Is it possible to become a psychologist after college?

It is impossible to become a psychologist in college. However, if you want to go to college after the 9th grade, and then enter a university to study one of the psychological specialties, in this case your advantage will be studying in the following specialties in college.

If your goal is social psychology, gerontopsychology (psychology of older people), penitentiary psychology, psychology of deviant behavior of adolescents:

• 02/39/01. Social work.

If your goal is corporate psychology:

• 02/38/04. Commerce (by industry).

If your goal is clinical psychology:

• 02/31/01. Medicine;
• 02/34/01. Nursing.

If your goal is educational psychology:

• 02/44/01. Preschool education;
• 02/44/02. Teaching in primary school;
• 02/44/03. Pedagogy of additional education;
• 02/44/06. Vocational education (by industry).

If your goal is special (correctional psychology):

• 02/44/04. Special preschool education;
• 02/44/05. Corrective pedagogy in primary education.

If your goal is to become a police psychologist, criminal psychologist, legal psychologist, penitentiary psychologist:

• 02/40/01. Law and organization of social security;
• 02/40/02. Law enforcement;
• 02/40/03. Law and judicial administration.

If your goal is to become a sports psychologist:

• 02/49/01. Physical Culture.

Profession of psychologist in universities

The profession of a psychologist can be obtained at universities, studying in a bachelor's, specialist's or master's degree.

The classic educational trajectory of a psychologist is based on the following specialties.

• Bachelor's degree: 03/37/01. Psychology
• Specialty: 05.37.01. Clinical psychology 05/37/02. Psychology of performance
• Master's degree: 04/37/01. Psychology

A significant number of pedagogical, child and school psychologists build their educational trajectory at a university as follows:

• Bachelor's degree: 03/44/02. Psychological and pedagogical education
• Master's degree: 04/44/02. Psychological and pedagogical education

If we are talking about special (correctional) psychology:

• Bachelor's degree: 03/44/03. Special (defectological) education
• Master's degree: 04/44/03. Special (defectological) education

What subjects need to be studied intensively at school and taken for the Unified State Exam?

Depending on the field of study and educational institution, different exams may be required. But most university profiles in psychology require a set of the following exams:

• Russian language
• Mathematics
• Biology

Universities often require the following set of exams for psychological profiles:

• Russian language
• Biology
• Social science

There are several options for enrolling as a psychologist with two Unified State Examination subjects and one special university exam:

• Biology
• Russian language
• University specialty exam

How to choose training profiles in universities and colleges

You need to choose your training profile based on the area of ​​psychology in which you want to build a career. You can easily find a suitable profile using the Postupi Online profession atlas. We find the desired profession, for example, child psychologist or clinical psychologist, and look at which higher education programs (profiles) can be obtained. The list of suitable profiles can be filtered by the required set of Unified State Examinations.

A complete list of training profiles in the field of psychology at bachelor’s, specialist and master’s degrees can be found on the “psychologist” profession page.

Thus, you can select the most suitable profiles for any profession in the field of psychology.

Next, you can find out which universities offer programs in these profiles, look at the passing scores and choose the most suitable profile for yourself at a particular university.

Separately, I would like to note that after graduating from university, you will not feel confident in your profession. A practical psychologist should develop skills and competencies separately for another 2-3 years at various courses and trainings in order to develop psychological thinking, professional communication and psychodiagnostics skills.

Be careful! Some universities on the pages of their websites for applicants do not indicate the educational profile (specialization), only the specialty (direction of training). Be sure to ask what profile or specialization a particular educational institution offers. Otherwise, it may turn out that you applied for “psychology”, but sign an application for admission to the “Penitentiary Psychology” profile. And this will be unpleasant if you did not intend to work as a psychologist in prisons.

Author: Alla Noskova, founder of the portal Postupi Online.

Pros and cons of the profession

The following video is for those who are faced with a choice whether to go or not to study as a psychologist:

The profession of a psychologist is an interesting and multifaceted activity that requires dedication. Therefore, the future specialist must understand that working with the psyche of patients involves not only positive, but also emotionally difficult moments.

The positive aspects of the work of a psychologist include:

• constant self-development;
• building competent relationships with others (taking into account psychological skills);
• developing a tolerant attitude towards people in need of psychological correction;
• decent wages.

The difficult aspects of the profession are presented as:

• a high level of responsibility for the mental balance and actions of their patients;
• emotional “burnout” (a professional is forced to “pass through” every story).

What exams should I take?

As we have already said, the list of Unified State Exam subjects, as well as the minimum scores, do not coincide in different universities. There are only three most common combinations among exam subjects for psychology:

• Biology, mathematics, Russian language;
• Social studies, mathematics, biology;
• Social studies, history, Russian language.

Important: in order not to reduce your chances of admission, you should read the information on each educational program on the university website in advance.

List of entrance tests for psychology programs at Moscow State University

But it may not be limited to passing the Unified State Examination in various subjects. So don’t forget about the DVI (usually in biology). To prepare for taking the DVI, we advise you not to neglect additional classes at school, which are often arranged by teachers for those taking their subject - it is practical and inexpensive. You can hire a tutor from the university you are going to enroll in, since he knows what can be useful for the DVI. For classes in DVI, you can also sign up for courses at the university itself, but you need to keep in mind that then these will be group, not personal classes.

What you shouldn’t forget about is additional opportunities in addition to the Unified State Exam. Even if you pass the exam with flying colors, the competition may still be too strong. Then you will need the additional points that schoolchildren collect in advance: for having a certificate with honors, passing the GTO, participating in specialized competitions, and sporting achievements. Not to mention the fact that winning some competitions can make you a student, bypassing high Unified State Exam scores.

Becoming a psychologist is not that difficult. As with anything, the most important thing is planning, thorough preparation, and making sure you're on the right track.

Hello.

I personally don’t know all the people who read me. But, watching the statistics, I see that there are more and more of you. Thank you very much for that! And I admit that teenagers can also read me - for example, school graduates (or their parents), as well as applicants of other ages.

If
the question “How to apply for a psychologist?” - this is a question that interests you personally, then continue reading the article.
Here I will share with you my personal experience and tell you about the experiences of my friends and acquaintances. I also noticed that on the Internet people are asking whether it is possible to become a psychologist after ninth grade.
Unfortunately, there is no such option.
To enter the Faculty of Psychology at a university, you need to have a full school education, which currently amounts to eleven years (or graduate from college in any specialty, but all courses).

So, let's go? What to do?

First, you need to decide on a profile.
The fact is that there are different profiles, and for admission to clinical psychology, for example, you may not need the same subjects as for admission to academic psychology.
Nowadays, you can most often find such a set of Unified State Exam subjects as Russian language + biology + social studies

. But this list may differ from university to university.

For example, some universities require exam results in order to accept documents. specialized mathematics!

In the very next course of training for psychologists at a higher educational institution there will not be much of it, but it will still be present.

If you are applying after graduating from college, then you can do without taking the Unified State Exam. However, you will have to pass university exams.

Like the Unified State Exam, the internal university exam is assessed on a 100-point scale. The items there will be the same.

The same applies to those who already have completed their first higher education. In this case, you have a choice whether to take the Unified State Exam again or take the entrance exams. The main advantage of entrance examinations is that you do not need to register six months in advance, as for the Unified State Exam.

But remember that you do not have the right to take both the Unified State Exam and university entrance exams in the same subjects in the same year!

Only additional ones - for example, an entrance creative test as an addition to the existing Unified State Examination results. But such creative tests are not arranged for future psychologists, since this is not a creative profession. At least in the traditional sense of the word .

The minimum standards according to Rosobrnadzor are now:

• Russian language
  - 36 points for admission to a university (just to obtain a certificate, as far as I know, you need less);
• specialized mathematics
  - 27 points;
• biology
  - 36 points;
• social studies
  - 42 points.

When preparing for entrance exams, keep in mind that the university has the right to set its own score threshold for accepting documents.
And this threshold may be higher than the level set by Rosobrnadzor .
For example, the Ministry of Education sets the minimum score for the Russian language as 36, but a university can set it as 45, 50, or 55. The more prestigious the university, the higher this minimum bar is likely to be.

This is one of the reasons why I believe that it is worth teaching all school subjects “evenly”,
developing in parallel in each of them.
Let's imagine such an unpleasant situation - and this is exactly what it is, and now I will explain why - a situation: the passing score for the budget is 200 points, and the minimum for each subject is 50.

And so you passed biology with a hundred, Russian language with a hundred, and social studies with only 49.
What will happen to you? Yes, in total you will have 249 points, which is significantly higher than the threshold for admission to the budget.
But if in at least one of the subjects you do not overcome the minimum threshold established by the university,
then the university simply will not be able to accept your documents.
Also, to enter some specialties - for example, if you want to work with children or become a clinical psychologist - you may need
a medical certificate in form 086-u
. Try to take care of this in advance so as not to get into trouble just before the end of accepting documents.

It is worth preparing all other documents on time - for example, a photo, writing a statement of consent to enrollment.

At the end of the publication, I will also add on my own behalf that when applying, it will matter on what basis you apply - paid or at the expense of budget funds. If you are on a budget, then you will definitely have to submit an original high school diploma or an original college diploma. Well, if it’s for a fee, then by law a notarized copy is sufficient, but you can keep the originals.

And, of course, don’t worry on the eve of admission so that the first academic year starts successfully

Why shouldn't you worry?

Even if you actually don't pass the first time (which no one knows until the lists appear), it will most likely really be a shock for you. After school, it is difficult for students to cope with the fact that, having been in the same environment for eleven years, they suddenly found themselves in such a marginal state. This is a completely new role for them, a new type of behavior, for which they are sometimes not quite ready.

In some countries it is generally normal to take the so-called gap year

- a year after school, when yesterday's graduate is simply looking for himself, trying to understand what he likes best, what he wants from life. He works in different places, makes new acquaintances. And a year later, already sure of exactly what he wants, he makes a firm decision for himself.

And if it really doesn’t work out, then perhaps it makes sense to follow the example of such developed countries.

When entering a university, applicants are concerned with the question of what subjects need to be taken as a psychologist after 11th grade and where to apply? Many higher education institutions have Psychology departments. After all, psychology covers a very wide range of problems, and for better study, the profession is divided into several narrower areas.

The list of entrance exams largely depends on the chosen educational institution. The profession “Psychologist” includes the following areas:

✔️ Psychological counseling.

✔️ Developmental and developmental psychology.

✔️ Modern social psychology.

✔️ Legal psychology.

Personal qualities of a psychologist

How not to make a mistake in choosing a profession? The following picture will help:

Young people who want to become excellent specialists in the field of psychology must have a certain character. The predominant personal qualities of a psychologist are:

• tolerance;
• goodwill;
• equilibrium;
• determination;
• mental flexibility and clear thinking;
• developed sense of compassion;
• ability to analyze and draw correct conclusions.

The specialist must be able to listen to the patient and be aware of the degree of responsibility for the results of his activities.

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