Need help deciding on educational route to reach my career goal

[goingavolmre]

I am a first semester college student. Ideally, I want to study Psychopharmacology/Nueropharmacology. I am unsure what degree to pursue and how to go about getting information regarding and educational plan. Will this require a degree in Psychology, with a minor in Neuroscience, then med school? Is there a program to major in pharmacology. What would be the best route to attain these goals? Ideally, I want to study the drug interactions of brain and nervous system and their associations with mental illnesses, overdoses, etc. Please give feedback on how to obtain these goals or some insight on what a good ed plan might be. Also, what schools would be good for this. Thanks!!!

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[goingavolmre]

I want to work as a psychiatrist, while working with these drug interactions, as well.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

You may want to check in the Psychiatry forums, particularly regarding paths to take in/after med school and as to what programs might be good for that area of study.

But my knee-jerk response: undergrad major doesn't really matter so long as you meet the med school pre-reqs. Maybe take some neuroscience courses to see if it's a topic area you actually enjoy. Then consider the MD/PhD route, with the PhD possibly being in neuroscience.

 

[LETSGONYR]

You may want to check in the Psychiatry forums, particularly regarding paths to take in/after med school and as to what programs might be good for that area of study.

But my knee-jerk response: undergrad major doesn't really matter so long as you meet the med school pre-reqs. Maybe take some neuroscience courses to see if it's a topic area you actually enjoy. Then consider the MD/PhD route, with the PhD possibly being in neuroscience.

Good advice. The Pharm.D. forums might be helpful too, if you are interested in how medications interact with the brain and neurochemistry.

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[Doctor-S]

I am a first semester college student. Ideally, I want to study Psychopharmacology/Nueropharmacology. I am unsure what degree to pursue and how to go about getting information regarding and educational plan. Will this require a degree in Psychology, with a minor in Neuroscience, then med school? Is there a program to major in pharmacology. What would be the best route to attain these goals? Ideally, I want to study the drug interactions of brain and nervous system and their associations with mental illnesses, overdoses, etc. Please give feedback on how to obtain these goals or some insight on what a good ed plan might be. Also, what schools would be good for this. Thanks!!!

Since you're a first semester college student, it might be useful for you to discuss your career goals with a student adviser at your college (i.e., an individual who is experienced in advising students who want to pursue careers related to pharmacology, neuroscience, behavioral pharmacology, medicine, etc.). In so doing, you can begin to outline a feasible course of study for yourself that will allow you to complete pre-reqs needed for admission into these programs.

Many schools offer graduate degrees (M.S. and PhD) in psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, etc. For instance, Cornell, Harvard, University of California, Michigan, Texas, Pittsburgh, Minnesota ... just to name a few, and there are many more.

Your student adviser can help you find these types of graduate programs, depending on your ultimate educational and professional career goals. Or, you can search for them (google them) and learn more about the different programs, including the names of various PIs and research projects that might interest you at different schools. If you want to earn an MD degree (to work as a psychiatrist), you need to graduate from medical school.

Thank you.

 

[entitlement]

Also, if you decided to go the pre-med route, definitely check in with pre-med advisors about applying for MD/PhD programs. I have a few pre-med RAs who are being told that going the MD/PhD route is actually a waste of time/money. Not sure I completely agree 100% with this based on my own experiences but it is good to get varying perspectives on your options.