Are you interested in majoring in psychology? How many people do you know who are interested in studying psychology in college? Probably not very many, because high schools offer few psychology courses due to standards the American Psychological Association (APA) has in place for high school psychology courses, and partly because schools don’t feel the need to offer psychology courses. Currently, around 5,000 high schools offer introductory psychology courses or the AP Psychology course, but even then, there is very rarely a higher level psychology course to take after the first.

There are many benefits to offering high school psychology courses that many high schools don’t realize. Psychology is a crossroad between many different fields of study that provides essential life skills and knowledge that assists students years after taking the course. Taking psychology courses helps strengthen student’s sense of self and understanding of their surroundings. These courses also teach important skills such as good studying habits, research, and source analysis skills, coping strategies for stress, critical thinking analysis, and so much more.

Aside from the valuable skills psychology courses teach students, they also open up lots of job opportunities if pursued as a major, since lots of departments could use some help understanding how clients think. Human resources, marketing, teaching, and many other departments want psychology majors for their valuable understanding of the human brain and thought processes. It is predicted that there will be a 14% increase in demand for psychologists through 2026. 

Pursuing Psychology as a major may not be for everyone but there is something in these courses for everyone. Whether it be the source analysis skills you picked up or the history of psychology that intrigued you, there is something valuable to be taken from these courses no matter who you are. 

Academy has not offered psychology courses in the recent past, and now could be a great time to start. Psychology courses have been slowly gaining popularity in recent years, giving students chances to discover more about both themselves and their peers, while picking up various useful tools along the way. Hopefully, we will be able to see the Academy’s first psychology courses in the near future!