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Psychiatrist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists usually study medicine, psychology, or nursing. 32% of psychiatrists hold a doctoral degree, and 29% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,135 real psychiatrist resumes to see exactly what psychiatrist education sections show.
The most common colleges for psychiatrists are the Harvard University and the Harvard University.
There are also many online psychiatrist courses to help get the education required to be a psychiatrist.
There are certain psychiatrist certifications that you should consider. These psychiatrist certifications include Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
What education do you need to become a psychiatrist?
What degree do you need to be a psychiatrist?
- Doctorate, 32%
- Bachelor's, 29%
- Master's, 10%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 25%
What should I major in to become a psychiatrist?
- Medicine, 38%
- Psychology, 13%
- Nursing, 8%
- Business, 5%
- Other Majors, 36%
Most common colleges for psychiatrists
| Psychiatrist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Harvard University | 10.64% |
| New York University | 8.51% |
| New York Medical College | 8.51% |
| University of South Florida | 6.38% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 5.32% |
Best majors for psychiatrists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine | 38.4% |
| 2 | Psychology | 12.7% |
| 3 | Nursing | 8.1% |
| 4 | Business | 5.4% |
| 5 | Biology | 4.6% |
Best colleges for psychiatrists
The best colleges for psychiatrists are Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
A psychiatrist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for psychiatrists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become psychiatrists.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
6. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
8. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
20 best online courses for psychiatrists
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14. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
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15. Speak Medical Spanish to Your Patients and Clients
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17. Medical Terminology
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18. Personality Disorders: Master the Psychology of All 10 Types
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20. Introduction to Medical Imaging
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Top 10 most affordable universities for psychiatrists
The most affordable schools for psychiatrists are University of Florida, florida international university, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for psychiatrists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for psychiatrists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
7. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
10. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for psychiatrists
The hardest universities for psychiatrists to get into are Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for psychiatrists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for psychiatrists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
10. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,449
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for psychiatrists
The easiest schools for psychiatrists to get into are AdventHealth University, nyack college, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a psychiatrist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for psychiatrists.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
8. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Canton, OH • Private
Admissions rate
75%
SAT average
1,085
9. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average psychiatrist salary by education level
| Psychiatrist education level | Psychiatrist salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $234,206 |
Psychiatrist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025