Psychology—the scientific study of mind and behavior—is all around us. Discover how taking a psychology course in high school can teach you how to be a better student, prepare you for any career, and help you better understand your world.
Topics you’ll learn
- Research methods
- Development
- Learning and memory
- Social relationships
- Psychoactive drugs and their effects
- Sleep
- Brain function
- Biological bases of behavior
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Motivation
- Personality
- Psychological disorders and their treatment
Psychology can help you learn how to study
The topic of learning and memory goes well beyond a lecture in class. Psychology can teach you how to get the most out of studying, stay motivated in class, and take better notes.
Psychology can help you learn about and cope with stress
Stress is a major concern among teens and young adults. The study of psychology can help you better understand what causes stress and what to do about it.
Types of psychology courses
A number of different psychology courses are available at the high school level, depending on what each school offers.
Popular high school psychology courses are:
- Advanced Placement (AP) psychology
- International Baccalaureate psychology courses
- Dual-enrollment psychology
- Introductory psychology
Some schools may offer specialized psychology courses like:
- Adolescent psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Social psychology
- Sports psychology
Review your school course listings and talk to a teacher or counselor at your school to explore what options you have for taking a course in psychology.
If your school does not offer a psychology course, you can self-study to take the AP Psychology exam. Massive Online Open Courses often offer introductory psychology courses as well, which are free and open to the public.
Common myths about psychology
There are many misconceptions people have about psychology. Here are some of them, debunked.
- Psychology is just about analyzing people.
While clinical and counseling psychology are very important, the field of psychology includes a wide variety of areas, from neuroscience to applying psychological science to space exploration. Psychological science is contributing to finding solutions to societal problems such as the opioid epidemic, gun violence, climate change, and more. APA has 54 divisions that cover many important psychology subfields. - Psychology is about common sense.
Only controlled research can help us determine what conditions can bring about different results or the relationship between variables.
- Psychology is simple.
Researching and understanding the behavior and mental processes of human and nonhuman animals is complicated and advanced subject matter. - You need to become a psychologist to have a successful career using psychology.
Psychology can prepare you for a wide range of jobs or careers. - Degrees in psychology aren’t useful and applicable.
If you’re thinking about majoring in psychology in college, the idea that a degree in psychology isn’t useful is not true. Psychology is an excellent major or course (PDF, 55KB) to take to prepare you to do well in school and get a good job.
Psychology-related careers
A bachelor’s or graduate degree in psychology can prepare you for a variety of jobs.
High school psychology courses can help prepare students for several growing career fields. Psychology is a hub science that connects to, and can be an entryway into, other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, including statistics, neuroscience, life sciences, and the social sciences. Psychology is also broadly applicable to business, medicine, education, health, and criminal justice.
- The APA Center for Workforce studies provides a searchable data tool on careers in psychology.
- Read interviews about careers with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
- Read about using a bachelor's degree in psychology to find a job that is a right fit for you.
- Applied psychology (PDF 1.3MB) can improve lives with science.
See more psychology-related careers as well as read about psychology subfields. Of interest to many students, psychological science also contributes to our understanding of climate change and the environment.
Career videos
Working with children to understand how brains develop
Developmental psychologist Jeffrey Lockman, PhD, studies how infants learn to use tools and how children develop hand-eye coordination.
Protecting the planet through conservation psychology
Studying people's relationship with nature has helped Susan Clayton, PhD, create messages that encourage people to protect the environment.
Measuring and analyzing human behavior in the world of gaming
As a "user research lead" at Microsoft Studios, psychologist Tim Nichols, PhD, gets paid to play.
Connect with APA
- Subscribe to the Psychology Student Network (PSN) newsletter
- Listen to the Speaking of Psychology podcast
- Check out APA’s YouTube Channel
- Follow APA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Facebook
Join APA as a high school student member
Did you know that high school students interested in psychology, or pursuing a major or career in psychology, can become APA student affiliate members at a discounted rate? APA high school student affiliate members get access to benefits such as:
• Free subscriptions to APA’s The Monitor on Psychology magazine and American Psychologist journal
• Discounted registration rates for APA’s annual convention
• And more!
Get involved
For students
Honor societies and professional associations and applying psychology to your future career.
More about psychology
Want to learn more about psychology and how you can apply it to your life? Check out some of the fun and interesting resources below.