psychology or media studies degree?

im really stuck on which one to do. There isn't much time left to decide but i like both subjects. I've looked for universities which might allow me to do both but there are none in my local area and i dont particularly want to stay on campus.

I think i'll enjoy media studies more but i've been told that it could be a waste of time

Does anyone know which one will give me a better chance of getting a well paid job?

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Reply 1

Simplicity

swoozy

obviously psychology.

Reply 2

alexa123

i agree psychology!!!

Reply 3

xmarilynx

Just go with whichever you enjoy the most. They're very different subjects, so you must have a preferance.

As for your chances of getting a good job, in my (non expert) opinion the graduate prospects are fairly limited with both options.

Reply 4

km31

hmm...don't want to be the one to say it, but you know that media studies is like the flagship "worthless degree" yes? It won't be looked upon very well, and will limit your employability i'd say...unless of course you want to go into a very specific area in a related field, then i couldn't say.
Psychology is quite limited too and has bad graduate employment rates, but i'd pick that over media studies :dontknow:

Reply 5

Nambi

If you're going into uni in order to get a job at the end of it those aren't the best choices

Psychology might be slightly better because of the stigma that surrounds Media Studies

Reply 6

GodspeedGehenna

km31

Psychology is quite limited too and has bad graduate employment rates, but i'd pick that over media studies :dontknow:

I disagree. The employment rates are pretty decent (Especially if you look at those universities which offer a year in industry), and the applicability of the subject is immensely diverse, that is if you choose to reject the obvious route into Psychological careers.

Considering the amount of statistical and methodological training alone makes one very employable (and not only in research areas). Being skilled in SPSS and statistics is a great thing. Throw in a very generous dose of neuroscience, economic psychology, consumer psychology, health psychology, cognitive psychology etc, and it has relevance to almost every corner of life in some way at least.

Reply 7

kiss_me_now9

Normally I'd say Psychology because it's very diverse and has lots of different avenues that can go off from it, but you need to sit down and think about this seriously - do you really want to take a chance that you won't enjoy your subject just because a load of people said that psychology is a better option later on.

Reply 8

km31

GodspeedGehenna

well sure i agree with that, and maybe it's to do with the sheer number of people who take psychology and the unreliability of league tables, but in reality they generally state graduate employment prospects to be around 55% (below the top 5-10) and declining with the uni's ranking, which is pretty poor

Reply 9

GodspeedGehenna

km31

Hmm, well my uni states 65-70% in graduate employment 6m after graduation. That's not bad.

The universities which offer placement years will be higher than that.

Reply 10

karen123

Interest rules all over your choice. But if there is no difference and that you are interested in both, I would say Psychology. It is not as limited as some people think about the career prospects. Other than pursuing a career directly related to psychology which normally requires a second degree, more graduates work in commercial sector like marketing, banking, human resources, consultancy... At least this is the scenario in my placewhere psychology places have a high demand but limited supply and those who get into local universities are usually top ones academically. Of course this is quite different in UK as I see most universities offer psychology and supply is in abundance.

Reply 11

tigermoth99

Do what you would enjoy the most. The skills learnt on a Media Studies course will enable you to work in a variety of areas (Have a look at Prospects for some useful info) and you'll find that it shouldn't be the joke most people make it out to be.

Reply 12

stellatommo20

both are a waste of time. take a science or math.

you clearly have no passion for either, as you are asking which will lead to a higly paid job. i hope you fail :captain:

Reply 13

afua12

Be aware that TSR has a massive dislike for Media Studies and it is often the butt of many jokes...

I would probably say to go for Psychology simply because you may be able to incorporate your interest in media into a psychology degree. After uni, you could maybe go into something like advertising which would draw heavily on your psychology training and yet still be within the field of media?

Reply 14

h82think

xmarilynx

Just go with whichever you enjoy the most.

Reply 15

Boosh!

Argh I feel sorry for you because I know how it feels!! I had to pick between computer science and psychology, VERY hard. In the end I have chosen to do a dual honours course at Keele, so I can enjoy both subjects. Psychology is brilliant and very interesting. It can get you all sorts of careers, if you don't want to go down the direct psychology careers route (Clinical psychology and others) which is very hard to be successful in, there are other gateways such as the criminal sector.
hope you can make your mind up!!!!

Reply 16

oh_adele

Which would you prefer a career in? Obviously relative experience and a degree in Media is going to benefit you if you want a job in the Media, regardless of it's "Mickey Mouse" status.

Reply 17

tigermoth99

That's a good point. Perhaps you could do a joint honours or a modular degree which would let you do a bit of both?

Reply 18

Flying Cookie

The truth is that, regardless of degree, it's you whose interest is to succeed, not anyone else's. Therefore, you have to make it happen for yourself and create the opportunity, rather than wait for it to come to you. There are far more opportunities for both subjects after graduation, and a good range of various fields to enter, unlike others state. You have to pick a subject that you want to pursue. Remember, you're dedicating 3 years and then maybe a whole life.

Psychology is far more academic, it's actually purely academic, whereas media studies is mostly vocational. They are indeed very different subjects and you need passion to be able to succeed in either. Research the jobs and opportunities available and try to see if you can picture yourself doing any of those in the future. Good luck.

Reply 19

Maker

I would suggest you look at some statistics about the average graduate pay for the degree subjects you are interested in. Both don't pay well on average compared to other subjects like sciences, engineering, law or medicine.

If a well paid job is your main concern, I would suggest doing neither and looking for something else.