Ready Or Not, Here We Come: Preparing Psychology Graduate Students for Academic Careers

Abstract

In this article, we present data that reflect the extent to which graduate students in psychology perceive themselves as prepared for different activities that they would have to undertake as faculty. Results indicate a large and statistically significant gap between the level of rated importance and the level of training received in the following areas relevant to an academic career: psychology content, research training, class management, academic life, and ethical issues. We provide specific training recommendations for psychology departments that wish to prepare their graduate students for careers in academia.