Undergraduate Degree

• The first step on the road to becoming a psychiatrist is to obtain a bachelor of science degree from an accredited four-year university. The Bachelor of Science degree must be in psychology, biology or some related field. To qualify for entry into medical school, a specific number of semester hours in chemistry, physics, English, mathematics and biology are often required. Requirements will vary based on individual medical schools.
  
  

Medical School

• The second educational step toward becoming a psychiatrist is to graduate from an accredited four-year medical school program. According to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics, students spend the first two years of medical school in classrooms and laboratories. Coursework includes psychology, pharmacology, physiology, medical ethics and laws pertaining to medicine. Students spend the last two years of medical school working with patients while under supervision. Students participate in rotations in psychiatry, family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology and surgery to obtain experience in each field.
  
  

Residency

• After graduating from medical school, doctors who wish to become psychiatrists enter a residency program in psychiatry, usually in a hospital environment. The residency is a paid program that give the doctor on-the-job training. The residency program can last from two to six years. Before applying for a psychiatry residency, fourth-year medical students should take an elective course relating to the field of psychiatry that interests them.
  
  

Specialty Degrees

• Psychiatrists who have earned their M.D. --- Medical Doctor --- degree and who have completed their psychiatric residency can elect to specialize in a particular field. Areas of specialization within the psychiatric profession include child psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry. Additional graduate-level coursework and fieldwork are often required to qualify for the specialty degree.