An AA degree is a two-year degree, and most AA psychology degree programs provide enough transferable courses for the student to enter a Bachelor's degree program in the third year. Typical required courses for an AA in psychology include General Psychology, English Composition, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology and Developmental Psychology.
If you are interested in helping people professionally with emotional or mental problems, an AA degree in psychology is a step to this end. Having received an AA degree in psychology, the student should possess skills in developmental psychology, patient care and communication, general psychology, brain and behavior, medical terminology and in assessing and recognizing mental illnesses.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of counselors and psychologists in the U.S.will increase faster than average of all occupations through 2014. Many employees currently holding these jobs will also retire, opening up even more jobs, so a person entering the profession with a psychology degree will have a good chance of finding a job.
In 2008, the middle 50 percent of psychologists earned between $48,700 and $82,000 per year. The middle 50 percent of all counselors in the same year earned between $38,740 and $65,360. Many of these were school counselors and psychologists, who have the opportunity of earning additional income over the summer. Keep in mind that an AA degree in psychology is only a first step and that most of these employees had moved on to achieve higher degrees.