# Psychology degree in France? (US to France)



## QuestioningQuestioner

I currently have a bachelor's in behavioral health science from a US college and I had a few questions regarding getting my master's in France. First, is there a market for being a psychologist in France? From what I have seen it looks like there are not a lot of colleges there with a focus on behavioral health (but maybe my Googling isn't up to par). I also can't seem to get a straight answer on if finishing a master's in a different country automatically makes the degree international or if there are certain colleges I would need to apply to to make it international. Furthermore, if I get an MPsych in France would my degree hold any weight if I can't speak French very fluently? Please let me know any additional information I might need to know during this potential process. Thank you so much in advance!


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## Lydi

I've just had a quick look at the courses, entirely in English, that are available in French universities. I didn't see any courses in behavioural health science but I only looked at the first few pages.
If you don't find an English language course, to study at a French university you would need proof of a B2 level in French:


> B2 is an independent user level (advanced or independent)
> This means that you have the following capabilities:
> 
> Understand the essential content of concrete or abstract topics in complex text, including technical discussion in its speciality
> Communicate spontaneously and easily with a native speaker
> Speak clearly and in detail on a wide range of topics, express an opinion on a topical topic and expose the pros and cons of different possibilities


There's a "market" for psychologists in France but most of the posts are to be found in education (in schools) or in youth or family related organisations. You need French or EU nationality to apply for these jobs as they involve _fonctionnaire_ status.
I don't know what the chances are of becoming an independent psychologist with an English language diploma and non fluent French...

Good luck with your plans


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## Bevdeforges

Two of the "best" sources for information about professions and careers in France are probably Onisep and cidj. Here are their pages on Psychology as a job:








psychologue


Qu'il s'agisse d'accompagner des malades, de dépister des troubles du comportement ou de recruter du personnel..., le psychologue écoute, observe, évalue et conseille.




www.onisep.fr












Psychologue


Le psychologue observe les comportements humains et ses pratiques et méthodes d'investigation sont multiples. Elles varient suivant les secteurs dans lesquels il exerce et quelquefois au sein du même secteur. Le titre de psychologue est réglementé.




www.cidj.com




Both sites are in French, but use something like Google Translate to see them in English and see what you think.

Psychology is a sort of "medical" profession here in France and requires a certain amount of "special" registration and qualification - especially if you are planning on going into private practice (even if limited to English speaking patients). 

We've had a few folks through the forum (several years ago) looking into setting up a practice in France to serve the English speaking community - mostly in Paris - but with quite a few changes over the past several years in licensing of psychologists and psychiatrists, I'm not sure just how viable an English language practice might be just now. 

You may want to take a look at the Campus France website to see what masters programs in Psychology are available - though it's most likely that all or most of them will be in French only. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?


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## QuestioningQuestioner

Could I apply my bachelor's to any other field in France? I really had my dreams set on living in Rennes, but I want to make sure I can actually get a job and be a productive member of society if I travel there to work.


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## Bevdeforges

You say your bachelor's is in "behavioral health science" - that's a rather unusual field of study. At least for the French system. The issue is that you can't "travel there to work" until you have a job offer - and the visa to go with it. You don't say how recent your bachelor's degree is, but probably the most difficult time for finding a job (certainly in France) is when you are fresh out of school when you have no work experience. 

What sort of a job would you be looking for in the US with your bachelor's degree? Then you need to see if that job (or something close) exists here in France. For years we've advised folks that the French job market looks mainly at your "qualifications" (by which they mean your degree, certifications and other academic type qualifications). And some jobs (like most types of "psychologist" jobs) may require a minimum of a masters degree. There is also the practice here of requiring a certain amount of time during a degree program being spent in a "stage" (basically a short-term internship) in the sort of job you are aiming for. This can often lead to a job offer, if your stage sponsor is impressed with your work. (Especially for a foreign student looking to get a job offer on completion of the degree.)

If you have a specific reason for targetting Rennes, it might pay to look into what university programs are available at the university in or around Rennes - which will probably give you a better idea of what sorts of jobs would be on offer in the area.


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## QuestioningQuestioner

Bevdeforges said:


> You say your bachelor's is in "behavioral health science" - that's a rather unusual field of study. At least for the French system. The issue is that you can't "travel there to work" until you have a job offer - and the visa to go with it. You don't say how recent your bachelor's degree is, but probably the most difficult time for finding a job (certainly in France) is when you are fresh out of school when you have no work experience.
> 
> What sort of a job would you be looking for in the US with your bachelor's degree? Then you need to see if that job (or something close) exists here in France. For years we've advised folks that the French job market looks mainly at your "qualifications" (by which they mean your degree, certifications and other academic type qualifications). And some jobs (like most types of "psychologist" jobs) may require a minimum of a masters degree. There is also the practice here of requiring a certain amount of time during a degree program being spent in a "stage" (basically a short-term internship) in the sort of job you are aiming for. This can often lead to a job offer, if your stage sponsor is impressed with your work. (Especially for a foreign student looking to get a job offer on completion of the degree.)
> 
> If you have a specific reason for targetting Rennes, it might pay to look into what university programs are available at the university in or around Rennes - which will probably give you a better idea of what sorts of jobs would be on offer in the area.


I have some friends in Rennes but they are also expats. Rennes 2 uni says they have social sciences, which psychology falls under, so I was really hoping to go there. I have a very high GPA so I was hoping that would help. My degree is pretty recent so I was planning on doing my three year internship here and finishing my master's over there (which would also give me two years to get my French into the more fluent stage). If there is not a very big market for psychology then I am willing to go to school for something more useful, but if it's just that I would become something more like a school counselor, I am more than willing to make my internship localized around school counseling. What do you think?


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## QuestioningQuestioner

QuestioningQuestioner said:


> I have some friends in Rennes but they are also expats. Rennes 2 uni says they have social sciences, which psychology falls under, so I was really hoping to go there. I have a very high GPA so I was hoping that would help. My degree is pretty recent so I was planning on doing my three year internship here and finishing my master's over there (which would also give me two years to get my French into the more fluent stage). If there is not a very big market for psychology then I am willing to go to school for something more useful, but if it's just that I would become something more like a school counselor, I am more than willing to make my internship localized around school counseling. What do you think?


To add onto this, the sociology I would be most interested in that is offered at Rennes 2 would be their Deviance, Crime and Social Control course. But I don't know if that actually culminates in a degree or if it is just a class, and if it culminates in a degree, what kind it would be. I also don't know what kind of job I would be able to find there by taking that course.


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## ARPC

So the concept is you love Rennes and want to live there. Is a masters in psychology (such as it exists here) an independent desire you wish to undertake in life, or are you considering it as a means of getting a visa/résidence permit for a few years while you’re studying? 

There’s no such thing as an international degree or certification in a field like that. if you got a masters in france, you’d have to transfer it to a US credential if you wanted to work there. Every country, allowing some but not unlimited EU cooperation, will have its own equivalent that you can apply for. Even your BA you will need to have processed to its French equivalent in order to obtain a professional certification in France (BAC+2/3/4 mine is a normal 4 year US BA and I equivalated (word?) to BAC +3). Your gpa means nothing in the equivalence, and university studies are not competitive like they are in the US. Maybe some international schools consider this, but honestly the European model is ‘everyone gets accepted and if you flunk out that’s that.’

Therapy is also not generally terribly popular, but it does exist as part of the nationalhealth systems services, those credentials would be very specific and require some research and probably several exams. Private therapy might be something English people do around Paris? I’ve only heard of it in France from rich friends going through divorces or alcohol problems and seeing someone temporarily.

Have you been to Rennes for an extended stay yet? If your studies are finished and you can swing it financially, I would suggest spending your 3 months visa free in Rennes and exploring the options around schools and programs and health centers. No one in france is as obsessed with hurrying up to become a productive member of society as everyone in the US is. You can flâneur around for a season and get some guidance from your expat friends to understand how French mental health work dovetails with your interests.

I would warn against imposing your own concepts of therapy, education, private practice, professional certification, and civic responsibility onto an imagined life in France. It is not the same here.


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## ARPC

I might add that none of my French friends have ever heard of a school counselor, and I’ve never successfully communicated the concept. But if you’re truly open to anything, we are desperate for rural bilingual dentists.


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## bhamham

ARPC said:


> Therapy is also not generally terribly popular, but it does exist as part of the nationalhealth systems services, those credentials would be very specific and require some research and probably several exams. Private therapy might be something English people do around Paris? I’ve only heard of it in France from rich friends going through divorces or alcohol problems and seeing someone temporarily.


I was watching the French film 'Jalouse' the other night and the protagonist recently divorced and making a real mess of things was coaxed by her friend to see a therapist. Just before the rdv she finds a cannabis joint in the pocket of her coat and fires it up. She was pretty incoherent during the session and the therapist realizing she was altered and not interested in therapy recommended swimming laps and yoga, which got her back on track. I thought to myself now that's the French approach to sorting yourself out. Not intended to make light of therapy, my wife is a retired therapist, and it certainly has it place - I just agree to believe it's not terribly popular.


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## Lydi

ARPC said:


> I might add that none of my French friends have ever heard of a school counselor...


Just to add to this, in French state schools (middle and high schools) pupils have access to a C.O.P. (*c*onseiller.ère d'*o*rientation / *p*sychologue) who gives careers advice + "therapy" but their main function is usually careers advice. People don't always realise that they have qualifications in psychology.


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## QuestioningQuestioner

ARPC said:


> So the concept is you love Rennes and want to live there. Is a masters in psychology (such as it exists here) an independent desire you wish to undertake in life, or are you considering it as a means of getting a visa/résidence permit for a few years while you’re studying?
> 
> There’s no such thing as an international degree or certification in a field like that. if you got a masters in france, you’d have to transfer it to a US credential if you wanted to work there. Every country, allowing some but not unlimited EU cooperation, will have its own equivalent that you can apply for. Even your BA you will need to have processed to its French equivalent in order to obtain a professional certification in France (BAC+2/3/4 mine is a normal 4 year US BA and I equivalated (word?) to BAC +3). Your gpa means nothing in the equivalence, and university studies are not competitive like they are in the US. Maybe some international schools consider this, but honestly the European model is ‘everyone gets accepted and if you flunk out that’s that.’
> 
> Therapy is also not generally terribly popular, but it does exist as part of the nationalhealth systems services, those credentials would be very specific and require some research and probably several exams. Private therapy might be something English people do around Paris? I’ve only heard of it in France from rich friends going through divorces or alcohol problems and seeing someone temporarily.
> 
> Have you been to Rennes for an extended stay yet? If your studies are finished and you can swing it financially, I would suggest spending your 3 months visa free in Rennes and exploring the options around schools and programs and health centers. No one in france is as obsessed with hurrying up to become a productive member of society as everyone in the US is. You can flâneur around for a season and get some guidance from your expat friends to understand how French mental health work dovetails with your interests.
> 
> I would warn against imposing your own concepts of therapy, education, private practice, professional certification, and civic responsibility onto an imagined life in France. It is not the same here.


Thanks for the detailed response. I pursued work in psychology for my own moral and ethical purposes, in other words, to be the person I needed as a child. If it is unheard of there, I would be more willing to get a degree there for something more practical just to see how it pans out. Even if I don't stay forever, the experience would be priceless to me. Thank you so much for all your advice!


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