Student Perspective on the Program:

We asked a fourth year student for their perspective on the program! Their answers are below.

Written by: Karmen Tse in 2022, a Ivey HBA and Honours Specialization in Psychology Candidate

1. Why did you choose to do a dual degree with Ivey and Psych?

Coming into university, I was fairly unsure of what I wanted to do in the future. I felt taking the dual degree would allow me to diversify my career paths. I have always had an interest in psychology but wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue psychology following graduation. Ivey has given me many transferable skills that can be used for any career path I wish to pursue.

2. How is the course load?

I think this can vary from person to person, depending on what courses they take and what extracurriculars they’re involved in. I created my course schedule so that I only have psychology courses or ivey courses on a given day, that way I don’t have to move back and forth between campuses. I have also heard people who take only Ivey courses in one semester then only psych courses in the other. In order to complete the dual degree on time, you have to overload, but I didn’t want to do that. I took summer courses in my second and third year so that I can just have a full course load throughout the school year. In third year, you have to complete an Ivey field project which will take up a ton of time and in fourth year you have to write the thesis. I think the course load is fairly manageable as long as you plan your schedule. I would definitely recommend reducing your course load throughout the school year!

3. Anything you wish you knew before you started the dual degree with Ivey/Psych?

Something that I did not learn until recently is that you cannot go on exchange doing the Ivey/Psych dual degree. Part of the reason why I got ahead on my courses was so that I could go on exchange in my penultimate year. However, because the dual degree requires you to write a thesis, which means you must stay on campus, students are not allowed to go on exchange. Another thing that I did not know is that you have to opt-in to the dual degree program. In HBA1 (first year of ivey), you must maintain an average of 78% and register into the dual degree program at the end of the school year. Admission is not guaranteed.

4. What career paths are you interested in related to the dual degree?

I think as of right now, I am hoping to work in HR/consulting related fields. The Ivey/Psych dual degree combination can help you stand out in the HR/consulting related field because it is a really good combination of business and psychology. In addition, I am also considering graduate school in industrial/organizational psychology which is a field that focuses on improving the work environment, performance, and professional satisfaction.

5. A little piece of advice :)

If you are unsure about pursuing the dual degree, apply anyways! There’s a lot of flexibility and a lot of opportunities to change your mind. Because of the way the Ivey program is designed, if you decide in your first two years of university that business is not for you, you can choose not to enter the business program. After your first year of business, you don’t have to opt-in to a dual degree. You can choose to just complete your business degree if you decide psychology is not for you. I am a fairly indecisive person so I was grateful for the many opportunities I had to switch if I wanted to.