What Can I Do With a Psychology Degree?
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Are you ready to discover your college program?
What kind of job can I get with a psychology degree? It’s a common question for prospective psych majors. Studying deviant behavior, the psychology of personalities, and the decision-making process in your psychology program can be fascinating.
Your understanding of human behavior and strong research and analytical skills can lead to careers in various industries.
Popular Online Psychology Master’s Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Psychology Careers Across Industries
Think broadly about what kind of job you can get with a psychology degree. Your critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills can lead to opportunities in business, criminal justice, marketing, and many other fields.
Business Careers with a Psychology Degree
Psychology classes about human motivations and group dynamics can be great preparation for a career in human resources or training and development. You’ll draw on your psychology degree to recruit top candidates, determine an organization’s training needs, and improve workforce morale.
Criminal Justice Careers with a Psychology Degree
As a psychology major, you can prepare for a career in criminal justice with classes in forensic psychology, abnormal psychology, and criminology. You can pursue opportunities as a crime analyst, criminal investigator, or criminologist who examines the motivations behind crime. You can also use your psychology training to work as a correctional treatment specialist or victim advocate.
Marketing and Communications Careers with a Psychology Degree
Marketing and communications careers require a strong understanding of human behavior and motivations. Apply your coursework in consumer behavior and social psychology to communicate brand messages, persuade consumers, and advertise products and services.
Human Services Careers with a Psychology Degree
Psychology majors pursue diverse roles in the human services field, including in counseling and social work. While many roles require a graduate degree, a bachelor’s in psychology leads to opportunities as a case manager, substance use counselor, or social services manager. Coursework in community psychology, the psychology of addiction, and program development help prepare for these career paths.
Psychology Careers with an Advanced Degree
Many psychology majors pursue an advanced degree. If you’re wondering what kind of job you can get with a psychology degree at the graduate level, explore these popular options. Salary information is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
- Median Annual Salary: $96,100
- Required Education: Doctorate
While psychologists treat various mental health conditions, they differ from psychiatrists in that they cannot prescribe medication in most states. Instead, they typically assess and diagnose mental health conditions, create treatment plans, and offer treatment through counseling and support programs. The largest psychologist employers include schools, healthcare services, and the government. Psychologists are also commonly self-employed in private practice.
School Psychologists
- Median Annual Salary: $84,940
- Required Education: Master’s or Doctorate
School psychologists work closely with students, teachers, and administrators to improve schools. They help students manage behavioral or educational issues while implementing programs to address school-wide issues. School psychologists need a master’s degree or doctorate; most states also require a state-issued license to work in public schools.
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
- Median Annual Salary (May 2023): $147,420
- Required Education: Master’s
Industrial-organizational psychologists specialize in workplace issues, including employee retention, recruitment, training, and motivation. They use psychological principles to help organizations improve their human resources and administrative processes. These psychologists work in diverse business settings and require a master’s degree. Most states and employers do not require industrial-organizational psychologists to hold licensure.
Psychology Postsecondary Teachers
- Median Annual Salary: $82,140
- Required Education: Master’s or Doctorate
Postsecondary teachers instruct classrooms in their specialization, conduct research, and publish their work in the field. Most psychology teachers work in private and state colleges and universities. Among all teaching disciplines, psychology ranks among the 10 largest.
Marriage and Family Therapists
- Median Annual Salary: $58,510
- Required Education: Master’s
Marriage and family therapists help couples and families overcome various challenges. They assist clients using talk therapy and behavioral intervention strategies and provide access to different services and resources. These therapists usually work in family services, health practitioner offices, and outpatient centers.
School and Career Counselors and Advisors
- Median Annual Salary: $61,710
- Required Education: Master’s
School counselors and advisors assist students and their families with various educational issues and challenges. They may help students enter behavioral or educational support programs, educate and advise students, or assist learners in identifying postsecondary pathways. Most counselors work in elementary or secondary schools and junior colleges. School counselors often need a background in education and certification.
Mental Health Counselors
- Median Annual Salary: $53,710
- Required Education: Master’s
Mental health counselors support individuals and groups in managing psychological conditions, including anxiety and depression. They may help couples work on relationship problems or counsel individuals on emotional and behavioral issues. To practice, mental health counselors need a state-issued license and a master’s degree.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Psychologist?
Becoming a licensed clinical psychologist takes several years. You must complete an APA-accredited Psy.D. or Ph.D. program, meet supervised clinical practice requirements, and pass the examination for Professional Practice in Psychology to pursue a license.
Earning your doctorate in psychology takes 3-5 years, which includes 1,000-2,000 hours of practice hours. After graduating, you must complete between 75 and 2,000 postdoctoral practice hours to apply for your psychologist license. You’ll also need to pass licensure exams as part of the process.
Because licensure requirements vary by state, it’s a good idea to learn more about your state’s requirements before applying to doctoral programs. The Association of State Provincial Psychology Boards and your licensing board provide state-specific information.
Psychology Concentrations
Child Psychology
Child psychology emphasizes child development, educational psychology, and clinical psychology, preparing graduates for careers working with children, adolescents, and their families.
Clinical Psychology
A clinical psychology concentration emphasizes research and treatment methods, particularly for mental and behavioral disorders. Students learn about psychological theory, mental health disorders, and treatment methods. This concentration prepares studies for clinical practice in many settings.
Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychology combines psychology and criminal justice, emphasizing the psychology of criminal behavior, court psychology, and victim experiences. This concentration prepares students to work with people in the legal system.
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Learn how to apply psychology in the workplace with an industrial-organizational psychology concentration. Graduates pursue careers in training and development, change management, and HR.
School Psychology
A school psychology concentration focuses on educational psychology, behavioral intervention, and assessment techniques, preparing graduates for careers in schools or other educational settings.
Salary Potential With a Psychology Degree
How much you can earn with a psychology degree depends on your degree level, job title, and industry. For example, HR specialists with a bachelor’s in psychology can expect a median annual pay of $67,650, while substance use counselors earn a median of $53,710.
Psychology majors can earn higher salaries with a graduate degree or professional experience. Some fields, such as marketing, pay higher salaries than others, such as human services.
Overall, graduates with a BA in psychology report an average salary of $69,000 per year, according to July 2024 Payscale data. Those with a BS in psychology earn an average of $67,000.
| Career | Degree Required | Median Annual Salary (May 2023) | New Job Openings between 2022-2032 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Resource Specialists | Bachelor’s degree | $67,650 | 51,400 |
| Training and Development Specialist | Bachelor’s degree | $64,340 | 24,200 |
| Probation Officers and Corrections Treatment Specialist | Bachelor’s degree | $61,800 | 2,400 |
| Public Relations Specialists | Bachelor’s degree | $66,750 | 18,000 |
| Market Research Analysts | Bachelor’s degree | $74,680 | 116,600 |
| Substance Use Counselors | Bachelor’s degree | $53,710 | 71,500 |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | Master’s degree | $58,510 | 10,600 |
| School and Career Counselors | Master’s degree | $61,710 | 18,400 |
| Postsecondary teacher | Doctoral degree | $82,140 | 2,700 |
| Psychologists | Doctoral degree | $92,740 | 12,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions About Psychology Jobs
A psychology degree prepares you for careers in mental health, business, human services, marketing, education, and criminal justice. You can work as a counselor, training and development specialist, case manager, or PR specialist with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. You can also become a therapist or psychologist with an advanced psychology degree.
Page last reviewed July 23, 2024.
