what careers can you get if you major in psychology?

Hi Lesly:

Psychology is one of the most flexible majors, that I have encountered in my academic career, and I can see why you are asking this question. There is a multitude of possible options that you can choose from in regards to a future career, so let’s review some possible options, so that you can determine which fits your specific strengths, skills and interests, and see which might require additional education, certifications or training.

There is the traditional career which many associate with the major of Psychology, which is the career of Psychiatry. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, who have been through medical school and diagnose and treat disorders of the mind. So in order to attain a position within this industry, you would need to get your bachelors, attend medical school and then complete a residency. There has been a large amount of growth in the field of Psychiatry, and it is expected to continue to grow in the next decade,

There are also opportunities in the clinical therapy field. I once had a co-worker who ran a therapy clinic from an office and utilized therapeutic techniques and practices to treat patients and clients. Basically she first obtained her bachelors in Psychology and then attained a master’s degree in clinical therapy. Individuals can also pursue a doctoral in this field as well. I have also seen students become organizational or corporate Psychology specialists, where they work within companies and corporations to maintain a healthy and efficient working environment for the employees. This position would also require a master’s degree and some extra training a certification in the field of Corporate Psychology.

There are also many opportunities in the area of government service, because the state and federal agencies hire Psychology specialists in the fields of corrections and the military. The need for Psychology trained individuals is specifically needed in the military, especially with an increase in the incidents of trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The prison system also utilizes them in the rehabilitation of the convicted convicts within the corrections system.

There are also administrative opportunities within both the business, medical and hospital sectors. I have known several corporate managers, who have attained Psychology degrees. Many work within Human Resource departments, while others have found positions in personnel and even accounting and finance. Hospitals also hire Psychology majors. I have seen several of my students go and get advanced degrees in Health Care Leadership or Organizational Leadership, and go on to manage the Psychology programs in local hospitals, clinics and primary care facilities.

There are also possible opportunities in law enforcement. Forensic Psychologists are a fixture in police and detective work, but they often do a lot more than what is portrayed on the television screen. Many Psychologists help gather evidence for courts cases, investigate claims for insurance purposes, and testify in court cases about acquired evidence. This position will also require additional education and certifications.

Psychology majors are also found in the field of education and academics. Individuals with master’s degrees and higher can be found in college classrooms teaching students, or performing research in the area of neuropsychology at universities, or doing work in the field of Experimental Psychology. There are a multitude of possible opportunities at this level. Special Education is another area to consider. Many individuals have found this career very rewarding working with students who have learning disabilities and other challenges.

Businesses also utilize Psychology majors in the area of marketing and market research. These individuals perform research and analysis on current national trends and consumer behaviors and try and determine which products will be purchased in the future and what prices will be the most effective for the company.

As you can see there are many possible options for you to consider. Everything from recreational therapy and Sports Psychology, to marriage counseling and substance abuse therapy. I would research the many possible options and see which ones peak your interest and match your strengths and skills. I would also review the state education requirements and state certifications needed to attain the professional credentials needed to achieve your goals.      

My wife is currently working on her degree in psychology and has talked to me about many possible future careers including private counseling, social work, HR work, IO psychology (applying psychology practices to businesses to impact morale and performance), student counseling, and I'm sure there are many more!

Consider a career in marketing, human resources, sales, technology and more. The industry needs people who understand psychology and can apply the knowledge they have gained to the business so that we can deliver the best service to our customers.

Hi lesly, this is a great question! I have a degree in Psychology and Social Behavior (also known as Behavioral Psychology) and with that degree, I attended law school for one year, withdrew, but became certified as a paralegal. I now work at Salesforce as a Senior Contracts Negotiator, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial legal contracts to support sales transactions.

Did my degree directly correlate to my career? Not exactly, but I'm okay with that! I really enjoyed studying Psychology and Social Behavior, and I learned a lot about myself, and valuable tools that have made it easier for me to interact with people, and it helped me to develop problem solving skills, that I'm not sure I otherwise may have learned.

My degree most definitely has helped me in my current career, as mentioned above, because negotiating with different types of people and personalities isn't necessarily easy, but it's taught me a lot about compassion, and how best to engage with different types of people and personalities.

Don't worry about finding a job that falls directly in line with your major. If this is something you really enjoy, and want to pursue, I say "go for it!" There are so many different types of careers out there where the knowledge and skills you learn as a psychology major will apply.

Hi Lesly,

If you are pursuing a career in psychology, I encourage you to read over Paul's answer to your question. I have my bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in behavioral neuroscience. I received my degree two years ago & I am currently in the process of applying to graduate programs in order to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the field of sport psychology, where I can assist athletes in the art of peak athletic performance & the mental factors involved within sports. A regular psychology degree is a great way to learn about yourself & how to become a better functioning adult in the workforce. I will suggest however to pursue higher education in order to achieve a reasonable salary & what is most important, enjoyment of your career. I have worked as an ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) milieu therapist for the past five years. My duties include assisting families with their child(ren) who have been diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, as well as assist the child(ren) with behavior change, learning lifestyle skills, safety, communication development, & academic work. It is challenging butalso rewarding. Nevertheless, it is an entry level position for people within the psychology field. I suggest doing your research into finding out what branch of psychology you enjoy before you decide psychology is right for you. Do you enjoy clinical work, research, psychiatry, etc. There are many types of career choices you can have with a psychology background & will help you in the long run wherever you go in life.

Hi Lesly!

Psychology is such a broad and wonderful field of study. Since it applies to the world of human behavior, it enjoys near universal applicability in any field.

I have found that my Psychology background has helped me both inside and outside of my career. I majored in Psychology with a concentration in Biology, I was fascinated with cognition, information processing and physiology. I wasn't 100% certain about what career I wanted and was trying to decide between "genetic counseling" (at the time this was brand new — it required both the psychology and biology backgrounds) or working with the homeless and mentally-ill population. I decided on the latter and spent 4 years working in one of the most challenging environments imaginable. I learned so much during that period. Eventually though, I found myself wanting to make a change, my interests were veering wildly towards computer science post graduation. I spent my free time learning to make websites, mostly for fun, until someone asked me to make one for their business and it hit me...people will actually PAY me to do this :)

Fast forward several years and I have a rewarding and interesting career in Technology and have been lucky enough to work at some of the biggest names in tech and just as many tiny startups. While my coding skills were the table stakes that got me in the door, I completely owe my greater success to what I learned and the "soft" skills that I developed in Psychology. My ability (and willingness) to empathize, communicate, and translate technical work to non-technical colleagues made me the developer that people wanted to work with.

More directly, there are MANY principles of psychology which are directly applicable to my work as a web designer and developer. Most of the process of designing something is knowing how people process information and then matching their goals to the goals of the business. Having some insight into these processes made me a strong addition to marketing teams as a web developer that could strategize, understand the users, the business, and the needs of the teams around me to create a better experience for everyone.

When colleagues who only know me as a web developer find out I was once a therapist and majored in psychology, they're baffled at how I made the transition. But between you and me, it felt completely natural because I was just following my interests and had the many tools of psychology to aid me on the journey. All of this is to say that there's no small need for empathetic people with an interest and understanding of human behavior in any industry. If I ever tire of making websites I know that my experience and background in psychology will help me in whatever field I move to. Best of luck to you!