From research to human service work, a degree in psychology will prepare you for a variety of career options.
Careers With a Bachelor’s Degree
Psychology majors with a Bachelor’s degree can expect to find work after college, and many find satisfactory employment in human service organizations and other businesses. But, these students are likely to find limited opportunities for advancement.
Psychology majors not planning to go to graduate school after college should consider a second major to increase their skills and opportunities for employment.
Recent successful graduates have had double majors in:
- Communications
- Criminal Justice
- Nursing
- Philosophy
- Social Work
- Sociology
Students who do not obtain advanced degrees in psychology still have a wide variety of career options due to the range of transferrable skills that a psychology major can develop. The table below includes some of these skills; those marked with an asterisk are suggested by the American Psychological Association.
| Areas of Focus | Skills |
|---|---|
| Cognitive |
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| Communication |
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| Personal |
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| Social |
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| Technological |
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| Multicultural |
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Matching Interests, Abilities and Values
You can visit Career Services to learn more about careers options and majors that may fit your interests and abilities. The tools below can also help you consider what type of career might match your interests, abilities and values and steps you can take to get into it.
- O*Net Interest Profiler
- Career OneStop Values Matcher
- Career Planning Resources
- Preparing to Use Your Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology
Based on data collected in 2016, only 14% of psychology undergraduate students go on to earn advanced degrees. The chart below shows the most popular career options for those who earn only a Bachelor’s degree in psychology (numbers are percentage of survey respondents).
You can explore other career options on O*Net, along with their educational requirements and long-term employment outlook.
Below are some examples of other career options with a psychology degree, included are links to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics where you will find more information about each career’s outlook!
| Career | Median Salary | Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resources Specialist | $62,290 | 8% |
| Lawyer (Additional education required) | $127,990 | 10% |
| Marriage and Family Psychologists | $49,880 | 16% |
| Psychologists (Additional education required) | $81,040 | 8% |
| School and Career Counselors | $60,510 | 11% |
| Mental Health Counselor (Additional education required) | $48,520 | 22% |
Careers With a Graduate Degree
A full-time student can usual complete a master’s program in about 2 ½ years and a doctoral program in about 5 years. Graduate school is a significant investment in time and money, but opens doors to career opportunities and salaries not available to student with only a bachelor’s degree.
At the professional level students can pursue careers as researchers, counselors, clinicians, school psychologists, forensic psychologists, industrial psychologists and more. To learn more about the career options for psychologists talk with your advisor and explore:
Professional Careers in Other Fields
Psychology majors are not limited to professional careers in psychology. With a good college GPA they can enter graduate level professional programs in a wide variety of fields, including business administration, law, medicine, public health, occupational therapy, student development and more.
Students interested in such professions may find it helpful to have a second major in a field related to their interests. Possible second majors include biology, business, political science, environmental science, sociology and health education.
If you are interested in student employment or internship opportunities, see our internships or Handshake.