Careers

Turn your passion for helping others into a meaningful career in psychological science.

Career Pathways by Education Level

Employment opportunities available for those who are psychologically literate vary by education level. In the following sections, we summarize the most common options at the national level for those with Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate/Professional degrees in Psychology as their highest degree. We also provide many useful links for further exploration.

Our alumni are thriving in meaningful careers at all education levels and in many of the varied fields listed below. 

Bachelor's Level

Nearly 60% of individuals who earn Bachelor's degrees in Psychology nationally enter the workforce without additional higher-level degrees.

They are employed in many settings in meaningful, people-oriented careers, including

• Physical and Mental Health Support as Psychiatric Technicians, Behavioral Health Technicians, Rehabilitation Specialists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Health Coordinators, Registered Behavior Technicians,

• Social Services as Case Managers, Social Services Aides, Victims' Advocates, Community Outreach Coordinators, Crisis Intervention Specialists, Child Welfare Placement Officers,

• Education as Admissions Counselors, Academic Advisors, Career Services Coordinators, Preschool Teachers, Alumni Relations Officers, Special Education Paraprofessionals,

• Research and Data Science as Laboratory Managers, Research Assistants, Data Analysts, Quality Control Specialists, Technical Writers, Applied Statisticians,

• Law/Justice as Probation/Parole Officers, Correctional Treatment Specialists, Police Officers, Juvenile Justice Officers, Legal Assistants/Paralegals, Intelligence Analysts,

• Management as Human Resources Specialists, Recruiters, Training and Development Coordinators, Project Managers, Labor Relations Specialists, Compensation & Benefits Analysts, and

• Marketing and Sales as Market Research Analysts, Advertising Sales Representatives, Public Relations Specialists, Social Media Managers, Customer Success Managers, UX (User Experience) Researchers.

The highly varied nature of career paths for those with Bachelor's degrees in Psychology as their highest degree is illustrated in the following infographic from the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Studies' Data Tool: Careers in Psychology (text size is proportional to number of individuals; click image to go to an interactive version):

Master's Level

Approximately 14% of those who earn Bachelor's degrees in Psychology earn graduate degrees in the discipline, while another 29% earn graduate degrees in related disciplines.

Career paths for those with Master's degrees in Psychology as their highest degree are illustrated in the following infographic from the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Studies' Data Tool: Careers in Psychology (text size is proportional to number of individuals; click image to go to an interactive version):

Counselors make up the largest proportion of individuals in this group.

Doctorate/Professional Level

Career paths for those with Doctorate/Professional degrees in Psychology as their highest degree are illustrated in the following infographic from the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Studies' Data Tool: Careers in Psychology (text size is proportional to number of individuals; click image to go to an interactive version):

Health-Oriented Psychologists (e.g., Clinical Psychologists and School Psychologists) make up the largest proportion of individuals in this group.

Career Pathways by Interest Area

Employment opportunities available for those who are psychologically literate vary across areas of interest. A useful way of charting a path to a desired career is to explore areas of interest, rather than focusing on job titles or needed education levels. 

The American Psychological Association provides detailed information on the major subfields in the discipline:

• Brain science and cognitive psychology,

• Climate and environmental psychology,

• Clinical psychology,

• Counseling psychology,

• Developmental psychology,

• Experimental psychology,

• Forensic and public service psychology,

• Health psychology,

• Human factors and engineering psychology,

• Industrial and organizational psychology,

• Psychology of teaching and learning,

• Quantitative psychology,

• Rehabilitation psychology,

• School psychology,

• Social psychology, and

• Sport and performance psychology.

Careful consideration of each subfield can help narrow down the options to a manageable number for further investigation. 

Resources for Further Exploration