Learn more about the exciting career options for psychology graduates.
Uncover the variety of settings where psychology majors can search for employment.
See how degree level impacts job opportunities and what type of education and competency is needed to pursue your dream job.
Psychology is an exciting, evolving field that interests people from many different backgrounds. Working in this field provides you with a chance to help people with various types of mental health and emotional wellness issues. As someone working in the psychology field, you’ll learn about behavior, emotional and cognitive processes, conducting research, and working to improve others’ well-being.
People can be drawn to this field for a variety of reasons. Some may feel a deep desire to help others or an interest in the human mind. Others may have started careers in vastly different industries but realized that helping others through understanding behaviors and cognitive processes would be significantly more rewarding.
One of the features that interests many people about psychology is the diversity of specializations and the ability to work in many different environments. If you’re thinking about entering the psychology field, we are here to walk you through what you need to know about this career choice — including the available specializations.
Let’s review what you need to know.
If you’re looking to pivot and begin working in the field of psychology, you want to make sure that you have the education and background needed to help you thrive. Those who graduate from psychology programs can plan to work in a range of professional environments, from government agencies to nonprofit health clinics.
Let’s explore the main steps that you’ll want to take to prepare for this exciting field.
Psychology is a broad field where people can pursue a variety of studies.
For example, some people may find they want to specialize in:
Sports psychology
Industrial-organizational psychology (I/O psychology)
Criminal profiling and psychology
Clinical psychology
Counseling psychology
Substance abuse
School psychology
Child psychology
Your chosen specialty will dictate the type of education and graduate programs you’ll eventually seek.
Most people pursuing a career in psychology will begin by graduating with a bachelor’s degree of science with a major in psychology. However, bear in mind that many careers in this field call for professionals to pursue more advanced degrees. Those who want to work in psychiatry, which is a type of doctor specializing in cognition, will also need to go to medical school.
Generally speaking, if you earn a bachelor’s degree, you can use your education in more indirect ways. For example, some people with a psychology degree will work in sales or marketing and use their understanding of behavior to help them thrive in these office settings.
Most students complete their bachelor's degree over the course of four years. The coursework will provide you with an overview of a variety of topics related to psychology — including development, research, and behavioral studies. Classes may overlap with those in similar fields, such as aspiring social workers. Those with this level of psychology background are not in a position to be diagnosing anyone or treating mental health disorders.
With a master’s degree, however, people can pursue jobs that are more psychology-specific. With this graduate degree, career options include an industrial-organizational psychologist — which helps businesses improve their output and work culture — and school counselors. The type of jobs pursued at this level of education tend to be those in non-clinical settings.
A master’s degree will often take one to two additional years of schooling depending on the school. The studies at this level will be more focused in a particular area of psychology, such as child and adolescent behavior and development.
Finally, with a doctoral degree, psychology students can open doors that allow them to pursue clinical jobs such as a licensed therapist or counselor. After the doctoral program, you will be better equipped to help patients with mental health issues. These degrees are highly specialized, with students spending five to seven years completing coursework, and then working on research, clinical training, and a dissertation. Students should focus on the specific area of psychology in which they want to work.
Excelling in the field of psychology requires students to gain hands-on experience over the course of their education in the form of an internship. Internships present valuable opportunities for those interested in psychology, serving almost as training programs.
With an internship, you’ll work closely with people who already have careers in your desired field. You’ll get direct experience in this particular niche and have the chance to see what you learn in the classroom applied in real life. Many student psychologists look at internships as an opportunity to start building a resume, finding mentors in the field, and growing a network that can, in turn, help them find a full-time job later on.
When preparing for an internship, find opportunities that align best with what you want to accomplish professionally. Check to see if you need your internship to align with any requirements for your classroom credit or for credit towards a certification or licensure. During the internship, look for every opportunity to take on more hands-on experience or training in your desired field, so you can feel more confident as you prepare to enter the working world as a psychologist after graduation.
To work in many positions, especially those that are involved directly in therapy, psychologists must typically pursue licensure from their state. Therefore, those transitioning to this career will want to know what the local requirements will be for their area.
To pursue licensure, as an aspiring psychologist, you’ll need to make sure you meet certain requirements. While the specifics of the requirements will vary from state to state, they generally comprise of the following:
You’ll have to meet classroom and degree requirements.
You’ll need supervised clinical hours, often between 1,500 and 1,600 hours.
You’ll need to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), typically with at least a passing score of 500 — or by correctly answering 70% of the questions.
The different specialties within psychology may also have individual requirements for that specific career. For example, those who want to be a school psychologist or counselor may need to obtain a specialized certification and even pass a teacher certification test.
Those preparing to become psychologists will also want to pay attention to continuing education requirements. To ensure those who have chosen this career remain up to date on the latest developments and understanding, many licenses and certifications have requirements for continuing education.
With continuing education, psychologists must take a certain number of credits in the field every few years to renew their license.
Those who want to enter the field of psychology will want to both cultivate their educational background and experience through internships and also focus on nurturing certain skills. These skills can help you stand out as you look for new positions, and help you excel in your new job.
Patience. Psychologists spend much of their career helping people work through problems and patience plays a key role in success.
Strong ethics. Psychologists need a strong ethical understanding to meet the needs of clients.
Communication. Guiding people through their internal turmoil often comes down to quality communication.
Organization. Psychologists need to remain organized as they work with numerous people throughout each day.
Commitment to continued learning and research. Psychologists also need to recognize the regular evolution of the field and have a desire to continue learning to provide the best care and services possible.
As we previously mentioned, there are a variety of specialties that people interested in psychology might enter: from those helping patients with mental disorders to helping businesses optimize their workplace culture. These different career paths consist of vastly different responsibilities, so it’s important for those entering the field to have some ideas about the direction they would like to take at the onset.
Let’s explore some of the common paths that psychologists can take:
Behavioral psychology. This healthcare field focuses on the mind and human behavior, which includes areas like therapy and social work.
Child and adolescent psychology. This focuses on the development of children and can have a variety of specialties, such as learning disabilities or behavioral development.
Counseling psychologists. These psychologists help people with their mental health.
Neuropsychology. These psychologists study the brain in-depth and may help people with disorders such as strokes or dementia.
Organizational psychology. These psychologists work in a business environment, often with human resources, improving productivity in the workplace.
Addiction and recovery psychology. These professionals specialize in helping patients with substance abuse. They may have a private practice or work at larger institutions.
Sports psychologist. These professionals work with athletes and understand the mental processes behind athletic performance.
Forensic psychology. These professionals use psychology to help with the criminal justice system. They often work with law enforcement.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), psychologists see an annual median pay rate of $81,040. However, salaries in the field of psychology can vary tremendously based on the specialty that you have pursued.
Looking at the average salaries across a few different specialties can help you determine the type of salary you might earn in your desired field:
Mental health counselor. These professionals have a median annual salary of $48,520.
School career counselor. These professionals have a median annual salary of $60,510.
Forensic psychologist. These professionals have an annual median salary of $101,790.
Clinical psychology. These professionals have a median annual salary of $82,180.
Neuropsychologist. These professionals have a median annual salary of $90,460.
Industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologist. These professionals have a median annual salary of $97,820.
Psychiatrist. These professionals have a median annual salary of $208,000.
Overall, many specialties within psychology will likely experience positive growth rates over the next 10 years. As with the average salary, however, the growth rate can differ tremendously based on the precise specialty.
The BLS reports that the psychology field as a whole will likely grow by 8% over the next 10 years, which will lead to the creation of over 13,000 jobs each year.
However, we can also break down the growth rates by type. Clinical psychologists and those working in counseling or school settings will see a 10% growth rate over the next 10 years. Those in I/O psychology can expect a growth rate of about 2%. Psychologists who do not fall into either of the aforementioned categories can expect a growth rate of about 2% as well.
If you are ready to find your perfect psychology job, look no further than Joblist. We bring together countless job listings so that we can match employees with companies. Take our quiz so we can personalize your results, then browse the job listings and get started finding the perfect job opening for you.
