What Can You Do With a Psychology degree?

Florida Tech February 15, 2016

What can you do with a psychology degree? Pete delves deep into the possible career opportunities for students majoring in psychology in today’s installment of “What can I do with THAT degree?”

So, you’re thinking about earning a psychology degree, huh? Not a bad choice I must say. After all, if you’re interested in how the human mind works and want to help people, there isn’t a better career field out there. But, do you know exactly what kinds of jobs are out there for a graduated psychology major? It’s okay if you don’t; that’s why I’m here on your computer screen today. You see, exploring the possible career outcomes of different majors is kind of what I do around here, and today I’m tackling psychology. So let’s get to it!

I’ll start with the most traditional image people get in their heads when someone mentions the word “psychology,” which is a clinical psychologist. These are the types of psychologists that assess, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders which can range anywhere from short-term personal problems to severe chronic conditions. While it may vary depending on a person’s specialty, the common daily job functions of a clinical psychologist includes interviewing patients, running diagnostic tests and providing psychotherapy in both individual and group settings.

Working from an office not your cup of tea? Then why not go out on the front lines as a forensic psychologist? In this exciting sub-field, you’ll lend your psychological expertise to the legal and criminal justice system, assisting judges and attorneys in understanding the psychological aspects of particular cases as an expert witness. You can even work your way into specific specializations, such as in family, civil or criminal court.

Here’s a career you probably had no idea existed. With a psychology degree, you could become an industrial-organizational psychologist, which is a psychologist who applies their expertise to the workplace by using psychological principles and research methods to solve problems and improve the quality of work life. Industrial-organizational psychologists primarily focus on issues like productivity, styles of working and the overall morale of a workplace. As a result, they are often included in management decisions such as implementing new polices and organizational development.

My last career for you today is one you may have overlooked pursuing, a career as a school psychologist. At all different grade levels, school psychologists apply principles and techniques in psychology in order to help students with developmental and education-related issues. Specifically, a school psychologist may do anything from addressing problems a student might have with learning to counseling them on their family life at home.

Still asking yourself, “What can you do with a psychology degree?” Good! We’ve merely touched the tip of the iceberg today, and there are still many careers out there for you to stumble upon on your own.

Happy hunting!