Gaining an undergraduate degree takes incredible amounts of time, effort, and resources. You want to ensure you make the most of your education with meaningful work that leverages your unique skill set.
Luckily, psychology degrees are one of the most versatile focus areas. You study the mind and human behavior and can apply this knowledge to nearly any industry where you’re dealing with people. Finding a psychology degree job opportunity shouldn’t be a problem.
What does a psychology degree involve?
A psychology degree focuses on offering psychology students a thorough understanding of the human brain and human behavior. Here are some subjects you might study along the way:
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Emotional development
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Abnormal psychology
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Social behavior
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Personality theory
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Memory and learning
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Sensation and perception
While there are some 101 concepts most degrees cover, like basic brain functioning, human development, and cognition, the further you get in your studies the more specific your courses become. And the areas of study a program covers depend on the school and your chosen specialization.
At New York University, undergraduate courses include data literacy, political psychology, and research labs. And at the University of California, Los Angeles, you can study psychology, cognitive science, or psychobiology, all of which have slightly different requirements.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, American institutions gave out 120,000 psychology degrees in 2020, making it one of the most popular majors in the country.
This popularity is unsurprising since people tend to enjoy learning about themselves. And as a psychology major, you gain a deep understanding of who you are and why you behave the way you do. You might learn even more with a fulfilling career in psychology.
What can you do with a psychology degree?
Because the field of psychology focuses on human behavior, there are numerous types of psychology jobs you can apply this knowledge to when working with others.
Some jobs with a psychology degree only require an undergraduate level of study, while others demand a more specialized education, like a master’s degree. Depending on how long you’d like to study for and where you specialize, here are some of your psychology career options:
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Counselors often work in schools, healthcare institutions, or corporations to assist individuals with any mental health struggles
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Designers must consider client and target audience behavior and interests to provide effective designs
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Coaches help their clients overcome deeply ingrained attitudes and habits to accomplish more
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Researchers leverage critical thinking, communication, and document organization skills to accumulate relevant information
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Strategists for most industries — be it advertising or sales — must understand human interests and behavior to create effective solutions
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Psychologists study their clients’ cognitive and emotional behavior and offer them tools for improving their mental health and well-being
10 skills required to succeed in psychology degree jobs
Throughout your psychology degree, you’ll develop many of the skills needed to excel in the industry of your choice. But you might find gaps in your skill set you can practice to ensure you excel in your new role.
Whether working directly with people or studying them from afar, empathy, sensitivity, and bedside manners are crucial skills to practice. And you must know how to listen attentively so people feel heard and cared for. This active listening also ensures you catch critical details that inform you of their personality traits and behavior patterns.
Here are 10 specific skills you need to succeed in various psychology-relevant roles:
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Verbal and written communication
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Patience
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Empathy
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Problem-solving
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Research
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Commitment to learning
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Organization
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Emotional regulation
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Active listening
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Compassion
Top 7 psychology degree jobs
The following seven jobs related to psychology leverage your education and accommodate various interests.
1. School psychologist
Guidance counselors are integral to their students’ academic performance and mental health. This work involves everything from helping a high school student find the right college program to offering emotional support as a child handles their parents’ divorce. If you have many empathetic traits and a nurturing character, you’ll excel in this role.
To become a school counselor, you must earn a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, like psychology, counseling, or social work. Some states require a license and a master’s degree as well.
The median annual salary for a school counselor is $60,510, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects demand for this profession to increase by 10% before 2031.
2. UX designer
User experience (UX) designers ensure that websites and apps are easy and enjoyable to use. This means you must understand user interest and behavior, which is why a psychology degree is valuable. You can evaluate data to determine how to make a website’s purchasing widget convenient, for example, to increase the chance visitors buy products.
This career path suits you if you’re both creative and logical, as you need to interpret data and think of innovative solutions to perfect apps and websites.
You can get into this work with a background in psychology, computer science, or design, among others. The average base salary is $76,429, and the BLS expects demand to grow by 23% before 2031.
3. Career coach
A career coach helps clients find and pursue their dream profession. This involves understanding what your client wants and creating a clear plan for achieving it. But to do this, you must thoroughly comprehend their emotions, behavior, and motivators. You can leverage this information to help them achieve their goals.
While you don’t need a degree to become a career coach, having one affirms your clients you understand human behavior enough to offer insightful and accurate advice. After your education, you can earn further certifications to encourage potential clients to sign up or to specialize in another area of coaching.
On average, career coaches make about $48,000 per year, and Zippia expects demand to grow by 8% before 2028.
And if professional development isn’t your forte, you could always specialize in one of the following coaching areas:
4. Market research analyst
Companies hire market researchers to help them better understand their target audience and consumer demand. By determining how people use products and services and what they’re willing to pay, companies can shift strategies to effectively sell to an active and interested market.
To excel at this work, you’ll employ your research skills and understanding of human behavior. Having a growth mindset also helps because you’ll likely research a range of industries and consumer types.
Pair a psychology degree with a marketing certificate to feel prepared for this work, and expect an average salary of approximately $71,000. The BLS expects job demand to grow by 19% before 2031.
5. Advertising strategist
Advertising strategists optimize marketing campaigns for maximum effectiveness and align those campaigns with a business’s overall objectives. You’ll familiarize yourself with a company’s KPIs and ROIs to outline and measure advertising efforts.
This role typically involves extensive research into a target market’s buying behavior. You must understand what ads are effective and why.
You can pair a psychology degree with a marketing degree, business degree, or communications certificate to feel well-prepared.
The average salary for a marketing strategist is $100,015, and the BLS expects demand to increase by 10% before 2031.
6. Specialized psychologist
The most straightforward role you can attain post-psychology degree is working as a psychologist. To do so, you must have both a bachelor’s and a graduate degree. And some specialties require more advanced degrees, like an associate degree or a doctoral degree.
Here are some areas of psychology you might specialize in:
The average annual salary is $82,510 for clinical psychologists, $90,440 for research psychologists, and $69,921 for psychotherapists. And you could work for a company or start your own private practice, depending on your experience and preferred way of working.
Job demand increases depend on your specialization, but in general, the BLS expects demand for psychologists to grow by 6% before 2031.
7. Human resources (HR) manager
An HR manager ensures every employee feels supported and heard. This involves understanding human behavior enough to communicate uniquely depending on the listener, resolve conflicts thoughtfully, and solve a variety of issues.
You’ll also ensure an organization follows proper HR practices defined by the state. Violating workers’ rights can be costly, so companies typically have an in-house HR team that makes sure all employees are protected and treated fairly.
Because this field is so people-focused, a psychology degree helps you better understand and empathize with employees. You’ll likely pair this degree with an HR certificate to show potential employers you’re prepared and well-educated for this kind of work.
According to the BLS, the average annual wage for HR managers is $130,000. This organization also forecasts job growth to increase by 7% before 2031.
A better understanding, a helping hand
If understanding the mind and human behavior intrigues you, gaining the education necessary to pursue a psychology degree job is likely worthwhile. You’ll enjoy a rewarding career filled with new and challenging situations — and you can help those around you live more meaningfully. What’s better than that?
