What can I do with a B.S. in Psychology?

Question

What jobs can I get with a psychology degree?

Answer 1

Careers in Psychology

Psychologists are probably best know for their work in the health and education services, but psychology graduates can be found in almost any area of life. Career fall into three broad bands: those for which a psychology degree is essential; those for which it is directly useful, bit for which other graduates can apply; and careers which are open to any discipline.

A: Careers for which a psychology degree is essential

Clinical Psychologists work in various hospital and community settings with people with health problems or severe learning difficulties. They are very active in the mental health field, practising a wide variety of techniques.

For example, they train people in self-relaxation, so that they can cope with their anxieties, and help children with learning difficulties to care for themselves. They also work with people who have eating disorders, sexual problems, phobias, head injuries, strokes, HIV/AIDS and problems associated with age.

Counselling Psychologists aim to help people improve their sense of well being, alleviate their distress, resolve their crises, and increase their ability to solve problems and make decisions for themselves. They do this through the application of psychological theories, research and techniques to help individuals and groups deal with some of the inevitable difficulties of normal life.

Educational Psychologists tackle the problems encountered by young people in education, which may involve learning difficulties and social or emotional problems. They work closely with other professionals, particularly teachers and social workers.

Forensic Psychologists are concerned with the application of psychology to the Criminal and Civil Justice systems. Forensic psychologists may be found in the Prison Service, NHS, Social Services and Voluntary Services.

Health Psychologists work in a relatively new field of applied psychology. They are represented in a number of settings, such as hospital, academic health research units, health authorities and university departments, Psychological principals are used to promote changes in people's attitudes, behaviour and thinking about health.

Occupational Psychologists is concerned with the world of work and training and consequently has many guises. It may be labelled 'organisational psychology', 'ergonomics' (human factors, engineering applications of psychology), 'applied psychology', 'industrial psychology', personnel management', 'time management' of 'management consultancy'.

Occupational psychologists are involved with issues such as the selection and training of staff, psychometric tests, communication, the working environment and effective management.

Psychotherapy covers the psychological treatment of a wide range of mental and physical ills by a number of different methods, each developed in terms of its own theoretical framework. Methods vary from a long series of discussions, to only one or two intense interviews.

Research Psychologists work in universities, government agencies or private companies.

Teachers of Psychology normally work in schools, colleges or universities, where they teach at a number of levels.

B: Careers for which psychology provides a useful training

There are good employment prospects for psychology graduates in other fields, for which their training will provide them with relative experience. Market research, social work, nursing, advertising, sales, personnel management and career guidance are all areas for which a psychology degree will provide a good basis.

Psychology graduates will have knowledge of the assessment of personality, intelligence and attitudes, interviewing techniques, questionnaire design and analysis, child development, and the methods of teaching and learning.

C: Career open to graduates of any discipline

The majority of graduate jobs are open to graduates of any discipline. These include careers in the Armed Forces, the police, management training and accountancy. However, employers are usually looking for good 'transferable' skills, and a psychology degree provides an arguably unique combination of these.

Answer 2

I think you will need at least a masters to do anything really..i know a handful of people that have bs in psychology and never did anything with it because you need advanced degrees...

Answer 3

nothing out of the ordinary..

maybe a HS counselor in a rural area, but not in the cities..

best bet would be to get your MS in a particular field of psychology.  (or get a MS in Applied Statistics)

Answer 4

Tons of things. Off the top of my head, you could work for social services.  More are below at an article aptly named, "What Can You Do With a BA in Psychology?"

Answer 5

Lots of things come to mind: ditch digger, janitor, waiter, etc.  Get used to saying, "do you want fries with that?"