Have you ever thought “I want to go to graduate school in psychology because I don’t know what else to do?” Or “It is impossible to get a job with a bachelor’s degree in psychology?” These are two common perceptions for psychology undergraduates as they consider their career options. Yet these common perceptions do not reflect the full range of job options available to people with psychology backgrounds. There is not a single career pathway from a psychology degree at any level. There are many pathways.
First, educational pathways sometimes but not always involve earning a graduate degree in psychology (APA, 2018a). Only 1 in 7 psychology bachelor’s degree holders holds a graduate degree in psychology. That amounts to about 14% of psychology baccalaureates. If you are among the 2 in 7 (about 30%) who earn a graduate degree in a field other than psychology or the 4 in 7 (about 56%) who do not obtain a graduate degree in any field (and are most likely in the workforce), you are in good company.
Second, psychology degree holders work in more occupations than you may expect. Psychology degree holders work at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate/professional degree levels in over 90, about 75, and over 60 occupational categories, respectively (APA, 2018b). The narrowing of job options at higher degree levels looks more like a trapezoid than a pyramid. The top level is relatively flat and represents a broad range of career possibilities. For example, while the most common occupations for those with psychology doctorates or professional degrees are psychologist (of any type) and psychology professor, these two occupations only account for about half of psychology doctorate holders. That leaves half of psychology doctorate holders who work in 59 other occupational categories.
At all degree levels, there are clusters of leadership positions, such as top-level managers and executives, education administrators, and medical and health services managers (APA, 2018b). True, students and those early in their careers may not have demonstrated experience in leadership. One way to expand options is to consider leadership potential. This could include serving as an informal mentor or being involved in a student organization. By building skills and seeking experiences that show leadership potential, you are preparing yourself for the future.
There is consistent evidence that the essential skills, such as teamwork, leadership, and communication, are in demand by employers. These essential skills have a strong foundation in psychology. Persuading others? That can be used in marketing or sales. Do you use behaviors that influence others? That shows leadership skills. Ability to identify actionable insights in data? That is an example of critical thinking. Ability to describe actionable insights in data? That shows communication skills. Worked on a group project? That may have taught you about teamwork. Do you understand the scientific method? That could be used in project management or research. These examples are not an exhaustive list of essential skills, nor are these examples the only ways these skills can be used on the job. Recognizing that your psychology background prepares you for multiple career options can lead to a broad range of meaningful and satisfying career pathways.
References and resources
American Psychological Association. (2018a). Degree pathways in psychology. [Interactive data tool]. https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/degrees-pathways
American Psychological Association. (2018b). Careers in psychology [Interactive data tool]. https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/careers-psychology
American Psychological Association. (2020). Career pathways and psychology degree holders. [Handout]. https://www.apa.org/workforce/presentations/career-pathways-degree-holders.pdf (PDF, 434KB)opens in new window
Conroy, J., Lin, L., and Christidis, P. (2020, April/May). Psychology knowledge at work. Monitor on Psychology, 51(3), 19. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/datapoint-knowledge
Fleischmann, M., Conroy, J., Christidis, P., and Lin, L. (2019, December). Psychology degrees build useful skills. Monitor on Psychology, 50(11), 19. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/12/datapoint-skills
Naufel, K.Z., Appleby, D.C., Young, J., Van Kirk, J.F., Spencer, S.M., Rudmann, J. Bernardo, C.J., Hettich, P., and Richmond, A.S. (2018). The skillful psychology student: Prepared for success in the 21st century workplace. https://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/transferable-skills.pdf (PDF, 56KB)opens in new window
About the author
Karen Stamm, PhD, is the Director of the APA’s Center for Workforce Studies, working to fulfill its mission to collect, analyze, and disseminate data about the psychology workforce and education pipeline. She is a quantitative psychologist and enjoys using data to tell compelling stories. Karen aims to show the value and versatility of psychology degrees at work. She earned her PhD and MA in psychology from the University of Rhode Island and her BA in psychology and English at Boston College.
