7 Best Jobs for Psychology Majors

If you want a career in psychology but aren’t sure which path to take, it can be easy to become intimidated by all the potential options.

If you want to work as a clinical or counseling psychologist, then you’ll need a doctoral degree. But even if you only have an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s in psychology degree, you can still work in various specializations in various environments, including school counseling, marriage and family counseling, human resources, and marketing research.

Depending on your chosen path, you may work in a school, hospital, mental health clinic, private practice, government agency, or corporation.

We’ve collected the seven best jobs for psychology majors to help you pin down which path may be right for you.

Below, you’ll find a list of seven of the best jobs for psychology majors, with education requirements and salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):

As a human resources manager, you’ll oversee an organization’s human resources department. Main tasks typically include employee recruitment, training, compensation, and benefits. You’ll also oversee employee relations, attract and interview new employees, and oversee layoffs.

Overall, you’ll ensure human resources policies are followed throughout the organization.

As a market research analyst, you’ll harvest and analyze data, such as customer behavior, to help companies make informed decisions that increase profits on products and services.

Finance, insurance, and other corporations are the most common work environments for these professionals, who typically work independently and sometimes across teams. You can even work as an independent consultant.

People in marriages and family networks often encounter challenges they can’t solve without professional help. As a marriage and family therapist, you’ll help people manage difficulties in their relationships.

You may work in a hospital, government agency, private practice, or outpatient care center. Many of these professionals are self-employed and offer telehealth, meeting clients virtually.

Psychologists assess mental, emotional, and social processes and behaviors to understand their clients and help them improve their lives. These professionals can diagnose mental health conditions and create treatment plans. They also help people manage challenges at home and in the workplace. Clinical or counseling psychologists will need either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D., and most states require licensure to practice as a certified psychologist.

However, many psychologists conduct research and teach psychology courses in colleges and universities across the country. There are many specializations, including clinical, counseling, forensic, social, and sports psychology.

You can also work as an industrial-organizational psychologist to help address problems in the workplace. For this position, you’ll typically only need a master’s degree.

Do you have a passion for providing aid to people with disabilities? As a rehabilitation counselor, you’ll help people with disabilities navigate employment and independent living. You may help your clients find jobs and workplace accommodations to perform at their best.

Many rehabilitation counselors work for specific communities or populations, such as veterans, the elderly, and young people. You may work in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, youth organizations, or personal homes.

If you’d like a career helping students succeed, you may enjoy working as a school and career counselor. These professionals help K-12 students reach their academic and career goals and can also offer guidance to students experiencing crises or distress.

As a school and career counselor, you’ll collaborate with school staff and parents, ensure students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations, and help students plan for life after graduation, whether they want to attend college or leap directly into a career.

Counselors advise and provide support for clients across a range of contexts. These professionals evaluate clients’ circumstances and may suggestion treatment plans to help clients improve their mental health, recover from addiction, or adjust certain behaviors.

Schools, healthcare facilities, and government agencies are common work environments for these professionals. Many are self-employed in private practice.

To succeed as a professional, you’ll need advanced empathy, active listening, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills.

Those looking to become a mental health counselor will need a master’s degree and licensure. Aspiring subtance use or behavioral disorder counselors will likely also need a master’s degree, though this may vary by state and employer.

Licensure is also required for those in private practice. However, licensure requirements for those not in private practice vary by state and may involve other requirements instead, such as an exam and continuing education.

Careers in psychology span multiple roles in various fields, and employment growth for many of these positions is projected to be above the national average rate of 4% from 2023 to 2033.

The BLS projects employment for substance use, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors to grow by 19% from 2023 to 2023, making these roles among the fastest-growing ones in the field. Another fast-growing role is marriage and family therapist, with employment projected to grow by 16% during the same time period.

Outside of psychology, employment for human resources managers is projected to grow by 6% from 2023 to 2033, while market research analysts and marketing specialists are projected to experience an 8% employment growth rate during the same time period, according to the BLS.

Employment for rehabilitation counselors is projected to grow by only 2% from 2023 to 2033, but job growth for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors is projected to keep up with the national average rate of 4% during that time period, according to the BLS.

Substance use, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors are the fastest-growing psychology roles due in part to an increase in mental health conditions across the country and the need to replace those who’ve left the profession.

The marriage and family therapy field is growing nearly as fast partly because of increased integrated care, which involves multiple specialists collaborating to treat multiple problems at once.

While market research analysts and marketing specialists aren’t growing as fast as these roles, the increased business use of data across a range of industries translates to a need for many of these professionals.

You can pursue entry-level roles with an associate psychology degree, including social sciences research assistant and psychiatric technician.

If you have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, you can pursue more advanced roles, such as recreational therapist or social and community service manager.

Psychology master’s degree holders can pursue such roles as school and career counselor, substance use counselor, or behavioral disorder counselor.

With a doctoral degree, you can work as a psychology professor or clinical, counseling, or forensic psychologist.