What Are the Different Types of Psychology Master’s Degrees?

If you’re interested in using psychological theories to solve real-world problems, an applied psychology degree may be what you’re looking for.

Applied psychologists utilize psychology theories and research to help improve people’s mental health or improve systems in our world. Someone with an applied psychology degree may work in a social services career related to social work or counseling.

If you picture yourself working regularly with people to help them manage mental health issues, a behavioral psychology degree may be a good fit.

Behavioral psychologists specialize in working with clients to improve behavioral issues in various settings, including schools. Many behavioral psychologists work as behavior therapists, social workers, substance use counselors, or marriage and family therapists.

A clinical psychology degree may be a good option for you if you envision yourself in a clinical setting counseling patients with mental health disorders like addiction, anxiety, and depression.

Clinical psychologists often work directly with patients who are usually in some sort of distress. This specialization may lead to roles as a substance use psychologist or marriage and family therapist. You may also be interested in becoming a licensed clinical social worker.

If you’re interested in studying the effects of aging on the mind, a developmental psychology degree could open intriguing doors for you.

Developmental psychologists often work with children and adolescents to study their growth and help them overcome developmental obstacles. They may also work with older adults study the effects of aging. Many developmental psychologists work in clinical settings as therapists, but they may also find themselves in schools as counselors.

People learn in many different ways, and it’s up to educational psychologists to study the effects of various teaching methods so they can suggest best practices.

Earning an educational psychology degree can prepare you to improve the educational experiences of people around the world. Many educational psychologists work in schools to help students struggling with their classes or develop programs aimed at gifted learners. Educational psychologists can find work in many school settings, including colleges and universities.

Remember how frustrated you were the last time you tried to open a clamshell package?

Engineer psychologists use psychological theories to address frustrations related to products, the environment, and other systems. The field is quickly growing as companies realize the value of integrating these principles into product design. Engineer psychologists may find work in research and development fields, and there are also opportunities for them to work in healthcare settings and the military.

Psychologists interested in working with or alongside law enforcement and the justice system may want to consider a forensic psychology degree.

Forensic psychologists intersect with many parts of the criminal justice system. Attorneys may hire a forensic psychologist as a jury consultant, and law enforcement agencies often have them work as parole officers or correctional counselors. Some forensic psychologists go on to work in social services as victim advocates.

Due to the intense nature of many organized sports, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there’s a branch of psychology dedicated to supporting athletes.

Sports psychologists often work with teams and individual players to ensure they are in the right mindset to perform their best, no matter the sport. Their work might involve counseling individual athletes or advising coaches on how to get the most out of their players. Many professional sports teams and college athletic programs employ sports psychologists.

There’s room for improvement in virtually any workplace, and organizational psychologists work to make those necessary changes.

An organizational psychology degree can set you on a path to use science-backed methods to improve various kinds of workspaces. That could include creating a more productive work environment or improving employee morale. Many organizational psychologists work within a human resources department.

If you’ve ever been interested in what makes people tick, the field of personality psychology may interest you.

Personality psychologists investigate the nature of people’s personalities and try to get to the bottom of how that personality came to be. They may also spend time researching personality disorders to aid people. Personality psychologists can find work as substance use, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors or as training and development managers.