Understanding and empathizing with human emotions by studying their behavior is a unique skill set on its own. Adding to this fact, pursuing a degree in psychology will take you on a detour on the fundamentals of studying and analyzing human conduct and learning the nuances.
So, if studying the human mind is your thing, read on and find out everything you need to know about studying psychology and the roles you can take up after completing your education!
The value of pursuing a psychology degree
After completing your schooling, you can do an undergraduate, then continue with postgraduate and doctorate just like any other course. You can also do psychology as an associate degree while practising medicine or any other degree. It can either be an additional degree or a related elective. Doing this kind of integration course will help you build up and optimise your career in the medical field. Nowadays, you can pursue a few “specialisations” in psychology relevant to one particular area. For instance, you can be an educational counsellor for students who have a glitch with their studies due to their mental or emotional state!
So various reputed institutes have opened applications and provide a certification course or a professional degree in psychology globally. This has paved the way for creating even more opportunities and career options in this field.
Explore briefly here to see which top institutes offer psychology courses.
Now that we are done with the introduction, let’s find out what you can do with a psychology degree!
Jobs for undergraduate students in psychology
Jobs for postgraduate and doctoral students in psychology
1. Psychiatric technician
Average Annual Salary | $24,960- $35,030 |
Job Growth (2020-2030) | 11% |
Requirements | Post-secondary certification |
As a psychiatric technician, you’ll be able to assist professional mental health counsellors and psychiatrists. Generally, your work may involve working with elderly people and those with mental disorders.
Your daily routine will include studying the patients’ behaviour, providing the medico with detailed everyday reports, administering therapeutic practices, and regularly checking up on the progress of your patients.
2. Human Resources specialist
Average Annual Salary | $51,961- $66,750 |
Job Growth (2020-2030) | 10% |
Requirements | Payroll specific certifications, Master’s degree in HR management or related field. |
When you are the HR person with a qualification in psychology, you will be focused on building and curating a healthy work environment. You have to be all ears and eyes to the actions and mindset of employees in the firm. And you won’t stop with this. You’ll be offering counselling sessions to the workers accordingly to make the space a better place to work.
To sum it up, understanding, empathising with your coworkers and communicating with them is the key to making the ambience a perfect professional. So, this is one of the high paying lucrative answers to the question - “what can you do with a psychology degree?”
3. Intake Coordinator
Average Annual Salary | $33,718 |
Job Growth (2020-2030) | 19% |
Requirements | Associate’s degree in medical office management, medical staffing, health administration or related field |
Intake coordinators’ primary job includes taking in the incoming patients at health care facilities and administering basic mental health questionnaires and interview scales. This process is done as an assessment process for outpatient services and inpatient hospitalisation. In this way, they completely take care of all the mental health care services for the people who visit the hospital for admissions.
4. Research assistant
Average Annual Salary | $53,086- $66,000 |
Job Growth (2020-2030) | 20% |
Requirements | A bachelor’s degree in counselling, psychology or biology |
A go-to job after graduating from psychology school! You can join immediately as a research assistant after leaving the undergrad program. Your job role includes ensuring that all the research activities are conducted correctly.
Another crucial part of the job is recruiting people for the study, conducting background study, and creating control procedures for the complete research.
5. Clinical psychology assistant
Average Annual Salary | $76,941 |
Job Growth (2020-2030) | 8% |
Requirements | A UG degree in psychology accredited by BPS |
Being a clinical psychology assistant is like the next step of being an intake coordinator or a psychiatric assistant. You’ll work in compiling patients' data, studying and observing their mental health care history, and coordinating with doctors to create treatment plans.
6. Survey researcher
Average Annual Salary | $58,569- $59,970 |
Job Growth (2020-2030) | 4% |
Requirements | A UG or PG degree in survey research, marketing, social sciences or psychology for entry-level positions |
As a survey researcher, you analyse research plans to take the clinical projects to the next level. You’ll also work closely with survey interviewers, collect databases, and compile them as reports. This job role is one of the highest-paying jobs you can get after completing a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in psychology.
You will handle all these to optimise the information base and give the consultants and the patients the best service!
7. Research psychology
Average Annual Salary | $81,000- $96,000 |
Job Growth (2020-2030) | 8%- 12% |
Requirements | A Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D) with additional licensure |
Research psychology is one of the most exciting and lucrative jobs that you can do after earning a psychology degree. As a research psychologist, you can research behavioural patterns like motivation, learning, memory and the effects of genetics and drug abuse behaviour. This is one of the highest paying jobs in psychology.
This job role will take you to famous and reputed firms like government, non-profit, research centres, and academic institutions!
Now let us have a quick look at the average salary range for all these interesting job roles!
List of psychology careers with average annual salary
Job title | Average salary (annual) |
Psychiatric technician | $24,960 - $35,030 |
Human Resources specialist | $51,961 - $66,750 |
Intake coordinator | $33,718 |
Research assistant | $53,086 - $66,000 |
Clinical psychology assistant | $76,941 |
Survey researcher | $58,569 - $59,970 |
Research psychology | $81,000 - $96,000 |
FAQs
1. Is a BA in Psychology worth it?
A: Yes. Having a professional degree such as a Bachelor’s or a master’s in psychology is valuable. You can land an entry-level job position with a decent salary if you have a bachelor's degree.
2. Do I need a Bachelor's degree in psychology to do a master’s degree?
A: It is not necessary to do an MA after completing a BA in psychology. But pursuing an MSc in psychology is a perfect option after graduating with a Bachelor’s in Science.
3. Can I get a psychology degree in 2 years?
A: If you pursue an Undergraduate, the minimum duration is three years. But you can do an associate degree in 2 years. All the postgraduate courses also have a duration of 2 years.
So, did we kindle your interest?
Are you clear on what you can do with a psychology degree?
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