Careers in psychology | Job outlook | Occupations for psychology majors

Surveys of employers and psychology graduates indicate that the jobs obtained by psychology majors with a bachelors degree are most often in social service and business settings, such as:

• Business: personnel administrator, loan officer, retail sales management, occupational analyst, industrial relations specialist, claims specialist, and marketing representative
• Social Services: group home attendant, case worker, probation officer, admissions counselor, occupational therapist, substance abuse counselor, youth counselor, employment counselor, social service aide, public health administrator, parole officer, social-urban planner, community relations officer, affirmative action officer, vocational rehabilitation, and day care center supervisor

An excellent resource for learning about various occupations is the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is published every two years by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. This book is a comprehensive guide to occupations. It includes job descriptions, education and training requirements, advancement possibilities, salaries, and employment outlooks for 250 occupations. Go to the index and look up the links for the occupations you are interested in pursuing. Note the titles of related jobs listed at the end of each occupational description, and then read about them. Reading the Occupational Outlook Handbook can provide you with a wealth of information about a wide range of jobs in a short time with relatively little expenditure of effort.

Another good source of information is the 1995 APA Survey of 1992 Psychology Baccalaureate Recipients.  It describes what jobs Psychology majors usually get after graduation, how satisfied they are, and how much they get paid.

Employment Areas and Salaries of Bachelors Level Psychology Graduates

According to the March, 1999 edition of the National Association of Colleges and Employers Salary Survey Report, the average salary received by bachelors-level psychology majors is $28,019. 

Job Titles in Human Services for Students with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology

"What can I do with a bachelor's degree in psychology?" This is a question that often concerns psychology majors who plan to enter the job market immediately after graduation. Zeller (1988) attempted to answer the question by compiling the following list of human services job titles whose descriptions and qualifications are compatible with the knowledge and skills of a college graduate with a bachelors degree in psychology. Although it took Zeller a whole year to compile his list from a wide variety of sources, it should be noted that there are also many other human services jobs for psychology majors that are not on this list.

activity director • addiction counselor • administrative program assistant • admissions market analyst • admissions public relations director • admissions recruiter • admissions representative • adolescent care technician • adolescent chemical dependency counselor • advertising trainee • adviser-educator • affirmative action officer • agency representative • airline reservations clerk • alcohol counselor • alcoholism unit manager • area administrator • arena and sports facility instructor • assistant residence manager • assistant youth coordinator • association manager • behavior analyst • camp staff director caretaker • case tracking specialist • case worker • center supervisor • chemical dependency advocate • chemical dependency coordinator • chemical dependency counselor • chemical dependency secretary • chemical dependency technician • child care counselor • child care worker • child development worker • child protection worker • circulation manager • collection assistant • collector • college admissions representative • community activist • community correctional service worker • community outreach coordinator • community organizer • community service coordinator • community worker • compliance officer • consultant • cottage treatment team • counselor • counselor aid • counselor/therapist • county personnel officer • crime prevention coordinator • customer relations • customer service trainee • daily living aid • day-care aid • demonstration coordinator • deputy juvenile probation officer • developmental reading instructor • development officer • director of activity and recreation • director of alumni relations • director of day-care center • director of displaced homemakers • director of human services • director of education • director of planned parenthood • director of planning director of security • director of youth service bureau • driving instructor • drug counselor • early childhood specialist • education prevention specialist • education daytime coordinator • educational coordinator • educational representative • educational salesperson • educational textbook representative • employee assistance program specialist • employment counselor • employment representative • executive director • export order coordinator • field representative • foster home parent • grants coordinator • group home coordinator • group home counselor • group home parents • group leader • group worker • head of alumni affairs • head of fund raising • host/hostess • houseparent • human relations director • human services technician • infant stimulation teacher • information specialist • information referral specialist • inservice director • instructor • instructor-handicapped adult program • insurance agent • interviewer • investigator • juvenile justice planner • juvenile prevention program coordinator • juvenile specialist • living unit assistant • loading dock superintendent • management trainee • marketing manager • mental retardation professional • mental retardation unit manager • neighborhood outreach worker • occupational information developer • park and recreation director • patient service representative • personnel analyst • personnel coordinator • personnel generalist • planner-assistant • planner-evaluator • private school representative • private tutor • probation officer • program consultant • program coordinator • program director • project learning instructor • police training coordinator • public information officer • rehabilitation aid • relief houseparent • research analyst/planner • research assistant • research trainee • residence counselor • resident aid • resident caretaker • residential assistant • residential director • residential service coordinator • residential supervisor • resource developer • retail manager • salesperson • secretary • security officer • service advisor • social service director • social services supervisor • social studies teacher • social worker • social worker coordinator • statistical assistant • student activities adviser • supervisor • support service manager • task force coordinator • temporary admissions clerk • textbook coordinator • trainer • trainer-coordinator • veteran's adviser • volunteer coordinator • work activity program director • youth worker

Sources of Additional Information

• For information on careers, educational requirements, financial assistance, and licensing in all fields of psychology, contact the American Psychological Association, Education in Psychology and Accreditation Offices, Education Directorate, 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002.
• For information on careers, educational requirements, and licensing of school psychologists, contact the National Association of School Psychologists, 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1000, Silver Spring , MD 20910
• Information about state licensing requirement is available from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, P.O. Box 4389, Montgomery, AL 36109.
• Information on traineeships and fellowships is available from colleges and universities that have graduate departments of psychology.

_{Portions of this page were adapted with permission of Herbert Friedman, College of William and Mary.}

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