50 Things You Can Do With a Psychology Degree
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Professional areas in the field of psychology have diversified widely with the continued innovation of psychologists in using established knowledge from research to adapt to the changing needs of individuals, organizations and the community as a whole. In pursuing these psychology career paths, you would be interested in the opportunities that come with it and more importantly, the opportunities for more advanced degrees.
Lucrative employment is already available to holders of a master’s degree in psychology, but a Ph.D. psychology degree or PsyD degree narrow to a specific field and potentially increase average yearly earnings.
The question, however, is what area of psychology interests you the most. If you now have a Ph.D. in Psychology, take a look at this list of careers you can pursue:
- Clinical Psychologist – You will concentrate on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, behavioral and emotional disorders. This is considered to be the largest practiced field. See how to become a clinical psychologist.
- Counseling Psychologist – Although similar to clinical psychology, counselors help in overcoming issues that affect an individual’s daily life rather than mental illness. See How to Become a Counseling Psychologist
- Social Worker – You will use psychological expertise to understand, diagnose and treat mental illness in the field of social welfare. See also How Much Do Clinical Social Workers Make?
- Developmental Psychologist – You will study human growth, development, and adaptation over the lifespan. More about developmental psychologists.
- Neuropsychologist – You will specialize in understanding the brain system, its functions, and structure in relation to specific psychological processes and behavior. More about neuropsychologists.
- Clinical Neuropsychologists – You will work with health care teams that treat people with traumatic brain injury to enable them to resume functional and productive lives.
- Biopsychologist – You will be primarily an academic engaged in the study of biological functions as they relate to mental, behavioral and emotional processes.
- Cognitive and Perceptual Psychologist – Study human thought processes including memory, perception, and learning. This field is usually for people who lost their memory or for predicting behavior from understanding different perceptions.
- Family Health Psychologist – Work with primary care physicians in the evaluation of mental, behavioral and interpersonal difficulties in relation to their patients’ biomedical disorders. Understanding these will help in successful treatment planning.
- Substance Abuse Psychologist – With substance abuse and addiction becoming a common problem, a substance abuse psychologist can greatly help people to overcome dependencies on alcohol and drugs.
- Bariatric Psychologist – Provides evaluation and counseling services to individuals with weight problems for proper treatment planning.
- School Head Counselor – You will work with students experiencing difficulties at home or in school and assist them in their academic and career choices.
- School Psychologist – Work within the educational system to evaluate, diagnose and treat behavior and learning problems. You may also collaborate with teachers and parents when to help children overcome social, emotional, behavioral and academic problems. See How to Become a School Psychologist
- Educational Psychologist – You will study how people learn. This includes topics on student outcomes, instructional processes, and differences in individual learning. Other fields include gifted children and those with learning disabilities. See more about educational psychologists.
- Quantitative and Measurement Psychologist – You will do research and design methodologies to reveal answers with the use of vast amounts of data to test and study complex issues.
- Sports Psychologist – Mainly work with athletes to help them focus on their goals, remain motivated, and adjust to competition outcomes.
- University Professor – Academic handling psychology subjects for those taking up degrees in different fields.
- Medical Professor – Also an educator mainly for those in the medical field.
- Research Psychologist – Work involves the broad scope of psychological studies utilizing research and research outcomes for the use of other fields of psychology.
- Rehabilitation Counselor – Work with patients with developmental disabilities like autism and also stroke and accident victims to help them adapt to their situation and their surroundings.
- Social Service Manager – Plan, design, lead and coordinate social programs or outreach activities to make a positive impact in a community.
- Parole Officer – You will monitor and help offenders on parole to adjust to society and abide by the conditions of their probation.
- Vocational Rehabilitation Provider – Work may involve facilities connected to the government to provide assistance for people who need to overcome barriers to access, maintain and return to a useful social function.
- Psychosocial Specialist – Offer psychosocial and psychiatric rehabilitation services that help individuals adjust to their social environment.
- Forensic Psychologist – You will be working within the judicial system and similar organizations utilizing psychology to address public safety issues. See how to become a forensic psychologist.
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist – Utilize psychological studies to promote positive behavior in the workplace in the interest of improving the well-being and performance of individual employees and the organization.
- Human Resource Specialist – You will help organizations in fields relating to staffing, training and employee development.
- Human Factors Psychologists or Engineering Psychologists – Typical work will be designing equipment, work area and workflow for efficiency, productivity, and safety.
- Evolutionary Psychologist – You will study how evolutionary principles affect human thought, feeling, and behavior. See more about engineering psychologists.
- Psychophysics Psychologist– You will be studying physical stimuli and the sensory and perceptual responses they evoke.
- Psychiatrist – By profession, you are a medical doctor who treats mental disorders, prescribe medicine and conducts psychotherapy. See also Average Psychiatrist Salary by State
- Psychopharmacologist – You are considered an expert in prescribing medical treatment to patients suffering from mental disabilities and in determining how the medication affects the mind, behavior, and emotions. See How to Become a Psychopharmacologist
- Life Coach – Provide professional advice to individuals for professional and personal development.
- Community Health Organization Head – Your work may be tied to non-profit organizations or government institutions and spearhead organized efforts to understand, educate and support the behavior, condition, and needs of individuals, families, and communities in a social setting.
- Community Psychologist – Your work will be in meeting the needs of individuals by strengthening the abilities of communities, organizations and the social system.
- Environmental Psychologist – Your work will include environmental conservation but will mostly focus on how human behavior affects the environment and vice versa. See more about environmental psychologists.
- Experimental Psychologist – You will employ humans and non-humans as subjects to study.
- Public Relations Head – May also be referred to as Chief Communications Officer who heads all external communications, public relations and affairs of an organization.
- Director for Children’s Welfare Institutions – Head an organization providing services to marginalized, disabled and abandoned children.
- Director for Psychological Services Center – Head a psychological services center and oversee all medical, clinical and administrative activities to ensure quality service for the community
- Military Psychologist – You will specialize in issues affecting the military, its personnel, and their families.
- Consumer Psychologist – Your work will be in the study of consumer behavior to help industries understand consumer needs and preferences.
- Criminal Psychologist – Your duties will include the study of criminal profiles to identify risks of repetitive offense, predict behavior and catch offenders especially those involved in online crimes.
- Aviation Psychologist – You will be working with personnel, equipment and the workplace in aviation. You may also be involved in the investigation of aviation accidents as well as research on safe aviation.
- Geropsychologist – Provide mental health services to the elderly including the design of products and services to suit their needs.
- Clinical Child Psychologist – Offer psychological services to infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents. See also How to Become a Child Psychologist
- Hostage and Crisis Negotiator – This is a high-risk job that requires expert ability to resolve conflicts and use excellent communication skills in tense situations
- Family Psychologist – Study inter-family relations and address issues that arise within this collective unit. See also How to Become a Marriage Family Therapist
- Psychoanalyst – Work with patients to understand their behavior using their unconscious state to determine the course of treatment if a disorder is detected.
- Comparative Psychologist – You will be studying animal behavior along with a host of other sciences to compare modern species to ancient species and look at their heredity, learning, adaptability and reproductive behavior.