What Can I Do With a Psychology Major? Practical Career Information for High School Students

1
What Can I Do With a Psychology Major? Practical
Career Information for High School Students

• Kristin M. Vespia, Ph.D.
• University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

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Overview

• The Psychology major
• Careers at the BA, MS, and PhD levels
• The special case of applied careers
• Psychology major/career preparation
• Resources for additional information

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The Psychology Major An Overview

• Some basic statistics (NCES, 2005)
• 1983-84 39,955 Bachelors degrees in Psychology
  
• 32.1 men 67.9 women
• 2003-04 82,098 Bachelors degrees in Psychology
• 22.2 men 77.8 women
• Wide-ranging benefits for study at BA/BS Level
• Facilitate critical thinking skills, knowledge of
  scientific method, and understanding of human
  behavior (APA, 2007)
• Prepare for graduate education in various fields
• Prepare for wide range of careers, including
  business, education, human services, and research

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Careers at the Bachelors Level

• The nature of the liberal arts major
• Emphasis on communication, critical thinking,
  research, and other skills not on preparation
  for one specific career
• BA degree will not make students psychologists
• Variety of career options
• Jobs may not be in psychology
• Appleby (2006) lists 130 potential careers for
  Psychology students on the OTRP website from
  claims supervisor and corrections officer to
  personnel recruiter and caseworker
• Job outlook (BLS, 2006)
• Opportunities for BA/BS holders may be more
  restricted if looking for jobs in Psychology only
• Broad options see Murray, 2002
• Salary information

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Careers at the Masters/Doctoral Levels

• Graduate degrees also increasing
• MS 9,525 in 1983-84 vs. 17,898 in 2003-04 (NCES,
  2005)
• PhD 3,535 in 1983-84 vs. 4,827 in 2003-04 (NCES,
  2005)
• Masters 1-3 years Doctoral 5-7 years
• Can pursue in degrees Psychology and other fields
  
• Masters Degree
• Preparation for doctoral work or for a career
  (e.g., Human Resources)
• Outlook in Psych Not as strong as for PhDs
  (except I/O) (BLS, 2006)
• Doctoral Degree
• Career options depend on specialty but can
  include research, teaching, clinical practice,
  consultation, industry, government
• Biopsychology options? Neuropsychological
  Assessment, Health Psychology, Sports Psychology,
  Research
• Outlook Faster than average career growth (BLS,
  2006)

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The Special Case of Applied Careers

• Helping Professions pursued at Masters and
  Doctoral levels and in Clinical, Counseling,
  School Psychology Counseling MFT and Social
  Work
• Masters Level 1-3 years Doctoral about 5 years
• Involve coursework, research, applied
  experience
• Process does not end with degree. Licensing laws
  vary by state but often require
• Approved educational credentials
• Equivalent of 1-2 years full-time, supervised,
  post-degree experience
• Passing national and/or state exams

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Psychology Major/Career Preparation

• Be informed.
• Be aware of common misconceptions (e.g., can be a
  psychologist with BA degree, grad school is
  unobtainable/unaffordable)
• Research, informational interviews, and job
  shadowing
• Take appropriate background coursework.
• Might include things like math, science (e.g.,
  biology), courses emphasizing written/oral
  communication, foreign language, and more (See
  APA, 2007)
• Gain experience (e.g., volunteer work, science
  fair)
• Find the right program for you.
• Be flexible and open to possibilities!
• Be cautious about taking on too much!

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References

• American Psychological Association (2007).
  Careers in psychology. Retrieved July 20, 2007
  from the American Psychological Association
  website http//www.apa.org/topics/psychologycaree
  r.html
• Appleby, D.C. (2006). Occupations of interest to
  psychology majors from the Dictionary of
  Occupational Titles. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from
  the Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology
  website http//teachpsych.org/otrp/resources/appl
  eby06.pdf
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of
  Labor (2006). Occupational outlook handbook,
  2006-07 edition, Psychologists. Retrieved July
  20, 2007 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
  website http//www.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm
• Murray, B. (2002). Good news for bachelors grads
  Electronic version. Monitor on Psychology, 33.
  Retrieved July 20, 2007 from http//www.apa.org/m
  onitor/jun02/goodnews.html
• U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
  Education Statistics (2005, July). Degrees in
  psychology conferred by degree-granting
  institutions, by level of degree and sex of
  student Selected years, 1949-50 through 2003-04
  (Table 290). In Digest of Educational Statistics
  2005. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from the NCES
  website http//nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d05/ta
  bles/dt05_290.asp