What Can You Do With a Psychology Degree? Careers for Psychology Majors at Every Level

TL;DR

• Psychology majors can pursue careers in mental health, human resources, research, social services, education, and business. Many entry-level roles only require a bachelor's degree.

• This guide covers 12+ career paths sorted by degree level (BA/BS, master's, doctorate), salary ranges, and how to start building experience now.

• You don't need a PhD to use your psychology degree: roles like behavioral technician, HR coordinator, and case manager are accessible right after graduation.

• Build resume-ready experience through an Externship to bridge the gap between your coursework and your first psychology-related role.

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What Can You Do With a Psychology Degree?

A psychology degree opens doors to way more than therapy offices and research labs. You studied human behavior, cognition, mental health, and research methodology. Employers across dozens of industries are actively hiring people with exactly those skills.

Here's the thing most people miss: the American Psychological Association reports roughly 120,000 bachelor's degrees in psychology get awarded every year. That makes it one of the most popular undergraduate majors in the country. And no, those 120,000 people are not all becoming therapists.

Careers for psychology majors span everything from HR and social services to marketing, tech, education, and government. You spent years learning why people think, feel, and act the way they do. That's valuable in basically any role that involves working with humans. Which is... most of them.

The catch is that you have to know where to look. And you have to learn how to translate what you studied into language the job market actually understands. That's what this guide is for.

If you're exploring other degree paths too, check out our guide to liberal arts careers or our history degree jobs guide for more options.

What Entry-Level Jobs Can You Get With a Psychology Degree?

Entry-level psychology jobs are roles you can land with a bachelor's degree and little to no professional experience. These positions tap into your understanding of human behavior, research skills, and communication training. Many pay between $30K and $52K right out of school.

Here are six of the most accessible starting points.

1. Behavioral Technician / ABA Therapist

Registered behavior technicians (RBTs) work directly with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities, implementing treatment plans designed by board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs). If you want hands-on, clinical-adjacent work with just a bachelor's, this is probably the most direct path there.

You don't need a graduate degree to become an RBT. It's a 40-hour training program and a competency assessment. That's it. And the demand is real. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects strong growth in behavioral health roles because autism diagnosis rates keep rising and families are looking for evidence-based interventions.

$35,000–$45,000

2. Case Manager / Social Services Coordinator

Case managers connect people and families with what they need: housing, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, employment support. You'll find these roles at nonprofits, government agencies, hospitals, and community mental health organizations.

All that coursework in abnormal psychology and developmental psychology? This is where it becomes real. You're applying what you learned about mental health conditions, family systems, and human development to actual people navigating difficult situations. It's not abstract anymore.

No clinical license required at entry level, though a lot of case managers eventually go for a master's in social work (MSW) or counseling.

$38,000–$50,000

3. Human Resources Coordinator

If you took any industrial-organizational psychology courses, or honestly just enjoyed learning about motivation, group dynamics, and what makes workplaces function, HR might fit you better than you'd expect.

HR coordinators handle recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, benefits administration, and training. Every company with employees needs these people. And psychology majors bring something HR teams genuinely want: a trained understanding of what makes people tick at work. That's not a soft skill. That's the whole job.

$40,000–$52,000

4. Research Assistant / Lab Coordinator

Psychology is one of the few undergrad majors that actually requires hands-on research training. Statistics, experimental design, literature reviews, data collection, analysis. You've been doing all of it. That skill set translates directly to research assistant roles.

RA positions show up at university labs, think tanks, market research firms, government agencies (NIH, CDC), and private research companies. They're also a solid stepping stone if you're thinking about grad school later. Having real lab experience on your application makes a noticeable difference.

$35,000–$48,000

5. Mental Health Technician / Psychiatric Aide

Mental health technicians provide direct care to patients in psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and community mental health centers. You monitor patients, help with daily activities, document behavioral observations, and support treatment teams led by licensed clinicians.

Look, this is an intense role. Sometimes emotionally demanding. But it gives you frontline exposure to mental health care that no classroom can replicate. If you're considering clinical work long-term, this is how you find out whether that path is actually right for you before investing in a graduate degree.

BLS data shows psychiatric technicians and aides held about 63,000 positions nationally, with steady demand in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

$30,000–$40,000

6. Admissions Counselor / Academic Advisor

Higher education is a natural fit for psychology majors. Admissions counselors recruit and evaluate prospective students. Academic advisors guide current students through degree planning, career exploration, and personal challenges. Both roles lean heavily on the exact skills you built in your program.

Your understanding of human development, decision-making, and counseling fundamentals applies here every day. Bonus: these roles frequently come with tuition benefits. If you want to pursue a graduate degree while working and not drowning in debt, that's a real advantage worth considering.

$38,000–$50,000

What Are the Highest-Paying Psychology Career Paths?

The highest-paying careers for psychology majors typically require graduate education, but the salary ceiling gets real. Industrial-organizational psychologists top the list at $147,420 median. Clinical and counseling psychologists earn a median of $96,100 per year, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Here's how the top paths compare:

Worth calling out: psychiatrists earn the most, but they follow a medical school track. That's an MD, not a psychology PhD. I-O psychologists have a uniquely good salary-to-time ratio because many positions only need a master's.

If you're doing the math on whether grad school makes financial sense, look at the jump. Entry-level roles pay roughly $35K–$50K with a bachelor's. A master's degree roughly doubles that for many of these paths. Not a bad return, if you pick the right specialty.

How Do Psychology Degree Levels Affect Your Career Options?

The degree level you hold in psychology directly determines which doors open and which stay locked. Here's what each level actually gets you.

1. Bachelor's (BA/BS) in Psychology

A bachelor's in psychology gives you the foundation: research methods, human behavior, statistics, psychological theory. It gets you into entry-level roles like behavioral technician, case manager, HR coordinator, and research assistant.

Let's be straight about this. A BA or BS alone won't get you licensed as a therapist or counselor. That takes at minimum a master's. But your bachelor's is not a dead end. Not even close. Plenty of people build entire careers in HR, research, social services, and behavioral health without touching grad school.

Common psychology bachelor degree requirements include statistics, research methods, developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, and a capstone or research project.

2. Master's in Psychology or Counseling

A master's is where licensed counseling becomes possible. With the right master's program (clinical mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, school counseling) you can pursue licensure as an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), or school psychologist.

The typical path for licensed professional counselor requirements: complete a 60-credit master's program, accumulate 2,000–4,000 supervised clinical hours (varies by state), pass the NCE or NCMHCE exam, apply for state licensure. It's a commitment. But it's also a clear, structured path with a defined endpoint.

Master's-level I-O psychologists can access consulting and corporate roles paying $70K–$100K+ depending on the industry. That salary jump from a bachelor's is significant.

3. Doctorate (PhD or PsyD)

The doctorate is the highest level of training in psychology, and it splits into two tracks:

• PhD (Doctor of Philosophy): Research-focused. You'll conduct original research, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and often teach at the university level. Programs typically take 5–7 years and are often fully funded.

• PsyD (Doctor of Psychology): Practice-focused. You'll train primarily as a clinician, with less emphasis on research. Programs take 4–6 years and are more likely to require tuition.

Doctoral graduates can work as licensed clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, professors, or research scientists. The ceiling is high, but so is the time investment. Know that going in.

Is a Psychology Degree Worth It?

Yes, if you know how to use it. A psychology degree is genuinely one of the most versatile undergraduate programs out there. But it does require intentional career planning. The degree alone won't hand you a career path. You have to build one.

Here's what the numbers say: the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6% growth for psychologists through 2032, which matches the average for all occupations. Not exciting on its own. But zoom into specific roles and the picture changes, substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors are growing at 18%, and marriage and family therapists at 15%. Those are serious growth rates.

On salary, APA survey data shows psychology bachelor's holders starting around $40,000, with real growth depending on your path and whether you add education or certifications. Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce puts the mid-career median at $49,000 for bachelor's holders, and that number climbs substantially with a graduate degree.

So is it "useless"? No. But you do have to actively close the gap between your academic training and the job market. That means building real experience before you graduate, learning to talk about your skills in terms employers care about, and being strategic about which roles and industries you go after.

If you're still weighing options, our liberal arts degree jobs guide and communications degree career guide cover similar territory for related majors.

How to Get a Job With a Psychology Degree (Even With No Experience)

The number one frustration for psychology graduates: you need experience to get hired, but you need to get hired to gain experience. Classic catch-22. Here's how to break through it. And if this sounds painfully familiar, our guide on why entry-level jobs require experience goes deeper into the structural problem.

1. Translate Your Coursework Into Resume-Ready Skills

Most psychology majors don't realize their coursework already gave them marketable skills. The problem is framing. Employers aren't searching resumes for "abnormal psychology." They're searching for "clinical documentation," "data analysis," and "behavioral assessment."

Here's a quick translation table:

Honestly, this table alone should change how you think about your resume. For more depth, check out our skills to put on a resume guide.

2. Build Professional Experience Through Externships

The single most effective way to bridge the gap between your psychology coursework and your first role is to gain real experience before you graduate. That's where Externships come in.

Through an Externship, psychology students work on real company-endorsed projects in fields like HR, behavioral health research, and organizational development with professional mentorship and guided support the whole way. It's project-based learning that builds resume-ready experience and earns you an Externship credential employers recognize.

You're not doing busywork. You're completing real deliverables that prove you can apply psychological concepts in professional settings. That distinction matters when every entry-level posting asks for "1-2 years of experience" you can't get from coursework alone.

An Externship fills exactly that gap. And it's built for career exploration and skills development, so you're also figuring out what you actually want to do. Not just padding your resume.

3. Target Industries That Value Psychology Skills

Think beyond healthcare and counseling. Psychology skills show up in industries you might not expect:

• Tech: UX research, people analytics, product management (understanding user behavior is literally what you studied)

• Education: Academic advising, student affairs, instructional design, ed-tech companies

• Government: Program evaluation, policy research, public health, veterans affairs

• Nonprofits: Program management, community outreach, grant writing, client services

• Marketing: Consumer behavior research, brand strategy, market research, advertising

• Corporate: Training and development, employee engagement, organizational consulting

The trick is matching your specific interests to the industry that values them. Loved research methods? Look at market research firms and tech companies. Drawn to abnormal psychology? Behavioral health and social services. I-O psychology? HR and consulting are your people.

What Certifications Can Boost a Psychology Career?

Professional certifications can speed up your career without a full graduate degree. They prove specialized competency to employers and usually come with a noticeable salary bump.

Here are the most relevant ones for psychology majors:

The RBT and SHRM-CP are the two most accessible right after graduation. Both only need a bachelor's. The RBT is especially fast. You can knock out the 40-hour training in about two weeks and sit for the exam right after.

If you're not sure about graduate school yet, these let you build expertise and earning power while you figure things out. No need to commit to a six-year program just to prove you're serious about psychology.

What's the Job Outlook for Psychology Careers?

The job outlook for psychology careers is strong, particularly in behavioral health, substance abuse treatment, and school-based mental health services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides growth projections that paint a promising picture for psychology graduates.

1. BLS Growth Projections by Role

Here's where the growth is:

• Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: 18% growth (2022–2032), much faster than average

• Marriage and family therapists: 15% growth, much faster than average

• Psychologists (all types): 6% growth, as fast as average

• School and career counselors: 5% growth, as fast as average

• Social workers: 7% growth, faster than average

Behavioral health is the biggest engine here. More awareness around mental health, expanded insurance coverage from the ACA and state parity laws, the ongoing substance abuse crisis. All of it drives demand for people with psychology training.

2. Where Psychology Jobs Are Growing Fastest

Geography and sector both matter. A few trends worth knowing:

Telehealth changed everything. The rise of teletherapy and virtual counseling since 2020 permanently expanded remote options for psychology-adjacent roles. You don't have to live in a major city to find meaningful work anymore.

States with strong mental health parity laws (California, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado) tend to have higher demand for counselors, case managers, and behavioral health workers. If you're flexible on location, that's useful information.

Federal money is flowing. The government has significantly increased funding for community mental health centers, substance abuse treatment, and school-based services. That translates to more positions at the local level, especially in underserved areas.

Corporate wellness is a thing now. More companies are investing in employee mental health programs, which means new roles in employee assistance, wellness coordination, and people analytics. Psychology backgrounds are a natural fit.

FAQs

1. What is the highest-paying job you can get with a psychology degree?

Industrial-organizational psychologists earn a median salary of $147,420 per year according to BLS data, making it the highest-paying psychology specialty. Psychiatrists earn more ($226,880 median) but require a medical degree rather than a psychology degree. At the bachelor's level, HR managers and market research analysts with psychology backgrounds can reach $80,000–$100,000+ with experience.

2. Can you get a good job with just a bachelor's in psychology?

Yes. A bachelor's in psychology qualifies you for entry-level roles in human resources, behavioral health, case management, research, education, and social services. The key is translating your research methods, data analysis, and behavioral science training into language employers recognize. Many of these roles pay $35,000–$52,000 at entry level with room to grow.

3. Is a psychology degree useless?

No. Psychology is one of the most versatile undergraduate degrees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6% growth for psychologists and 18% growth for substance abuse and behavioral counselors through 2032. Psychology graduates develop research, analytical, and interpersonal skills that transfer across dozens of industries. The challenge is positioning your skills for the job market, not the degree itself.

4. What can psychology majors do right after college?

Common entry-level roles include behavioral technician (RBT), research assistant, case manager, HR coordinator, mental health technician, admissions counselor, and program assistant at nonprofits or government agencies. Building professional experience through programs like Externships while still in school gives you a significant advantage over graduates who rely only on coursework.

5. Do you need a graduate degree to work in psychology?

Not for every role. Bachelor's-level positions in HR, behavioral health, case management, research, and social services don't require graduate school. However, clinical therapy, licensed counseling, and doctoral-level research do require a master's or PhD. Certifications like the RBT or SHRM-CP can boost your qualifications without a full graduate program.

Psychology is one of the most popular and versatile undergraduate degrees, and your career options are wider than you think. Whether you start in an entry-level role right after graduation or map out a path toward graduate school and licensure, the key is building real experience early. Explore Externships in psychology-related fields to start bridging the gap between your degree and your career today.

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