Alternative Career Options with a Psychology Degree

Are you a psychology major unsure about pursuing a traditional clinical career path as a psychologist or therapist? This guide brings together a panel of experts to explore how a psychology degree can lead to employment in a variety of non-conventional careers.

Psychology ranks among the top six fields of undergraduate study, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Psychology majors received 6% of all bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2021-22.

Despite psychology’s popularity among undergraduates, psychology majors sometimes buy into the stereotype that their career options are limited to counseling or mental health roles, which generally require graduate training. Fink debunks this faulty assumption:

“The biggest misconception I hear from psychology majors is the idea that there is a single, standard career path for them – typically, to become a psychologist or therapist – and that to do anything else is ‘alternative’ or uncommon! In reality, those who major in psychology at the undergraduate level go on to have successful careers in a variety of fields.”

While many psychology majors go on to earn graduate degrees to enter clinical or research roles, many enter the workforce after completing a bachelor’s degree, pursuing alternative careers outside of the traditional mental health professions.

Approximately 14% obtained a master’s, doctoral, or professional degree in psychology, while 30% obtained a master’s, doctoral, or professional degree in another field.

The most popular fields of graduate study for psychology majors include psychology, education, social service, and management and administration. The popularity of these fields suggests that many psychology majors ultimately pursue careers in these areas.

Rather than restricting you to traditional professional roles, a psychology degree can broaden your options. “If you pursue a job outside of counseling or mental health, it doesn’t mean you didn’t use your degree,” according to Tran. In fact, a psychology degree provides the skills and training you need to enter several alternative career paths.

A growing number of psychology majors find employment in business and human resources, social and community services, education, healthcare, and criminal justice.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 1.1 million job openings each year between 2024-2034 in management occupations, including those in human resources. Business occupations are one of the most popular alternative careers for psychology majors, with psychology graduates accounting for 15% of all employees in management positions in 2023, according to the BLS.

As Tran observes, “To be in business or work in human resources requires an understanding of humans within context — a workplace.” For anyone interested in a management career, the study of psychology offers valuable insights into interpersonal and group relationships and the connection between human behavior and the environment, with applications to the workplace and other organizational settings.

This type of knowledge, along with training in statistical analysis and research, equips psychology majors with transferable skills needed for business and human resources careers. Cooley argues that studying psychology “provides a foundation for employee engagement, leadership development, training and development, performance management, as well as an understanding of organizational behavior in business settings.”

Community and social service occupations continue to attract large numbers of psychology majors. Psychology degree-holders accounted for 13% of community and social services employees in 2023, reports the BLS. These roles included administration, advocacy, community organizing, and counseling, supporting diverse populations in both private and nonprofit settings.

The skills and knowledge provided by a psychology degree prepare graduates for employment as community health workers, marriage and family therapists, and substance abuse and mental health counselors, among other helping profession specialties.

Because psychology examines how social context and social situations shape human behavior, psychology graduates “often know the value of the helping professions and what interventions might be best suited at organizational, cultural, or individual change,” Tran says.

A psychology degree builds strong analytical and communication skills. Coursework may also touch on cultural competency training with applications for underrepresented groups, making psychology graduates ideal candidates for community and social service positions.

The education field offers many opportunities for alternative careers for psychology majors. Graduates may find work in early childhood and elementary settings, secondary and post-secondary institutions, and career and technical programs for adults. In 2023, psychology degree-holders filled 12% of all educational instruction and library positions, according to the BLS.

Psychology majors can apply their training in instructional roles to improve learning and assess student achievement. They may also be suited for administrative or support positions that require well-honed organizational and interpersonal skills working with diverse populations.

Tran notes that a psychology degree’s emphasis on brain and human development can provide a strong foundation for teaching careers. However, psychology majors pursuing teaching or school counselor positions must acquire additional training beyond their undergraduate degree. For example, teachers at the K-12 level need to obtain state licensure, and faculty positions at colleges and universities require graduate training.

Fink explains that a psychology degree can also lead to employment in student services and student support roles at colleges and universities. Cooley agrees, saying, “Areas where psychology majors excel in higher education include academic advising, counseling, admissions and financial aid, student affairs, DEI, and athletics.”

The BLS projects that the healthcare industry will add nearly two million jobs per year from 2024 to 2034, making it one of the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy. In 2023, psychology majors accounted for 11% of all healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, according to the BLS.

An undergraduate psychology degree can be a gateway to healthcare careers, including physical therapists, psychiatric technicians, dental hygienists, or registered nurses. A background in psychology provides a strong foundation for the additional education, training, and licensure required for many of these health and wellness careers.

Cooley explains how organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills acquired in a psychology degree carry over to healthcare careers:

“Establishing rapport with patients, listening to individual needs, supporting patients as they navigate complex healthcare systems, providing resources and referrals, communicating with families, and contributing to treatment plans and interventions are essential to overall positive outcomes [in the healthcare field].”

The sales and marketing field offers psychology graduates several career paths with titles such as sales representatives, account managers, marketing researchers, digital marketing analysts, and advertising and public relations specialists. Employment opportunities are not limited to the private corporate sector but extend to research laboratories, universities, and government agencies.

Graduates with a psychology degree acquire valuable hard and soft skills directly applicable to sales and marketing careers. The hard skills students learn in a psychology program include quantitative and qualitative research, digital and software training, motivational and persuasive techniques, and decision-making models for consumer behavior.

The soft skills associated with a psychology background, such as interpersonal relations, cultural competency, and communication and listening, are equally important to successful sales and marketing careers. Tran contends that “psychology majors who understand how humans think and behave, especially around ideas of buying and selling, attraction, fulfillment, joy, [and] persuasion are more likely to be able to use these principles to increase sales and market products.”

The psychology discipline examines adaptive and maladaptive human behavior, aggression, power and authority, mental illness, and victimology, making it a good fit for multiple criminal justice careers.

Because criminal justice is such a vast field, psychology graduates can find ample employment prospects in community organizations, local, state, and federal agencies, businesses, foundations, and nonprofits, with opportunities to specialize in areas that interest them the most.

Fink observes that “[a] psychology graduate with a strong understanding of the criminal justice/legal system, and with a passion for a particular area of injustice, may find or create opportunities to advocate for justice from within a nonprofit organization working to create change on that issue.”

Psychology majors with bachelor’s degrees often enter positions in criminal investigation and law enforcement, corrections and probation, counseling, and advocacy. An undergraduate psychology degree is also a strong academic foundation for the specialized graduate training required for higher-level roles such as forensic psychologists, researchers, and attorneys.

Psychology continues to rank among the most popular undergraduate majors because of its broad application. Students learn about themselves and others while acquiring specific tools to advance their careers.

No matter which field you choose, you can enhance your marketability to employers by highlighting your transferable knowledge and skills, seeking experience opportunities, and growing your network.

Psychology graduates come away from their undergraduate experience with common skills that have direct applications for alternative career possibilities.

According to Fink, some of the most important transferable skills acquired in an undergraduate psychology degree include competency in research and data analysis, interpersonal and verbal proficiency, and the ability to understand cognition and bias, brain anatomy and function, and influence and persuasion.

Cooley stresses that the soft skills acquired in a psychology degree are particularly useful for those seeking an alternative career path: “Empathizing, listening, advocating, and facilitating meaningful communication can be essential to success in many career fields, and all of these competencies can be developed through the study of psychology.”

One of the best ways for psychology majors to become more marketable is to gain experience through internships, volunteer or paid work, or other projects outside of course requirements. They must also leverage these experiences when looking for a position.

Fink urges students to enhance their career prospects through experiential learning:

“The key to being highly employable is to have relevant experience, and to communicate these experiences clearly. Experience can come from any part of your life: academic courses, self-directed learning, student leadership opportunities, volunteer or paid work experiences, personal projects, and family or community responsibilities.”

These experiences help students transfer what they have learned in classes to real-world applications and also signal to prospective employers a willingness to take on professional responsibilities. Sometimes, internships and field experiences in an alternative career setting can turn into a full-time position.

Networking with others establishes vital professional connections and helps to identify potential employment leads. Undergraduates have various opportunities to meet professionals who share the same career interests. These opportunities include attending professional conferences, department-sponsored lectures, email discussion groups and blogs, community events, and even informal social gatherings.

Fink suggests the use of social media platforms like LinkedIn to establish connections with psychology graduates already working in your field:

“[G]o to your campus’s page [on LinkedIn], click on the ‘Alumni’ tab, filter by those who studied psychology, and search for alumni doing work that interests you. View their profiles to see how they got there, and reach out for conversations if you’d like to connect directly.”

Volunteering in professional or community organizations is another way to connect with others already established in your intended career while showcasing your abilities. Networking helps make vital connections that can lead to employment and can also identify mentors to provide long-term career guidance and support.