Expanding Your Career Opportunities in Psychology

Career opportunities in psychology extend into different professions from healthcare, social work, and sales to academics, human resources, and management. While many psychology jobs with a bachelor’s degree are available on the market, some positions such as clinical or counseling psychologists require an advanced degree and license.

Employment opportunities for psychologists are expected to grow by 8% through the year 2030, cites the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). About 13,400 openings are projected each year for psychologists. Many openings are replacing workers transferring into other occupations or retiring. The highest-paying jobs are those requiring a masters’ or doctor’s degree.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology is the first step to many entry-level psychology professions or other career options that utilize the skills earned through psychology courses. It also serves as the foundation for a graduate degree necessary for higher-level and more clinical positions.

As the need for more flexible and remote education options became apparent during the pandemic, educational institutions such as Rowan University offer a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology program that provides the flexibility to take courses in an online format at an individualized pace.

Earned Skills from a Bachelors in Psychology

A bachelor’s degree in psychology generally includes a mix of general education courses such as English comp, communications, and sociology along with psych courses such as abnormal psych, statistics in psych, and scientific thinking. Some majors offer students opportunities for clinical experiences or to choose electives to deepen learning in specific areas of psychology.

Because of the range of courses, skills earned from a psychology degree apply to many careers. For example, an understanding of human behavior and communication can help in a human resource or counseling job, while critical thinking and research can support the path to becoming a research assistant or market research analyst. 

Other skills earned from a bachelor in psychology cited by the Psychology Career Center include:

• Leadership
• Organization
• Problem-solving
• Public speaking
• Academic writing
• Statistical analysis
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal

Career Opportunities

Graduates with a psychology major have a variety of career options, depending on their attained education level.  Students with an undergraduate degree in psychology can take jobs in social and community services, rehab services or enter non-psychological areas such as business, education. Others use their baccalaureate to complement another degree or the foundation for an advanced degree in the field. Below are some careers that can benefit from a background in psychology.

• Social Worker Assistant: This position requires a bachelor’s degree in psychology or social work. The median annual salary is $51,760 according to the BLS, with the job outlook growing at 12% over the next ten years. Moving into the role of social worker requires a bachelor’s degree in social work to gain the license to practice. As psychology degree programs have many overlapping classes, attaining this secondary bachelor’s degree may reduce time to graduation.
• School Counselor: This role requires at least a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field. Most educational institutions require individuals to acquire a master’s degree in career development or career counseling, pass a state exam and maintain certification as a National Certified Counselor from the National Board for Certified Counselors, according to Indeed.com. The median annual salary is $58,120 according to the BLS, with the job outlook growing at 11% over the next ten years.
• Substance Abuse Counselor: For this job, you need a bachelor’s degree in counseling or psychology as minimum education requirements and state licensure to practice. The median annual salary is $48,000 according to the BLS, with the job outlook growing at 23% over the next ten years.
• Family Therapist: In addition to a bachelor’s degree in psychology or counseling, this position requires a master’s degree in family therapy or counseling and passing a state exam to obtain a license to practice. The median annual salary is $51,340 according to BLS, with the job outlook growing at 16% over the next ten years.
• Health Psychology: This specialty area requires building on a bachelor of psychology degree to attain at least a master’s degree. A doctorate is needed to practice clinically. The average salary is $80,000, depending on experience, education, work setting, and location, according to Psychology Career Center.
• Clinical Psychologist: This is the largest subfield of psychology and requires a Ph.D. in psychology. Individuals pursuing graduate studies should get a bachelor’s degree in psychology to ensure they want to pursue this career path. The average salary is $90,000 but can range to $124,00 depending upon location and setting, according to Verywellmind.com.

Where to Earn Your Degree

Many career paths are associated with a psychology degree. Rowan University, in partnership with Rowan College of South Jersey, offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Psychology designed to provide a background for graduates to pursue degrees in a variety of professions or as a basis to pursue graduate degrees in certain fields. The partnership offers online degree programs at a fraction of the cost of a traditional degree.

Students are awarded an associate’s degree after completing four semesters of classes and an undergraduate degree at program culmination. Many courses are offered in an accelerated seven-week format, rather than 15 weeks, for faster completion. Students have the opportunity to choose electives to follow their career paths while earning their bachelor’s degree of arts degree in psychology.

For information on Rowan University’s online Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and other programs, visit Psychology Degree | Rowan Partnerships Online  or apply now at Apply Now | Rowan Partnerships Online.