Psychology Career Options with a Bachelor's Degree

Psychology is a very popular major within the higher education system. Only approximately 13% of people within the United States hold college degrees, and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology opens the door to a wide assortment of employment opportunities. Psychology majors have a very well-rounded knowledge base. Students who receive this degree are sought after for their knowledge of ethics, research, critical thinking, adaptability, coping mechanisms, and language and interpersonal skills. Some of these career options are highlighted below: 

• Case managers are responsible for the assessment, implementation and evaluation of patient or client needs. These positions frequently occur in hospital settings or as part of a community-based social services program. 

• Career counselors provide services to individuals seeking employment. These services include providing job searching skills, advising individuals on career options, and helping job seekers develop a plan to attain their career goals.

• Rehabilitation specialists often assist with client care and activities within mental health facilities.

• Psychiatric technicians primarily provide care to patients with psychiatric problems, teaching them basic living and working skills.

• Academic advisors advise university and college students throughout their higher education path, including assisting with selecting majors, choosing class schedules, and planning for the future.

• Corrections officers work with inmates within the jail and prison system. These officers are responsible for maintaining order while treating all inmates with fairness and impartiality.

• Community outreach coordinators generally work with an organization’s volunteer staff or the community at-large, overseeing volunteer participation and recruitment, community education and sponsorship development.

• Housing/student life coordinators act as mentors to students in higher education environments, provide advice to student clubs and organizations, and coordinate student life programs and events.

• Gerontology aides typically work within nursing home facilities to assist elderly patients with day-to-day activities.

• Crisis intervention counselors provide assistance to people dealing with crises in their lives, most often via a telephone hotline.

• Life skills counselors help individuals learn to accomplish basic life skills independently, such as household chores, employment, and using available government and medical services when they need assistance.

• Parole officers work with recently released inmates and their families in a supervisory role, ensuring all requirements associated with their early release are fulfilled.

• Mental health specialists normally work within mental health clinics, assisting with a variety of patient care services. These services can include client evaluations, training, and treatment of addictions or mental disorders.

• School guidance counselors work within high school settings to help students with everything from social issues to academic difficulties to choosing and applying to the right college.

These career options are only a small selection of the job opportunities available to someone with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. People with these degrees are marketable in both psychology and business related professions. 

This article is brought to you by Helping Psychology and Argosy University. Drawing upon our more than 30-year history of granting degrees in professional psychology, Argosy University has developed a curriculum that focuses on interpersonal skills and practical experience alongside academic learning. Because getting a degree is one thing. Succeeding, quite another.