By Monique M. Chouraeshkenazi, Ph.D., PsyD, MSCP | 07/23/2024
Psychology degrees are one of the most popular majors in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, a bachelor’s degree in psychology is not just a potential pathway to working in a healthcare setting and helping patients with mental health issues. It's a versatile bachelor's degree that applies to various industries.
The American Psychological Association (APA) also emphasizes the value of psychology majors. The APA states that approximately 25% of students who graduated in the field moved forward to graduate degrees in psychology, and nearly 20% pursued further education in other fields.
How Can Seeking a Psychology Degree Be Beneficial in the Workplace?
A bachelor’s degree in psychology can serve you well in pursuing various career opportunities. Having a psychology degree is helpful because understanding how the brain functions and what motivates human behavior is valuable in many industries.
For instance, consider the impact of the digital age and the evolution of social media on human connections and workplace relationships. A bachelor's degree in psychology helps you understand how people think, make decisions, and act. This knowledge is crucial for potential career opportunities focusing on consumer behavior, such as advertising, business, marketing, and sales.
In addition, a bachelor's degree in psychology is helpful in analyzing what influences people’s decisions around politics, religion, and spending. This type of information is particularly useful for who want to pursue career paths involving activism, advocacy, campaigning, culture, economy, education, religion, politics, market research, and social media.
The job market increasingly emphasizes the need for individuals who understand mental processes, have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and understand human relationships. During psychology courses, bachelor's degree students acquire an understanding of analytical and critical thinking, human behavior, mental health, relationships, interactions, and communication.
Also, a bachelor's degree in psychology prepares students who intend to seek supervisory, management, or leadership positions for the demands of managing people. Having well-developed interpersonal skills and understanding employees' motivations is essential in today's workplace. That knowledge helps supervisors to foster positive professional relationships and increase worker productivity.
What Types of Jobs Can You Seek with a Psychology Degree?
Having a psychology major and understanding human relationships is advantageous for adult learners pursuing various career options*, such as:
- Career counselor
- Caseworker
- Coach
- Community organizer
- Corrections officer
- Criminal investigator
- Human resources manager
- Police officer
- Psychiatric aide
- Social media manager
- Social worker
- Substance abuse counselor
- Victim advocate
Many people with a psychology degree work in management, community and social services, schools, libraries, or offices. Interestingly, the APA reports that individuals with a sales background hold the most psychology degrees.
*Note: Some of these professions require an advanced degree, additional training, and/or certifications. Conduct your own research and plan your educational and professional journey accordingly.
Taking the Clinical Route
Earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology can be beneficial if you want to follow a clinical path in the mental health field or conduct clinical research by collecting data. An undergraduate degree teaches you psychological theories and approaches, which is important foundational knowledge to possess before applying to graduate or professional school.
However, pursuing a career path in mental health, such as clinical psychology or psychotherapy, requires clinical coursework and applying what has been learned in a graduate psychology or professional program (i.e., applied clinical work such as an internship). Pursuing the clinical route requires a clinical track in a graduate program, a doctoral degree if you are pursuing clinical psychology, and a license to practice in your respective state. Also, please remember doctoral programs differ and that licensure requirements vary from state to state.
Other Psychology Specialties Related to Mental Health Concerns and Human Behavior
Besides clinical psychology, there are numerous career opportunities in healthcare that you can pursue with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, including:
- Abnormal psychology (psychopathology)
- Behavioral psychology
- Biopsychology
- Child psychology
- Cognitive psychology
- Comparative psychology
- Counseling psychology
- Cross-cultural psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Educational psychology
- Environmental psychology
- Evolutionary psychology
- Experimental psychology
- Forensic psychology
- Health psychology
- Human factors psychology
- Industrial/organizational psychology
- Neuropsychology
- School psychology
- Social psychology
- Sports psychology
- Quantitative psychology
A Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology Is Also Useful for Developing Emotional Intelligence and Improving Stress Management
Ultimately, psychology degrees help students to develop their emotional intelligence, communicate effectively, and manage their stress well, which applies to human behavior in the workplace. As WeCruitr CEO Jack Kelly stated, “Workers with high emotional intelligence tend to make better decisions, maintain their cool under pressure and stress, deftly resolve conflicts, respond positively to constructive feedback, work well with others, and demonstrate leadership abilities.”
Psychology Degrees at American Military University
For adult learners interested in becoming psychology students, American Military University (AMU) offers two degrees:
Courses in these programs feature topics such as mental health, combat psychology, learning and cognition, biopsychology, psychopathology, and social science research. Students can also acquire critical thinking, analytical skills, and scholarly and technical writing skills in their courses.
These programs are taught by experienced instructors with deep knowledge of the industry. In addition, AMU’s flexible format is suited to the needs of adult learners who balance their education with work and family responsibilities.
For more details on our bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology, visit our program page.
Dr. Chouraeshkenazi is a U.S. Air Force combat veteran, an international best-selling author, an award-winning scholar, an academic peer reviewer, researcher, writer, homeland and national security expert, and professional speaker. She earned a bachelor’s degree in homeland security and a master’s degree in psychology from American Military University. She also has a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from Walden University and a doctor of psychology in clinical psychology and forensic neuropsychopathology from California Southern University.