Alternative Careers – Department of Psychology

Bachelor’s Degree

You’ve probably heard the myth, “There isn’t much you can do with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology.” Of course, you will not become a professional psychologist by obtaining an undergraduate degree, but there are still many career opportunities available. According to an article published in Eye on Psi Chi, you should not view undergraduate education in psychology as learning to practice psychology, but as a means to learn about psychology (Aubrecht, 2001). Holding a bachelor’s degree in psychology is desirable in many different industries, and may be one of the most versatile degrees, as far as career options are concerned. The following are a list of possible jobs that you may be able to receive with your undergraduate degree in psychology (Landrum, 2001; Appleby, 1999; Aubrecht, 2001; Lloyd, 1997;
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1998; Shepard, 1996).;

Mental Health/Social Services	Business	Other Industries
Academic advisor Alcohol/drug abuse counselor Behavior analyst Career counselor Career planning and placement counselor Case management aide Case worker Child care worker Child protection worker Community outreach worker Community support worker Corrections officer Counselor aide Day care center supervisor Director of volunteer services Eligibility worker Employment counselor Family services worker Gerontology aide Group home coordinator Housing/student life coordinator Life skill counselor Mental health technician Mental retardation unit manager Parole officer Political campaign worker Probation officer Program manager Public affairs coordinator Public relations specialist Publications researcher Radio/TV research assistant Rehabilitation advisor Residential counselor Residential youth counselor Secondary school teacher Social services assistant Social services director Social work assistant Urban planning research assistant Veterans advisor	Administrative assistant Advertising agent Advertising trainee Affirmative action representative Airline reservations clerk Bank management Claims specialist Customer relations Customer service representative Employee counselor Employee relations assistant Energy researcher Events coordinator Financial researcher Hotel management Human relations director Human resources recruiter Insurance agent Insurance claims/underwriter Intelligence officer Job analyst Loan officer Lobbying organizer Management trainee Marketing representative Marketing researcher Media buyer Occupational analyst Office manager Personnel worker/administrator Property management Public information officer Sales representative Small business owner Staff training and development Store manager Technical writer Warehouse manager	Activities director Assistant youth coordinator Camp staff director College admissions officer Community organizer Community recreation worker Community relations officer Congressional aide Crime prevention coordinator Director of alumni relations Director of fundraising Driving instructor Educational coordinator Fast food restaurant manager Foster home parent Film researcher/copywriter Historical research assistant Hospital patient service representative Juvenile probation officer Laboratory assistant Law enforcement officer Neighborhood outreach worker Newspaper reporter Nursing home administrator Park and recreation director Private tutor Research assistant Security officer Statistical assistant Statistical reports compiler Store manager Task force coordinator Teaching Technical writer Vocational rehabilitation counselor Volunteer coordinator Warehouse manager Work activity program director Youth minister

Full listing of suggested jobs can be found at https://www.psichi.org/Pubs/Articles/Article_50.aspx.

For more information about alternative careers with a Master’s degree, please see http://mastersinpsychologyguide.com/careers/ for some ideas.

Note: It is important to consider that if you obtain your M.A. in any area of general psychology, you may need further certification to find work in a specific domain. For example, in order to become a School Psychologist or an Alcohol Addictions counselor, you would need to find a program post-master’s degree to gain added experience and certifications that you are qualified for that position.