What Can You Do With a Psychology Degree?

Psychology is the study of human behaviour and the mind. Students can explore a diverse range of questions about the human brain, such as how it learns language, how it functions differently under stress, or how mental illness can impact how it works

If you decide to study for a psychology degree, you may be able to choose to specialise in various specific areas of psychology such as clinical, research, health, educational, forensic, counselling and more. If the idea of studying psychology interests you, you might be wondering what career paths you can take with a degree in this subject. The good news is that depending on your interests and area of specialisation, there are several different options available for those with a psychology degree.

Chartered Psychologist:

Further study and training after earning your degree in psychology will allow you to go on to become a chartered psychologist. This is a highly specialised role that allows you to work with patients and clients from a wide range of backgrounds. You will analyse thoughts, emotions and behaviours in order to get a better understanding of your patients and provide them with advice on certain psychological issues or actions. You will have the option to specialise in a variety of different areas such as mental health, occupational psychology, or educational psychology.

Psychotherapist:

After gaining your degree in psychology, you can study further to become a psychotherapist. If you’re just starting out, it’s a good idea to choose a psychology degree with a focus on psychotherapy and counselling. You can use University Compare to find psychology courses that are suitable for your future career goals. University Compare is a useful site where you can find further information on specific courses and universities before you apply. One of these psychology courses is sure to be suitable for you. As a psychotherapist, you’ll be working with individuals, couples, or groups to help them overcome psychological issues such as trauma, stress, addiction, or relationship problems.

Research Psychologist:

If you’re interested in contributing to ground breaking mental health or human behaviour research, you might want to consider becoming a research psychologist. These careers may be based at universities, research agencies, or in public and private organisations. You will play a vital part in conducting research that may help resolve challenges, such as brain damage, child development, speech impediments or the impact of drugs on psychological health.

Social Worker:

Psychology will provide you with a strong foundation from which to become a social worker. You may be required to conduct a master’s study in social work before you can work in this career. A social worker works with people who are going through difficult periods in their lives, particularly with vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. Your role as a social worker is to safeguard the people that you work with from harm and provide support to them in order to help them improve

their situation. You may be working within schools, hospitals, other public agencies, or homes and will usually specialise in terms of the groups of people that you work with.

Education:

If you are interested in working in education, there are several career options available to you as a psychology graduate. You could work in educational therapy, educational psychology or as a social worker in a school. Psychology degree holders may also go on to study a PGCE and become a teacher in a school or college. You could find yourself working within social services to support learning, or you might want to consider a job in the prison sector to provide educational support for offenders.

A psychology degree is not only interesting - it also opens up various and diverse career opportunities.