A psychology degree is a great starting point for a career in both science and the arts, as it equips you with a range of skills and opens up opportunities with a variety of employers

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Clinical psychologist
• Counselling psychologist
• Educational psychologist
• Forensic psychologist
• Further education teacher
• Health psychologist
• High intensity therapist
• Occupational psychologist
• Psychological wellbeing practitioner
• Sport and exercise psychologist

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Advice worker
• Border Force officer
• Careers adviser
• Chaplain
• Counsellor
• Detective
• Education consultant
• Human resources officer
• Life coach
• Market researcher
• Mediator
• Neuroscientist
• Play therapist
• Policy officer
• Psychotherapist

Work experience

Postgraduate training and study is a requirement to become a chartered psychologist. Due to course entry requirements, many psychology graduates spend a year or more getting work experience before embarking on postgraduate study.

It's a good idea to build up your work experience as soon as you can. You will usually need to work on a voluntary basis first to get enough experience to apply for a paid job.

The type of experience needed depends on the area of psychology you're interested in. Work as an assistant psychologist or in areas such as nursing, social work, mental health work, services for individuals with disabilities, mentoring young offenders and work in prisons, probation or social services is vital.

Experience as a research assistant is also relevant.

For educational psychology, experience of working with children in educational, childcare, or community settings is required. Although not essential, experience as a teacher is useful.

Experience in personnel or human resources and business and management is needed for those interested in occupational psychology.

Many psychology graduates choose to enter other career areas. Again, work or voluntary experience in your chosen field is important. This can include part-time work during your degree, summer placements and internships, as well as voluntary work and work shadowing.

Typical employers

Although some psychology graduates become professional psychologists, many go on to work in related fields.

A degree in psychology provides a useful foundation for a range of careers and employers.

Major employers of psychology graduates include:

• commercial and industrial companies
• financial organisations
• human resources departments
• local and national government
• marketing companies
• the media
• the NHS
• police forces, the National Probation Service and prisons
• schools, sixth form colleges and colleges of further education
• social services.