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
 Play therapist
 Policy officer
 Psychotherapist

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree
subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

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.
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

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.

Find information on employers in healthcare, teaching and education, marketing,

advertising and PR, and other job sectors.
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Skills for your CV

Transferable skills include:

 written and verbal communication, including report writing and presenting

 information technology
  handling of data and statistics
 analytical research
 problem solving
 the ability to work in teams.

The scientific aspects of your psychology course, including the application of a

reasoned approach, problem solving and manipulation of data, provide useful tools
for careers in healthcare, law enforcement, finance, IT and research.
Your knowledge of human behaviour and motivation, ability to critically analyse a
problem, formulate a considered response, create an argument and generate new
ideas lend themselves well to careers in the creative industries, the legal sector,
government administration and education.

Further study
Postgraduate study and training is essential if you want to become a chartered
psychologist and to register as a practitioner psychologist with the Health & Care
Professionals Council (HCPC).
Postgraduate study is available in areas such as clinical, counselling, educational,
occupational, sport and exercise or forensic psychology.
Some graduates qualify as teachers as a route into educational psychology. A
teaching qualification is not a requirement for this profession, but it still provides
useful relevant experience.
Psychology graduates who don't want to be a psychologist may choose to do a
postgraduate qualification in their chosen career area, for example advertising,
marketing, teaching or human resources.
Some graduates go on to undertake research at Masters and PhD level in order to
follow an academic career that combines research and teaching.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you,
see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses.

What do psychology graduates do?

More than half of psychology graduates are in employment in the UK six months after
graduating, while almost a third undertake further study or combine further study with
work.