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The doctoral program in Social Psychology at New York University offers training in the scientific study of social psychology and social behavior. To this end, it offers training in the psychological theories, principles, and research methods relevant to understanding human behavior among individuals, groups, and organizations .

Program Vision

Social behavior is best understood from a multi-level perspective. The focal level of analysis often concerns the individual and the situation, with an emphasis on the cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes that drive behavior in social contexts. Our multi-level approach may examined how these processes are shaped by political, societal, and organizational factors, at a higher level, and supported by neural and physiological systems, at a lower level.

Our multi-level perspective is reflected in our methodologies. Students receive training in advanced quantitative methods and in a broad range of approaches such as behavioral experimentation, psychophysiology and cognitive neuroscience, big data (e.g., from social media), experience sampling, online data collection, dyadic measurement, computational modeling, and field studies, to name a few. Members of the program have access to fMRI, EEG/ERP, eye-tracking, and peripheral psychophysiology facilities housed within the Psychology Department.

Finally, we are committed to connecting our research to the real world. Although our questions often focus on basic processes that drive social cognition and motivation, our broader goals are to understand real-life human behaviors and pressing societal issues and to contribute solid scientific knowledge to policy makers and human service providers.

Program Culture and Activities

The NYU social program has a history of a special communal, cooperative spirit, with very high morale among the students and faculty. Moreover, the program culture is constantly evolving, influenced by interactions among current students, postdocs, and faculty, by changes in the broader scientific field, and by events in the world. We hold weekly program meetings (our “brownbag” meeting) that emphasize new findings and lively discussions, and we feature multiple talk series featuring prominent outside speakers (e.g., Social Colloquium, Social Neuroscience Series, Distinguished Lecture Series). Members of the program also enjoy interactions with colleagues in Cognition & Perception, Development, Neuroscience, Applied Psychology, Linguistics, Politics, Philosophy, and the Stern School of Business. Our location in an exciting and central neighborhood in New York City makes it easy for students and faculty to come in early and/or stay late to meet with each other and distinguished visitors.

Graduate study in the Social Psychology program at NYU means being part of an unusually active research culture. We share well-equipped laboratories, and we promote 'open door' relationships between professors and students. Although students typically have a primary home in one professor's laboratory, we require that students work in at least one other laboratory to promote breadth of training in a variety of methodological approaches and research issues. Our goal is to prepare students to be highly competitive in the job market for the type of career they seek, and we are proud of the steady success of our students in obtaining academic positions at top research universities and teaching colleges.

All students accepted into our graduate program are fully funded through the Henry M. MacCracken Program or the NYUAD Global PhD Fellowship.

MacCracken funding is provided through a combination of teaching assistantship, research assistantship, and fellowship, in proportions to be determined. The award package typically includes a full tuition scholarship, comprehensive health insurance and a stipend. Funding is typically guaranteed for five years, although students with substantial graduate credits or a Master's degree may only be guaranteed four years of support.

NYUAD Global PhD Fellowships include full tuition scholarship, health insurance, travel benefits, and a stipend. Funding is for five years, which typically includes two years or less of course work in New York and the remaining at least three years or more of dissertation research in Abu Dhabi. Campus housing in Abu Dhabi is provided free of cost and is available to all Global Fellows.

There is a very limited supply of subsidized housing available for graduate students which is generally used for a subset of each entering class to provide them the opportunity to get settled in New York City during their first year of residence.

NYU Abu Dhabi PhD Program

The Program in Social Psychology maintains a relationship with the Social Psychology faculty at NYU Abu Dhabi. This relationship supports opportunities for collaboration between students and faculty across the New York and Abu Dhabi campuses. Students accepted for the NYU Abu Dhabi Ph.D. program will typically spend two years primarily in New York with multiple visits to Abu Dhabi. During those two years, students complete all or most of their coursework as well as carrying out research in collaboration with an NYU Abu Dhabi advisor and a co-mentor in New York. The subsequent three years are spent in Abu Dhabi completing the dissertation research and any remaining course requirements. For further information on the Global Ph.D. program, click here .

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Loyola University Chicago

Department of psychology, applied social psychology phd.

The Social Psychology PhD Track

• Coursework—(60 semester hours, 39 required + 21 electives)
• Master's thesis (including an oral presentation, if not already completed)
• Internship—teaching or field research (4 courses teaching or 1000 hours research)
• Doctoral Candidacy Exam (2 areas: Theory & Application, Methodology &, Statistics)
• Dissertation proposal defense
• Oral defense of the completed dissertation
• Core Courses: Research Methods (with a B or better), Social Psychology Theory, Applied Social, Statistics 482 and 491 (with a B or better), one General Experimental course (with a B or better grade), and one Developmental/Individual Differences course (with a B or better grade)
• Methodology Courses (at least six)
• Basic Social Psychology Courses (at least two)
• Applied Social Topics Courses (at least two)
• Electives (Seven or fewer, as needed to reach the minimum of 60 hours required for the degree)
• Independent Study: Readings or Research Course
• Seminars in Social Psychology

PhD Learning Outcomes:

• Explain how classic and contemporary social psychological theory and research applies to human behavior in social settings
• Learn to conduct a literature review
• Evaluate the scientific rigor of research presented in social psychological journals and books
• Synthesize principles of basic and advanced research methods to produce independent, scholarly work
• Understand how to derive novel, previously untested hypotheses.
• Design and conduct basic and applied social psychology research
• Understand how to statistically analyze and interpret data collected in social psychology research
• Understand how to write up an academic research article
• Understand how to give a high quality professional presentation
• Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science and practice
• Apply knowledge of social psychology to scholarly and/or professional activities to promote positive social change
• Apply psychological content and skills to career goals
• Gain experience teaching undergraduate psychology classes
• Acquisition of research and publication skills that will allow students to pursue either an academic job or an applied job after completing the program

Terminal Masters Program

• Core Courses: Research Methods (with a B or better), Social Psychology Theory, Applied Social, and Statistics 482 and 491 (with a B or better)
• Advanced Methods Courses (at least two)
• Applied Topics Courses (at least one)
• Basic Social Psychology (at least one)
• One Elective Course

MA Learning Outcomes:

• Acquisition of research and publication skills that will allow students to pursue an applied job after completing the program
• Undergraduate
• Graduate/ Professional
• Adult Education

10 PhD in Psychology Jobs

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Careers in psychology can last for decades, so you definitely want to pick the right path before you get started.

Psychology is a huge field, and jobs after a PhD in psychology cover a huge spectrum of interests, specialties, and industries.

You’re probably already well aware that those kind of qualifications don’t come cheap. According to 2020 data from NCES, the six or seven years you will spend in grad school getting that PhD or PsyD will run you anywhere from $73,000 to over $155,000 depending on the university.

Before you fork over that kind of cash, you probably want to know what jobs you can get with a PhD in psychology.

PhD in psychology careers are both lucrative and fulfilling. But they require specialization and focus, so you need to think about what area you want to concentrate in before you begin your PhD in psychology program.

These 10 doctorate in psychology jobs are some of the options on the table after you graduate.

1. Clinical Psychologist

Doctorate in psychology jobs don’t get any more iconic than work as a clinical psychologist. You want the office with a couch and people laying on it telling you about their childhood? This is the PhD in psychology career you pick to get it.

Clinical psychologists work directly with individuals and groups who need professional psychoanalysis to help them through mental health issues. Private practice isn’t the only option in this role, though. Plenty of clinical psychologists work in hospitals, clinics, and larger rehabilitation or long-term care facilities. You have a wide range of subspecialties you can choose from, ranging from addiction issues to couples counseling. Or you can remain a generalist, and enjoy the variety of challenges that walk in the door needing your assistance.

2. Research Psychologist

If you aren’t as much of a people-person, but are fascinated by behaviors and thought processes, then becoming a research psychologist may be the right pick for you. Research psychologists don’t engage in one-to-one therapy work, but instead investigate the causes and cures of mental illness in general. That can involve devising and executing psychological experiments, or mining huge databases of behavioral data to uncover trends.

3. Industrial/Organizational Psychologist

I/O psychologists make their mark in the psychology of work. Businesses and other organizations need to understand how group psychology effects productivity, happiness, and cohesion in the workplace. There is a science to workplace dynamics. A doctorate in psychology gives you the toolset to understand how groups interact under the hierarchy and pressure of a factory floor, a hospital ward, or a trading desk. Public and private companies can pay out big bucks for the right kind of advice to make their organizations more efficient and effective.

An online PhD degree can make it easy for you to build up the practical experience you need in this specialty even while you are still studying.

4. Forensic Psychologist

With shows like Criminal Minds and the popular CSI series making a splash in popular culture, a lot of people are pursuing a PhD in psychology with the idea of becoming a forensic psychologist. If you want to understand exactly how twisted and dark the human brain can become, a doctorate is definitely in your future.

But forensic psychologists aren’t usually chasing shadowy figures into dark allies and deducing where serial killers work and play. Forensic psychology is really a specialty that has to do with the psychology of law and legal process. That goes far beyond criminal justice, extending to jury evaluation in civil trials, public policy analysis, and even reviewing laws before they are passed to assess the impact on individuals and society.

5. Educational Psychologist

The human brain is in many ways a learning machine. How we process, absorb, and interpret the world around us is a constant consideration for all psychologists. But educational psychologists specialize in understanding how we acquire, process, and interpret knowledge.

Many educational psychologists work in schools, offering counseling to children, but it’s a broader role than that. Psychologists in this job may evaluate textbooks and curricula to make sure they are optimized for delivering information, or evaluate standardized tests to be sure they are accurately measuring knowledge. Educational policy and legislative development lean heavily on research pioneered by these doctorate in psychology jobs.

6. Developmental Psychologist

Developmental psychology is also concerned with how the brain learns and grows, but it’s a field with bigger fish to fry than just educational matters. It’s the study of mental processes across the lifespan, as the brain and sensory systems grow, mature, and eventually began to deteriorate. Developmental psychologists study and diagnose developmental mental health disorders, playing an important role in pediatric healthcare. But they are also active in researching some of the biggest issues at the other end of the lifespan, looking for ways to cure or treat Alzheimer's and other age-related psychological issues.

7. Social Psychologist

If you’ve ever wondered why a meme goes viral, the social psychology might be the PhD in psychology career for you.

Social psychologists take on some of the most fascinating challenges in the field: they specialize in how individuals both influence and are affected in their thinking by interacting with others. Group think is a thing, and how it happens is the province of the social psychologist. They examine how cultures come from shared thought patterns, and how those patterns both fulfill and constrain the thoughts of people within them.

Understanding social interactions and psychological effects is important for big companies, governments, and healthcare organizations. Social psychology researchers also have plenty of impact on marketing and sales campaigns, right down to picking out the colors for product logos.

8. Health Psychologist

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, health psychology has developed into one of the most fascinating branches of the field. The world has turned into a showcase of reactions to the coronavirus, from panic to outright denial, providing data that will feed future health psychology PhD dissertations for decades.

But it’s also a moment in which more people than ever need the kind of help and advice that health psychologists can offer. From counseling patients on ventilators and in isolation to advising public health agencies on the best campaigns to increase vaccine acceptance rates, health psychologists have had their shining moment thrust upon them. With new recognition of the importance of professional PhD counseling in healthcare, that moment isn’t likely to fade anytime soon.

9. Sports Psychologist

Becoming a sports psychologist is a dream job for any sports fan. Since there are a lot of sports fans in the United States, that makes it a particularly tough field to get into. But the rewards are massive.

Sports psychologists can and do work with pro athletes in any kind of competitive event, including big names who play for major teams. They might work for the teams themselves, advising on team building and coaching processes. In other cases, they work with individual athletes to maximize performance or help with injury recovery.

But sports psychologists play important roles in rehab and assisting amateur athletes, too. Not everyone needs to work for an NBA team to get satisfaction and deliver real results in this field.

10. Neuropsychologist

We saved the toughest job for last. Neuropsychologists explore the boundaries between the mental and the physical. They study the physiological processes underlying thoughts, perceptions, and feelings for a better understanding of how people think. That gives them an edge in determining when problems are purely psychological, or have a basis in physical injury or disease.

The reverse is also true, and neuropsychologists play an important role in research by helping the field of brain science interpret findings of imaging and experiments by translating them into effects on mental processes. New understanding of traumatic brain injury and diseases like Alzheimer's come out of neuropsychology research. It’s one of the most rewarding PhD in psychology jobs you will find.

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16 Social Psychology jobs

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• Psychology jobs (16)
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Tenure track position in Psychology (Associate Professor / Professor)

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact research and education. Our university community has its competitive edges in technology, health and soc...

PhD Student - Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organisation

Last application date Jun 02, 2024 00:00Department EB23 - Department of Marketing, Innovation and OrganisationContract Limited durationDegree Master’s degree relevant for the research project and including a research-based Master’s thesis. Example...

Chief Education and Learning Officer

About Umoja Community Education Foundation (UCEF): Operating with over 75 campus programs in California and Washington and serving over 6,000 students, UCEF is a community of educators and learners committed to college success, personal growth, an...

PhD Student in Social Psychology

Thanks to funding by the Global Partnership PhD program, there is an opening for a four-year PhD position at KU Leuven and UCLouvain. The successful candidate will spend 2 years at the Laboratory f...

Research professor - open to all scientific fields (Open BOFZAP)

The KU Leuven announces the vacancy of full-time academic positions as 'research professor' that are open to all research profiles from the various scientific fields. These positions are intended f...

Doctoraatspositie over pornografie en jeugd

KU Leuven is a leading academic institution in Europe. Owing to its cutting-edge research, KU Leuven is a charter member of LERU, has been ranked as Europe’s most innovative university and is among...

160 Assistants with temporary mandates

The Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain, Belgium) is recruiting 160 assistants with temporary mandates.Candidates must have a graduate degree (Master’s or higher) and must have graduated with distinction (or equivalent).The complete list of ...

PhD Opportunity in Biomedical Ethics and/or Social Psychology

Project: The Institute for Biomedical Ethics (IBMB) at the University of Basel (http://ibmb.unibas.ch/), is dedicated to research and teaching of biomedical ethics at the Medical and Science Facult...

Postdoctoral Researcher: Peer Relationships in Emerging Adulthood

Employment 0.8 - 1.0 FTEGross monthly salary € 4,332 - € 5,929Required background PhDOrganizational unit Faculty of Social SciencesApplication deadline 26 May 2024We are looking for a full-time postdoctoral researcher to work on a unique longitudi...

Een nieuwe blik op ‘integratie’: acculturatie van zelf, cognitie en motivatie

The research will be conducted within the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology (CSCP), which is part of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. The CSCP enjoys an international rep...

Doctoral Researcher (Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Social Services, DocSoc360°), 6 positions

Fellowship Opportunity in Relational Processes (Relationality)

As we celebrate our 200th year of Manchester Met, we are delighted to be launching our ‘Third Century Fellowship Scheme’.The Fellowship Scheme is aimed at exceptional researchers, in the early stages of their post-doctoral career, who aim to make ...

Fellowship Opportunity in Gender and Social Justice

Fellowship opportunity in psychological stress, doctoral scholarship in diversity, equity and inclusion (1 fte).

Offer DescriptionWith a focus on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), this research seeks to contribute to broader discussions on workplace inequalities.Research on psychological resources / psychological capital (resilience, self-eff...

Associate Professor of Psychology (f/m/d)

Currently, we are hiring to fill a position in the Psychology department:Associate Professor of Psychology (f/m/d)Full-time (40 hours/week)Starting date: January 2025, initial contract limited for 3 years, with the possibility of extensionAn Assoc...

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• Psychology Programs

How to Become a Social Psychologist – Schooling and Career Guide [2024]

What is social psychology.

Social psychologists are interested in how individuals impact and are impacted by other people, social settings, and social environments. Social psychology as a field of study is closely related to sociology.

However, the focus of a social psychologist is on individual behavior, not that of the whole group as a sociologist would study. In that regard, social psychologists examine how individual actions, thoughts, and choices are influenced by the actions, thoughts, and choices of the larger society.

As a result, much of social psychology revolves around the study of interpersonal and group dynamics.

Social psychology also focuses much attention on researching and devising solutions to social challenges. Social psychologists might study the nature of bullying in public schools and devise programs to reduce or eliminate those negative behaviors.

Social psychologists might also study prejudice and racism in an effort to devise public programs to bridge the gaps between different groups of people.

Public health problems, such as smoking and drug addiction, are also of particular interest for social psychologists, who might create informational programs to inform the public about the dangers of engaging in drug use.

What Does a Social Psychologist Do?

The duties of a social psychologist will largely depend upon the environment in which he or she is employed. If employed at a college or university, a social psychologist might spend the majority of his or her time engaged in research on various social issues, such as gender equality, conflict management, or race relations. This research might take place in a controlled setting, such as a laboratory, or out in the field in a natural setting.

Other social psychologists employed in academia may focus on teaching and training students to become psychologists themselves.

Typically, social psychologists will teach or conduct research in the psychology department, but because of their training in both human behavior and research methodologies, social psychologists might work elsewhere, such as in departments of education, business, law, medicine, political science, or health science, to name but a few.

There are an abundance of private sector jobs for social psychologists as well. Some conduct research for private firms or government agencies. This research might include evaluating public perception regarding new government programs or regulations.

Others help develop public policies that address a social ill, such as obesity, poverty, or homelessness. For example, a social psychologist might design a public awareness campaign to bring attention to childhood obesity.

Still others work as consultants, offering their expertise in the areas of interpersonal and intergroup dynamics to help companies and industries design and market goods and services that are more attractive to consumers.

Another area of work for social psychologists is in evaluating the efficacy of educational programming and human resources practices.

For example, a social psychologist might be hired by a school district to examine their educational programs for effectiveness amongst groups of children based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or some other sociocultural factor.

Social psychologists might also work to develop more suitable hiring practices for companies or design performance review procedures for workers with the aim of improving productivity.

Related: Social Psychology Careers: What Can You Do With a Degree in Social Psychology

What is the Difference Between a Social Psychologist and a Sociologist?

On a fundamental level, the primary difference between the fields of psychology and sociology is the focus of professional attention, primarily, working with individuals versus working with groups.

Social psychologists are more concerned with individual behavior , and as a result, they focus their attention on why individuals behave the way they do. However, their study of individual behavior doesn’t take place in a vacuum.

Instead, social psychologists seek to identify the manner in which an individual’s behavior is influenced by his or her surroundings – including both the physical surroundings and their social interactions with others.

For example, a social psychologist might be interested in studying how a person’s interaction with people on social media might influence that person’s self-esteem. As another example, a social psychologist might explore the effects of groupthink on an individual’s behavior.

Conversely, sociologists are more concerned with human behavior on a group level . So, where a social psychologist might seek to understand how the experience of growing up in poverty impacts an individual’s IQ, a sociologist would be interested in understanding why one group of people is more likely to vote for a Republican political candidate over a Democrat.

What’s more, sociologists study human institutions as well. For example, sociologists might study how policing practices impact a certain group of people or explore the causes and effects of human migration.

Sociologists spend much of their time reading, researching, gathering evidence, and so forth, in an effort to build an informed understanding of why human groups behave and think the way they do.

Another difference between these two fields is that you’ll commonly find social psychologists who work directly with clients. For example, a social psychologist might specialize in training children with special needs to have improved social skills.

Conversely, sociologists are much less likely to work with clients, and instead typically work in a research capacity.

What Education is Required to Become a Social Psychologist?

Students in social psychology programs are involved in advanced studies on how people relate to one another. These studies include an in-depth analysis in intergroup dynamics, multiculturalism, attitude formation, discrimination, prejudice and other social topics that influence human interactions and attitudes.

The process of becoming a social psychologist begins with undergraduate studies in psychology , which generally takes four years. At this level, students acquire basic skills and knowledge with regard to the discipline of psychology.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree is required. Graduate studies typically include between 30-35 credit hours of coursework, in addition to practicum and internship experiences that place the student in teaching or research settings.

Practicum experiences require several hundred hours of clock time, while internships usually require around 1,000 hours of clock time. Most students can complete their graduate studies in 2-3 years.

Individuals that wish to pursue a doctorate might face stiff competition. There are more applicants for social psychology doctorate programs than there are spots, so applicants must demonstrate high academic success at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Applicants must also perform well on the Graduate Record Exam, showing strong verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills. Those who do gain admittance to a Ph.D. program will need an additional 4-6 years to complete their studies.

Doctorate programs require much research into social psychology topics, including research and defense of a dissertation. Some Ph.D. programs also require students to pass a doctoral candidacy exam in order to graduate successfully from the program.

Most job opportunities, generally, are reserved for individuals with a doctorate/licensure. In most states, licensure is required to use the title “psychologist”. Requirements for licensure generally include (but not limited to) an APA accredited doctoral degree in psychology, supervised experience under a licensed psychologist, and passing licensure examination (some states may have additional requirements).

What Does It Take to Be a Social Psychologist?

Here are some of the most important skills and qualities needed by social psychologists:

• Communication skills. Much of the research conducted by social psychologists involves interviewing people, so it’s important to be able to communicate effectively; this includes being a good listener and learning to read body language.
• Open-mindedness . Social psychologists deal with people of various races, cultures and belief systems, so they mustn’t let prejudice, personal biases or subjective opinions contaminate their interviews.
• Detachment . Social psychologists often deal with people who live in difficult environments or have disturbing problems, so it’s important for psychologists to maintain a certain detachment, not letting personal feelings influence their research findings.
• Research skills. They must be able to not only conduct objective and rigorous research of their own, but must also be able to locate, study and understand the research conducted by scientists from various fields.
• Presentation skills. Social scientists must be able to present their research findings in a clear and convincing fashion, or all their research is for naught. They must be able to use graphs, tables, verbal descriptions and other forms of research data in an organized and attractive presentation of their findings.

How Much Does a Social Psychologist Make a Year?

Data on the salaries of social psychologists is extremely limited. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not specifically note incomes for social psychologists, instead covering psychology on a general basis. As of May 2023, psychologists can expect to make an average salary of $106,420 each year.

The annual salary will be largely dependent upon the place of employment. Social psychologists that work in the public sector, such as public schools, colleges, or for non-profit agencies, can expect to earn less-than-average salaries.

However, social psychologists employed as consultants, strategists, or researchers will earn higher-than-average salaries.

Salaries are also impacted by the geographic location in which one lives. Higher gross annual salaries can be expected in urban and suburban areas while social psychologists in rural locales are paid less, on average.

However, the cost of living in urban and suburban areas is much higher, so the net income is actually much more comparable to what a social psychologist would earn in a rural town.

What is the Career Outlook for Social Psychologists?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the job outlook for psychologists in general is quite good. Growth is expected at a rate of 6 percent over the next decade. However, more job opportunities are available as the level of education increases. As a result, social psychologists that have a Ph.D. may enjoy more job opportunities than those with only a master’s degree.

Additionally, because of the nature of their work researching and evaluating social issues, social psychologists in the private sector will continue to be in demand as the nation becomes more and more diverse and continues to tackle issues of race, religion, personal freedom, and the like.

In particular, social psychologists that conduct research at universities or for government agencies can expect a positive long-term employment outlook.

However, individuals who wish to pursue a career teaching social psychology at the college or university level can expect very few opportunities. Teaching positions are hard to come by, particularly at the university level. If interested in pursuing a teaching career, starting out at a community college or small four-year institution may be required.

What Careers are Similar to Social Psychology?

As mentioned above, social psychology seeks to understand how individual people are impacted by their social environment, as well as how individuals impact and are impacted by one another. There are several careers that are similar in nature or practice to social psychology. These careers include:

Sociologist – Where social psychologists examine the social behavior of individuals, sociologists study social behavior on a societal level. Nevertheless, both disciplines focus heavily on social research, including crime, health, gender issues, issues of race, religion, and poverty, to name a few.

Personality psychologist – Like social psychologists, personality psychologists are interested in the social nature of human behavior. However, personality psychologists typically examine how an individual’s personality characteristics influence the manner in which a person behaves in society. For example, a personality psychologist might explore how a person’s level of aggressiveness impacts their ability to form relationships with others.

Organizational psychologist – Organizational psychologists study many of the same topics as social psychologists, but simply apply those insights to the workplace. Whereas a social psychologist might be interested in learning about how social media plays a part in bullying, an organizational psychologist would be interested in learning the impacts of bullying specifically in the workplace.

Environmental psychologist – Environmental psychology is the study of how one’s environment impacts their wellbeing and overall health. These environments include the natural physical environment, the social environment, and environments that are man-made, such as the family unit. These are the primary topics of inquiry whether a student pursues a degree on campus or online.

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80+ Jobs in Psychology to Consider

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Amanda Tust is a fact-checker, researcher, and writer with a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Psychology Jobs in Therapy and Research

Applied psychology jobs, psychology jobs in the workplace, psychology jobs in healthcare, psychology jobs in education.

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• Finding the Right Career

So you've decided to major in psychology, but what exactly do you plan to do after you graduate? With the number of college graduates steadily increasing, it's more important than ever to carefully consider your career options and select a field that is in high demand.

There are also lots of career paths in psychology beyond some of the "typical" options of clinical or counseling psychology. In fact, some of the most interesting job options might be those that you don't hear much about such as aviation psychology or traffic psychology.

One exercise you may find helpful is to look through a list of psychology careers to see what your options are and then narrow down the list to those in which you are most interested in.

Obviously, the best job is the one that you truly love, whether it involves providing therapy, conducting research , or solving real-world problems. Before you decide on a career, spend some time thinking about what really interests you and the type of work setting you would most likely enjoy.

As of 2019 , the demand for psychologists is expected to grow by 14% through the year 2026.

While this is not a comprehensive list of every single psychology career out there, the following are just a few of the psychology-related jobs that have a strong projected employment outlook or are considered an up-and-coming field with opportunity for growth.

We highlight a few of these careers to help convey the enormous variety of employment opportunities within the field of psychology. Some of these career options are specifically in psychology while others are less related but still rely on the knowledge and skills acquired while earning a psychology degree .

Consider some of these options as you plan your career path.

Art Therapist

Art therapists utilize the expressive and creative arts to help clients cope with psychological distress and to enhance emotional well-being. People who work in this field are trained in both psychotherapy and art. By using art, clients can communicate feelings, express creativity, explore different aspects, of personality, and cope with stress.

Art therapy is often used in a variety of situations, including:

• Adults suffering from chronic or severe stress
• Children with disabilities
• People who have suffered brain injuries
• People who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event

Clinical Psychologist

Clinical psychologists  assess, diagnose, and treat clients struggling with psychological disorders. These professionals typically work in hospital settings, mental health clinics, or private practices.

Although clinical psychology is the single largest employment area within the field of psychology, there are still plenty of jobs available for qualified professionals. In order to become a clinical psychologist, you must have a doctoral-level degree in clinical psychology and most states require a minimum of a one-year internship.

Counselors help people with a wide variety of problems, including marriage, family, emotional, and substance use issues. While requirements vary, almost all states require at least a master's degree in order to become a licensed counselor. Typical work settings include schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, and mental health clinics.

Geropsychologist

As the population of older adults continues to grow, the demand for professionals to attend to their mental health needs also increases. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the year 2030, 21% of the population will be age 65 or older.

"Geropsychologists do everything from keeping older adults mentally and physically healthy and vibrant to working with those who are frail and have cognitive impairments," explains Deborah DiGilio, director of APA's Office on Aging . Geropsychologists can work in a wide range of areas, from providing mental health services to aging adults to designing products that make life easier for the elderly.

Experimental Psychologist

Do you love creating psychology experiments?  Experimental psychologists  use scientific methods and design research studies that explore many different topics within psychology. Social behavior , cognitive processes, personality, and human development are just a few of the topics that experimental psychologists might investigate.

People working in this field often specialize in a particular area such as cognitive psychology, educational psychology, or personality psychology. They may also be employed in a variety of settings ranging from universities, government agencies, research centers, and nonprofit organizations.

Consumer Psychologist

As retailers become more concerned with attracting new customers, the need for psychologists to understand consumer behavior in order to develop effective marketing campaigns has grown.  Consumer psychologists  not only study why people purchase goods and services, but they also analyze how family, friends, culture, and media messages affect buying behavior.

Some tasks that a consumer psychologist might perform include:

• Working with consumer focus groups to determine how appealing a particular product might be
• Developing advertising and marketing campaigns to appeal to a target audience
• Conducting theoretical research on shopping and buying behavior

Forensic or Criminal Psychologist

Forensic psychologists  apply psychology to the fields of criminal investigation and law. This has rapidly become one of the hottest psychology careers thanks to numerous portrayals in popular movies, television programs, and books.

While the field may not be as glamorous as it is depicted in the media, forensic psychology is still an exciting career choice with a lot of potential for growth. These psychologists often work with other experts to scrutinize insurance claims, perform child custody evaluations, and investigate suspected child abuse.

If you are interested in this area of psychology, you might want to also consider the related field of criminal psychology.  Criminal psychologists  perform a variety of duties such as developing profiles of criminals, assessing convicted criminals to determine their risk of re-offending, and helping law enforcement catch online predators.

Engineering Psychologist

Engineering psychologists  use psychology to investigate how people interact with machines and other technology. These professionals use their understanding of the human mind and behavior to help design and improve technology, consumer products, work settings, and living environments.

For example, an engineering psychologist might work as part of a team to redesign a product to make it more efficient and easier to use in a work situation. Those working in academic settings report the lowest earnings, while those working in the private sector report higher salaries .

Sports Psychologists

Sports psychologists  focus on the psychological aspects of sports and athletics, including topics such as motivation, performance, and injury. The two major areas within sports psychology are centered on helping to improve athletic performance or using sports to improve mental and physical health.

Sports psychologists work in a wide variety of settings including universities, hospitals, athletic centers, private consulting practices, and research facilities.

Traffic Psychologist

Traffic psychology is an emerging field that involves applying psychological principles to understanding driver behavior. Some areas in this field include:

• Designing vehicles that are safer and more ergonomic
• Researching how people use transportation
• Searching for ways to improve traffic safety and prevent auto accidents
• Studying the relationship between driver behavior and traffic accidents

Traffic psychology often involves a multidisciplinary approach, combining fields such as social psychology, behavioral psychology, and cognitive psychology.

For example, traffic psychologists might assess how perception and cognition influence performance during a driving task. They might also look at how individual personality affects a driver's  emotions ,  attitudes , and risk-taking behavior while driving.

Career Counselor

Thanks to the rapidly changing job market, many people are searching for a new job in their chosen field or even changing careers entirely.  Career counselors  help individuals make career decisions and utilize tools including personality assessments, interest inventories, and other evaluation measures.

They often start by looking at a client's interests, job history, education, and skills in order to determine which careers are a good match. They also help clients work on building skills, practicing interviews, improving resumes, and locating job openings. Assisting clients who are dealing with job loss or employment-related stress is also common.

Aviation Psychologist

Aviation psychology is a relatively little-known subspecialty area of  human factors psychology that involves the study of pilots, air traffic controllers, and other flight crew members. People who work in this field perform a number of different duties, which may include:

• Assessing cabin safety
• Conducting research on aviation safety
• Designing flight decks
• Evaluating prospective employees
• Investigating aviation accidents
• Selecting and training pilots
• Training flight crews in communication strategies and ways to assist passengers with in-flight anxiety

Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

Industrial-organizational psychologists (also called I/O or I-O psychologists) focus on workplace behavior, often using psychological principles to increase worker productivity and select employees that are best suited for particular jobs. There are several different specialty areas within industrial-organizational psychology .

For example, some I/O psychologists train and assess employees, while others evaluate job candidates. While there are some job opportunities at the master's degree level, those with a doctoral-level degree in industrial-organizational psychology are in greater demand and command significantly higher salaries.

One sub-specialty area of the field involves working in human resources management to screen and hire job applicants. These professionals are often involved in designing and administering employment screening tests and selecting job candidates that are the best fit for particular positions within a company.

Genetic Counselor

Genetic counselors help provide information about genetic disorders to couples and families. These professionals typically have graduate training in both genetics and counseling, and many have undergraduate degrees in areas such as psychology, social work, biology, nursing, and public health.

Genetic counselors often work with a team of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, and geneticists to offer support, guidance, and assistance to families who have a family member with a genetic disorder or who may be at risk of passing down an inherited disorder to their offspring.

Health Psychologist

Health psychologists  study how psychological, biological, and social factors influence health. Two important areas of health psychology include helping people avoid illness and promoting healthy behaviors. Educating people about the causes of illness and teaching healthier habits are just two things that a health psychologist might do on a regular basis.

These professionals often work in settings such as hospitals, universities, health care centers, and government agencies. Some of the job duties they may perform include helping people to lose weight, stop smoking, eat healthily, and decrease stress.

School Psychologist

School psychologists  work in educational settings to help children deal with emotional, academic, and social problems. Thanks to increased interest in the mental health of children and federal education legislation, school psychology has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing fields.

Special Education Teacher

While slightly outside of a traditional psychology career, the field of special education offers a great deal of opportunity for those who enjoy helping children. Special education teachers work with students with a variety of disabilities.

In order to become a special education teacher, you must have at least a bachelor's degree and complete a teacher training program in special education. Because of the increased enrollments in special education programs and a shortage of qualified teachers, demand is strong and expected to grow.

More Career Options in Psychology

Did one of the careers highlighted above catch your eye? Or are you still looking for something that matches your interests and goals? The specific career you pursue will depend largely on your educational background. Some entry-level jobs are open to those with an undergraduate degree in psychology, while others require advanced or graduate-level study.

The following are just a few of the many psychology-related job titles that you might want to explore. Some are directly in the field of psychology, while others require additional training in another field or specialty area.

In either case, having a solid understanding of the human mind and behavior can be beneficial in any of these careers:

• Academic advisor
• Advanced practice psychiatric nurse
• Advertising agent
• Animal researcher
• Animal trainer
• Case worker
• Child psychologist
• Childcare worker
• Cognitive psychologist
• College admissions counselor
• College admissions officer
• College recruiter
• Community counselor
• Comparative psychologist
• Correctional treatment specialist
• Counseling psychologist
• Criminal investigator
• Crisis counselor
• Customer service agent
• Developmental psychologist
• Education administrator
• Educational psychologist
• Elementary school teacher
• Employment interviewer
• Employment recruiter
• Environmental psychologist
• Family and marriage therapist
• Financial aid counselor
• Grief counselor
• Human factors psychologist
• Human resources manager
• Human resources specialist
• Library assistant
• Literary agent
• Market researcher
• Mental health coordinator
• Military psychologist
• Music therapist
• Neurologist
• Neuropsychologist
• Occupational therapist
• Police officer
• Probation officer
• Psychiatric aide
• Psychiatric social worker
• Psychiatric technician
• Psychiatrist
• Psychosocial rehabilitation worker
• Public opinion surveyor
• Public relations specialist
• Recreational therapist
• Rehabilitation counselor
• Research assistant
• School counselor
• Science writer
• Secondary school teacher
• Social psychologist
• Social services specialist
• Social worker
• Statistician
• Substance abuse counselor
• Technical writer
• University psychology professor
• Vocational rehabilitation counselor
• Youth counselor

Before You Choose a Career in Psychology

As you can see, employment opportunities in psychology are diverse. Some careers require only a bachelor's degree in psychology, while others require more advanced degrees such as a master's or doctorate degree.

Spend some time researching different options and learning more about what's required to enter into those fields. Ask yourself if you have the commitment and drive needed to pursue the necessary educational training.

As you examine the variety of psychology careers that are available, think about some of the following questions.

• How well does the career fit your personality?
• What kind of training and education are needed to enter the field?
• Are the average salaries in a given field satisfactory?
• What kinds of things do people in that particular career path do on a daily basis?
• Does the career sound interesting, challenging, and rewarding?

Finding the right career in psychology takes some careful planning. It is important to start thinking about what you might want to do early on. This way you can start planning your educational map in order to achieve your vocational goals.

A Word From Verywell

The job options listed here are just a few of the many different career paths available in psychology. Remember that no list of predicted "hot jobs" can ever highlight all of the many options that are available in psychology. The important thing is to pick a career that is right for you, your interests, and your long-term goals.

Martin L, Oepen R, Bauer K, et al. Creative arts interventions for stress management and prevention: A systematic review . Behav Sci (Basel) . 2018;8(2). doi:10.3390/bs8020028

Schouten KA, Van hooren S, Knipscheer JW, Kleber RJ, Hutschemaekers GJM. Trauma-focused art therapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot study . J Trauma Dissociation . 2019;20(1):114-130. doi:10.1080/15299732.2018.1502712

American Psychological Association. Pursuing a Career in Clinical or Counseling Psychology .

U.S. Census Bureau. Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060 .

Hackett P, Schwarzenbach J, Jürgens U. Consumer Psychology: A Study Guide to Qualitative Research Methods . Opladen; Berlin; Toronto: Verlag Barbara Budrich. 2016. doi:10.2307/j.ctvddzsrf

American Psychological Association. All About Human Factors and Engineering .

Rossier, J. (2015). Personality Assessment and Career Interventions . In P. J. Hartung, M. L. Savickas, & W. B. Walsh (Eds.),  APA handbooks in psychology®. APA handbook of career intervention, Vol. 1. Foundations  (p. 327–350). American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14438-018

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook .

Hartman, K & Stewart, T. Investing in Your College Education: Learning Strategies With Reading s. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning; 2010.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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Student scam season is in full swing, job sites and fake postings often lure recent graduate..

Posted May 9, 2024 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Scams targeting students have gotten increasingly sophisticated and aggressive. Scammers, aware of students’s desperate search for an answer to the questions of family and the pressure of student loans, are creating increasingly personalized and convincing job scams for recent graduates (Fair, 2023).

Some scammers are turning to social media , job platforms, and college campuses to obtain money and personal information from college students who may have less knowledge and experience with authentic job postings. In an effort to gain authority, scammers may pretend to be alumni of the college by looking up faculty members of the university or key landmarks of the college town.

Fake job postings often provide enticing offers such as work-from-home positions where you can make hundreds a week with little time and effort. The offers might also be personalized using specific details from LinkedIn profiles that link their previous experiences and roles with the position being offered (Fair, 2023). College students may be less likely to detect the authenticity of scams when they are delivered by LinkedIn and include the name or other basic information about the recipient (Baki et al., 2020).

After connecting with the student – possibly by posing as alumni or recruiters from well-known businesses – scammers often set up an interview with the prospective candidate where they will go over the details of the job, soon followed by a seemingly official job offer and request for onboarding paperwork. Through the interview and requested HR documents, the scammers collect personal information, including the student’s Social Security number, bank account information, driver’s license, and other details requested on W-2 and other tax forms.

After obtaining personal information from the students, the scammers may request money through upfront fees for purchasing starter equipment kits such as computers, internet routers, and headsets or certifications for which they claim they will later reimburse (Bungo, 2023).

Before pursuing a job offer, students should call the official company number found on their website, not the number the recruiter gave. If an individual claims to be an alumni of the college, contact the career services office and alert the university if this person is found to be an impersonator. If you find a scam, you should report it to the FTC.

This posting was created in collaboration with Scripps College student Alicia Lamkin.

Baki, S., Verma, R. M., & Gnawali, O. (2020). Scam augmentation and customization: identifying vulnerable users and arming defenders. Proceedings of the 15th ACM Asia Conference on Computer and Communications Security (ASIA CCS ’20) , 236-247. https://doi.org/10.1145/3320269.3384753

Bungo, L. (2023). Scammers impersonate well-known companies, recruit for fake jobs on LinkedIn and other job platforms. Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Alert.

Fair, L. (2023). Job scammers go even lower in the way they “hire”. Federal Trade Commission: Business Blog. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/08/job-scammers-go-even-lower-way-they-hire

Fair, L. (2023). Job scams targeting college students are getting personal. Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Advice. https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/12/job-scams-targeting-college-students-are-getting-personal

Federal Trade Commission (2022). How to spot, avoid, and report fake check scams. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-report-fake-check-scams

Stacey Wood, Ph.D. is the Molly Mason Jones Professor of Psychology at Scripps College and a national expert on elder fraud issues.

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