6 Alternative Graduate Programs for Psychology Majors

An undergraduate degree in psychology provides excellent preparation for a wide variety of careers. While many undergraduate psychology majors later choose to study psychology in graduate school, some students opt for different educational and career paths.

The great thing about a bachelor's degree in psychology is that it provides preparation for graduate study in many different areas. Psychology majors often go on to study education, counseling, or social work in graduate school. Some students even opt for continued study in law or medicine.

Social Work

Social work is a rapidly growing field with a wide range of opportunities. Social workers help individuals and families overcome problems such as poverty, disability, domestic abuse, and addictions. Psychology majors interested in this career are well-qualified for most Master's of Social Work programs.

Master’s level social workers are in high demand in private practices, hospitals, government settings, police departments, nursing homes, and many more areas. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, social work careers are expected to grow faster than the average occupation between 2022 and 2032.

Education

There are many education programs where an undergraduate degree in psychology could be beneficial. Some psychology majors choose to become certified teachers and apply their knowledge of human behavior and learning directly in the classroom.

Other programs such as educational psychology, school psychology, educational technology, curriculum planning, and educational assessment are all possible educational paths for undergraduate psychology majors.

Counseling

Counseling is another option for those who want to work as marriage and family therapists, school counselors, or mental health counselors. Becoming a licensed counselor requires a master's degree plus at least two years of supervised experience. You'll also need to pass state exams to become licensed to work in your state.

Law and Criminal Justice

Understanding human behavior and communication skills acquired during undergraduate study in psychology also provides excellent training for a law and criminal justice career.

Some psychology majors opt for law school after graduation, while others pursue careers in criminology, criminal psychology, or forensic psychology.

Academic Advising and Student Affairs

A career in academic advising or student affairs might be an excellent choice if you enjoy college life and want to help university students achieve their academic goals. Academic advisors help students choose classes, majors, internships, and other important educational matters.

They also deal with admissions decisions, financial aid, scholarships, and career placement. Some also teach undergraduate courses in study skills and student living.

Medicine and Health Sciences

Psychology majors with a strong interest in science might want to consider a career in medicine or the health sciences. While many pre-med students opt for undergraduate degrees in biology or chemistry, an undergraduate degree in psychology is also good preparation for a career in medicine.

Potential educational paths include medical school or graduate study in occupational therapy or physical therapy.

UX/UI Design

User experience (UX) refers to how an individual uses or interacts with a product or service. Working in UX design can be a great way to apply knowledge of human psychology with your research skills to improve products, branding, websites, software, and design.

UI design is a related field that focuses on the interfaces that people use when engaging with a product or program. UI designers work to ensure that aspects of an interface, including text, images, buttons, animations, and other visual elements, are easy to use and understand.

Other Ideas for Psychology Majors

If you don't plan to pursue psychology in graduate school, there are also many other fields where the skills you learned as a graduate can be useful. Other graduate programs that might appeal to you can include:

• Business administration
• Human resources
• Marketing
• Nursing
• Instructional design
• Sports medicine
• Communications
• Public relations
• Environmental science
• Public health
• Religious studies
• International relations
• Public administration and public policy
• Economics
• Political science