College Majors and Careers

Career Opportunities for Majors in Psychology

Introduction

Psychology is the study of human and animal behavior. It seeks to understand and explain both normal and abnormal behavior, mental ability, perception, development, and individual differences. Because it considers the mental, attitudinal, motivational, and behavioral characteristics of individuals, psychology has many subdivisions and areas of specialization and is a more complex field than many realize. Among the major sub-branches within psychology are behavioral neuroscience, cognitive, clinical, educational, social, developmental, and organizational psychology, as well as psychometrics and statistics.

Psychology majors find jobs in social service agencies, non-profit organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, rehabilitation centers, and correctional institutions. They also find jobs in business and industry in market research, public relations, customer service, management, advertising, human resources, and sales.

While many psychology graduates work in a related occupation and obtain an advanced degree, others choose another direction. Many careers do not require a specific major but rather a wide range of demonstrated skills and accomplishments. Regardless of your career choices, increase your marketability through internships, responsible work experience, good grades, and involvement in college activities.

Related Occupations

Advertising Manager	Hospital Administrator	Psychiatrist
Admissions Counselor	Human Resources Admin.	Psychologist
Business Manager	Labor Relations Specialist	Public Relations Manager
Career Counselor	Market Research Analyst	Rehabilitation Counselor
Child Welfare Worker	Marriage Counselor	Sales Representative
Comm. Serv. Agency Dir.	Mental Health Worker	Social Worker
Customer Service Director	Nursing Home Administrator	Speech Pathologist
Gerontologist	Personnel Manager	Substance Abuse Counselor
Guidance Counselor	Probation/Parole Officer	Youth Counselor

Types of Employers

Private and Non-Profit Organizations
Adoption and Child Care Agencies	Mental Health Institutions
Advertising Agencies	Newspapers, Magazines
Banks	Personnel Agencies
Correctional Institutions	Publishing Companies
Educational Institutions	Radio and TV Stations
Financial Service Companies	Real Estate Agencies
Hospitals	Religious Organizations
Labor Unions	Resort Hotels
Management Consulting Firms	Retail Stores
Market Research Firms	Substance Abuse Clinics
Mental Health Institutions	Social Service Agencies

Government Agencies
Civil Rights Commission	Foreign Service
Consumer Affairs Office	Health and Human Services
County Probation Department	Labor Department
Division of Youth & Family Services	National Science Foundation
Federal Bureau of Prisons	Peace Corps/VISTA
Federal Communications Commission	Veterans Administration

Jobs of Rutgers Graduates

Jobs of Recent Graduates

Assistant Manager, L'Oreal USA
Plan Administrator, Merrill Lynch

Benefits Administrator, IEEE Probation Officer, Passaic County Probation Department

Caseworker, New York Home Care Program Supervisor, Association for Retarded Citizens

Child Care Worker, Catholic Charities Project Manager, Jacobsen & Co.

Claims Representative, Hanover Insurance Company Recruiter, KPMG LLP

Closing Assistant, Chapel Mortgage Corp. Research Aide, Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies

Commodities Floor Clerk, Dow Jones & Co. Research Analyst, Electronic Data Systems

Coordinator of Speakers Bureau, Princeton University Resident Counselor, Project Hope, Inc.

Deputy Copy Chief, TIME, Inc. Respite Worker, Appropriate Living Autism

Editorial Assistant, John Wiley and Sons Sales - Corporate & Retail, MSN

Elementary Teacher, Howell Township School Special Events Coordinator, Alzheimer's Association

Employment Manager, Hyatt Hotels Supervisor-Office Services, Colgate Palmolive

Employment Specialist, Our House, Inc. Teacher of Handicapped, Woodbridge School

Instructional Aide, Somerville Board of Education Therapeutic Activity Teacher, Lehigh University

Mental Health Specialist, UMDNJ Trust Administrator, Merrill Lynch

Operations Consultant, Arthur Andersen Vocational Rehab. Counselor, NJ Dept of Labor

Overnight Counselor, Association for Retarded Citizens Youth Coordinator, New Horizon Treatment

Personnel Assistant, Liz Claiborne Youth Counselor, Somerset Child Home

Personnel Manager, Enterprise Rent A Car Youth Worker, Cumberland Guidance Center

Jobs of Experienced Alumni
Air Traffic Control Specialist, Teterboro Control Tower	Pediatric Psychologist, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology, Lafayette College (PhD)	Poetry Therapist, Self-employed (PhD)
Attorney, Zalkin, Rodin & Goodman (JD)	Probation Officer, Middlesex County Probation
Autism Specialist, Lawrence Public Schools (MA Behavior Analysis)	Research Coordinator, UMDNJ (MPH)
Clinical Psychologist, Associated Psychological Services (PhD Clin. Psych.)	Securities Salesperson, JP Morgan Securities (MBA)
Director of Career Services, Catholic University (MA Student Personnel)	Senior Neuroscience Specialist, Abbott Laboratories
Director, Community Services, Planned Parenthood	Trauma Social Worker, Capital Health System
Occupational Therapist, Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital (MS Occup. Ther.)

Graduate Schools Attended
Boston University, JD, Law	Philadelphia Divinity School, MA, Theology
Capella University, PhD, Psychology	Philadelphia University, MA, Occupational Therapy
Carnegie Mellon, MA, Human Computer Interaction	Rowan University, MA, School Psychology
Columbia University, MSW, Social Work	Rutgers University, PhD , Reading Education
CUNY, PhD, Psychology	Rutgers University, PhD, Psychology
Drexel University, Medicine, MD	Rutgers University, MSW, Social Work
Fairleigh Dickinson Univ., MA, Human Resources	Rutgers University, MA, Special Education
Fairleigh Dickinson University, MBA, Management	Rutgers University, MBA, Finance
Hahnemann University, MA, Clinical Psychology	Rutgers University, M.Ed, Early Childhood Educ.
Hunter College, M.Ed , Counseling/Guidance	St. Joseph's University, MA, Health Services Admin.
Kean University, MA, Industrial Psychology	Temple University, JD, Law
Michigan State University, MA, Psychology	The College of New Jersey, MA, Speech Pathology
MIT, Behavioral Neuroscience, PhD	Tufts University, Dental Medicine, DDS
Montclair State University, MA, Human Services	University of London, MA, Social Science
New York University, PhD, Cognitive Psychology	University of Maryland, MA, Psychology
NY College of Podiatric Medicine, MD, Podiatry	University of Maryland, PhD, Statistics
Ohio State University, PhD, Educational Admin.	University of Pennsylvania, PhD, Political Science

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Explore the career paths of RU Alumni Career Network mentors.

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Explore Rutgers University academic department information related to this major.

See the Occupational Outlook Handbook for additional career information.

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Updated 12/5/06