Rutgers: Career Services (Career Opportunities for Majors in Psychology)

Quick Links
Action Plans Alumni Career Network Career Assessments Career Days Career Services Guide Career-related Links College Majors & Careers Disabilities Resources Diversity Resources Engineering Co-op Graduate School Planning Resume Builder Rutgers Internship & Co-op Vault Online Library

On-campus interviewing, career days and job postings

Login: Students/Alumni | Employers

Top Sponsors

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.

A Sample of Related Occupations

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

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

Jobs Obtained by Rutgers Graduates

First 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, M.Ed, Early Childhood Educ.
CUNY, PhD, Psychology	Rutgers University, MA, Special Education
Drexel University, Medicine, MD	Rutgers University, MBA, Finance
Fairleigh Dickinson Univ., MA, Human Resources	Rutgers University, MSW, Social Work
Fairleigh Dickinson University, MBA, Management	Rutgers University, PhD , Reading Education
Hahnemann University, MA, Clinical Psychology	Rutgers University, PhD, Psychology
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

Additionally, you may:

Explore the career paths of RU Alumni Career Network mentors.
Go to the Rutgers Online Career Planning Site to explore your interests, skills and values. Use the program for either: High School Students | College Students
Explore Rutgers University academic department information related to this major.
See the Occupational Outlook Handbook for additional career information.
Pick up your "Career Opportunities" handouts at any New Brunswick Career Services office.


Find us...Follow us!

Still Have Questions? Ask the Director.