What Can You Do With a Psychology Degree?

A bachelor’s degree in psychology teaches the fundamentals of human behaviour and mental processes—knowledge that can help you qualify for a wide variety of jobs. Earning a master's degree in psychology is a step toward specialisation, including working as a chartered psychologist.

What can you do with a bachelor’s in psychology?

A Bachelor of Psychology offers an excellent stepping stone that helps you develop a broad range of skills you can apply to various jobs, including social research, marketing, and others. This versatility makes it a good choice if you’d like to explore your interests whilst keeping your career options open. Whilst broadly applicable, the knowledge and skills you develop as a psychology major may be particularly useful in these industries.

Social services

Knowledge of human behaviour, motivations, interviewing, and data analysis—skills common in psychology degree programmes—translate well to the field of social services. As a social worker—one possible career path in the social services field—you might help people cope with the struggles of their everyday lives in a role as a case manager, social services assistant, or child welfare specialist. 

Typical qualifications: To become a social worker, you’ll need to complete an undergraduate degree in social work. If you already have a degree in another subject, you can complete a postgraduate master’s degree in social work. This usually takes two years of full-time study. One of the UK’s regulatory bodies must approve both degrees.

Human resources

Human resource (HR) professionals oversee much of the employee life cycle. Human resources officers make hiring and firing decisions, manage disputes, and promote employee welfare. Understanding how people think can boost your effectiveness across all these areas.

Typical qualifications: Not all HR positions require a bachelor’s degree or a psychology degree. If you have a Higher National Diploma (HND) or a foundation degree in psychology or a related subject you may still qualify for a position in HR. You can also choose an apprenticeship programme route to a role in HR. 

Marketing and advertising

Selling a product or service often means tapping into the deep desires of the target customer base. As a marketing researcher, for example, you might do just this. The science of persuasion, part of the greater study of social psychology, plays a significant role in effective advertisements and marketing campaigns.

Typical qualifications: Many companies prefer at least a bachelor’s degree for roles in marketing and advertising. Whilst your psychology coursework can help you evaluate consumer behaviour, consider taking classes in market research, sales, or communications as well. Apprenticeship programs may also be an entry point into this profession if you lack a degree. 

User experience (UX) design

As a UX designer, you can use your knowledge of how people think to help solve common, everyday problems. UX focuses on how people interact with products and systems. By analysing people’s needs and frustrations, you can design solutions that make products (including apps and websites) easier to use.

Typical qualifications: You’ll find multiple paths to a career in UX design. Although a psychology degree is a good start, it is not required. If you’re interested in this emerging field, consider doing a UX professional degree apprenticeship or enrolling in online courses for UX design. 

Government 

A bachelor’s degree in psychology is highly valuable if you are pursuing a career in the government or public sector. Positions in these industries span various departments such as social services, psychotherapy, health care, peer mental health support, and more. Many of these positions don’t specifically require a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Still, they can lead you to a more advanced career in psychology, making them ideal options for anyone just entering the field. Working as a National Health Service (NHS) assistant therapist, for example, requires only a bachelor’s degree in psychology and allows you to work as a part of a team of clinical psychologists carrying out treatments, intervention programs, various assessments, and behavioural observations. 

Typical qualifications: You must meet varying requirements for psychology positions in the NHS. For example, positions such as assistant psychologist and adult psychotherapist require an accredited degree in psychology approved by the British Psychological Society (BPS), which can provide you with the eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered (GBC) Membership if you choose to further your studies in psychology. 

Graduate psychology degree jobs: 5 careers in psychology

Psychology graduates often go on to earn a higher-level psychology degree as the first step toward becoming a chartered psychologist. After earning your bachelor’s degree, you’ll need to earn a graduate basis for chartered membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and begin your postgraduate degree. As you pursue a higher degree, consider these fields as possible specialties.

Counselling

Counsellors help people suffering from addiction and other behavioural disorders by offering treatment and advice. Depending on your specialty, you might work in a community health centre, juvenile detention facility, employee assistance programme, or detox centre.

Typical qualifications: You’ll need a diploma, degree, or postgraduate course in counselling to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You must complete this registration to practise as a counselling psychologist in the UK. 

Clinical psychology

Clinical psychologists provide behavioural and mental health care for individuals and families. In this field, you’ll provide clinical or counselling services to help treat a range of emotional, mental, and behavioural disorders. Clinical psychology is one of the largest specialties in the field and is what people usually think of when they think “psychologist”.

Typical qualifications: To work as a clinical psychologist, you will need to train at the doctoral level. This requires a bachelor's degree in psychology from a BPS-accredited programme and provides you with the GBC required for further training in clinical psychology. Additionally, whilst not mandatory, some prospective clinical psychologists choose to first pursue a master’s degree to strengthen their application for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology required to practise as a clinical psychologist. 

Forensic psychology

Forensic psychologists use their knowledge of human behaviour in several ways within the criminal justice system. Working in this field might involve developing criminal psychological profiles, providing testimony in court, assessing witness credibility, or determining whether a defendant is mentally competent to stand trial.

Typical qualifications: To practise as a forensic psychologist, you will need training at the postgraduate level. A BPS-accredited undergraduate degree in psychology will provide the option for GBC, which you need to continue on to further forensic psychology training. After you achieve GBC, you are qualified to go on to earn a Master’s in Forensic Psychology, followed by stage two of the BPS qualification in forensic psychology, which involves supervised practice.

Occupational psychology

Occupational psychologists focus on the behaviour of employees in the workplace. In this role, you’ll seek to enhance the work environment at companies and organisations by improving hiring practices, internal communications, training programmes, and management techniques.

Typical qualifications: To work as an occupational psychologist, you must first achieve GBC by completing a BPS-accredited psychology degree or conversion course. After you’ve achieved GBC, you can continue to complete a BPS-accredited master’s degree in occupational psychology, followed by stage two of the process, BPS Qualification in Occupational Psychology (QOP). The QOP is a doctoral-level award involving at least two years of supervised practice whilst employed as a trainee occupational psychologist. Finally, you will need to register with the HCPC. 

Sport and exercise psychology

Sports psychologists use their knowledge of human behaviour to assist athletes in achieving maximum performance and to treat mental health issues specific to the sports industry. You might work with a variety of athletes, from youth and parents in recreational programmes to Olympic and professional athletes and their coaches.

Typical qualifications: To practise as a sport and exercise psychologist, you must be registered with the HCPC, which requires GBC, followed by completing an accredited Master of Science in sport and exercise psychology and one of two possible doctoral-level training options. You can complete a BPS-accredited doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology or the Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology offered by the BPS.

Alternatively, you can qualify through the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route (SEPAR), which requires a relevant master's degree and completion of a professional development program. Once you complete all training, you must register with the HCPC and can then use the title “sport and exercise psychologist”. Academic careers typically require a PhD in sport and exercise psychology

Educational psychology

Working as an educational psychologist means studying how people learn and retain knowledge. As a psychologist in this field, you’ll study various approaches to learning and develop methods for making learning more effective. This might include studying testing methods, classroom environments, learning disabilities, and behavioural issues that could impede the learning process.

Typical qualifications: To practise as an educational psychologist, you'll need to complete a three-year, BPS-accredited doctorate in educational psychology. The training includes both university-based study and practice-based placements. Once you complete that, you’ll be eligible for HCPC registration and chartered membership with the BPS. All routes require a criminal records check.

Prepare for a psychology degree with Coursera

Experience a university-level psychology course for yourself to see if psychology might be a good fit for you. For example, you can study the fundamentals in the Introduction to Psychology from Yale, learn about human behaviour in Social Psychology from Wesleyan, or browse various popular psychology online courses to explore your interests. If you’re thinking about furthering your education, consider a Specialisation like Foundations of Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania—all available on Coursera.

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