A degree in psychology can lead to a variety of versatile careers. To prepare you for the working world, we emphasise contemporary teaching and work experience through placements and volunteering to ensure you can achieve your career goals.
Our undergraduate psychology courses are accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), meaning if you graduate with a 2:2 or above you have a Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership to the BPS, which can help you begin your career as a psychologist. We also prioritise transferable skills to prepare you for any career you choose.
We’ve spoken to Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Employability Coordinator, Carole Carter, to help you work out what you may want to do in the future. Let’s find out what you can do with a psychology degree.
What can you do with a psychology degree?
A psychology degree can offer a wide range of career options when you graduate, but many students are unaware of the opportunities that are available.
Carole says, “A lot of students come to me and say that they don’t know what career path to choose. I tell them to get out there and try to think about what you want to do, what field you want to work in and who you want to work with”.
A psychology degree can lead to work in a variety of fields. According to Prospects, some of the types of work held by Psychology graduates 15 months after graduating include:
- Children, health and education (20.8%)
- Legal, social and welfare (12%)
- Retail, catering and customer service (11.4%)
- Health (10.5%)
- Other (45.3%).
The job roles of these students include care workers (10%), welfare and housing associate professionals (9%), teaching and childcare support occupations (8%), therapy professionals (8%) and teaching professionals (5%).
How can learning about psychology help in other careers?
If you choose to study a psychology degree, you don’t necessarily have to pursue a psychology-based career, such as in the NHS or education.
We prioritise equipping you with transferable skills on your course so you're prepared for wherever your career may take you. As well as a variety of projects, we encourage our students to volunteer and undertake placement opportunities so you’ll have a better idea of what may interest you as a career.
“It’s not important that your next job has the word psychology in the name for you to use your skills,” Carole explains. “Anyone who works in other fields like marketing or human resources would love our students. They can design a study with an intent, gather the data, analyse it and write it up.”
Therefore, if you would love to study psychology but wish to pursue a different career, you’ll still obtain valuable academic and practical skills that will benefit you. Alternatively, if you have already completed a degree but are interested in a degree in psychology, we offer a postgraduate conversion course.
"My course has given me a greater understanding of the young people I work with and how the complexities of their lives may be impacting on how they behave and feel now. This has allowed me to develop greater patience and understanding when engaging with them."
David Connor, BSc Psychology with Integrated Foundation Year
What jobs can you get with a psychology degree?
While studying psychology, we aim to give you as much experience as possible in different careers, including traditional fields like forensic and clinical psychology, as well as alternative routes and choices.
To help you decide, Carole explains how “professionals come to talk to our first year students” to showcase their businesses and associated jobs, which can help students to choose their future career path. Once students know what they want to do, Carole finds they work towards it with “more motivation, interest and determination.”
Furthermore, Sunderland has a dedicated careers team and employability hub who can offer advice, even after you graduate.
“We are supported incredibly well by our careers department. They are very good and they regularly hold different career days. A recent event focused on working with offenders. We had probation officers here, people from the police and forensic psychologists,” Carole states.
Read our psychology student stories to learn more about their time at Sunderland, placement experiences and future career paths.
Is psychology in high demand?
According to Monster Jobs, psychology is a very in demand career, as there is a shortage of psychology professionals and a growing demand for mental health services.
According to Indeed, some of the top-paying psychology careers include:
- Counsellor
- Therapist
- Psychiatrist
- Mediator
Regardless of your chosen career path, it is important to know how to represent yourself to future employers and demonstrate your abilities. While research, analysis, critical thinking and problem solving are just some of the many transferable skills you gain by studying psychology, Carole notes that some students emerge from their degree with many good qualities, but are not necessarily aware of them.
To ensure you’re prepared for the future, our team works to make students aware of the vast array of careers that are available to them.
“We have an HR professional who comes in and works with our students on things like application forms, their CVs and interview skills,” Carole concludes. Psychology is also supported by the Centre for Graduate Prospects, who can help you with job applications after graduation.
Conclusion
A psychology degree can lead to a wide variety of career opportunities, and we prepare you for the working world by ensuring from your very first year with us you know what options are available to you. We also work to equip you with the skills to promote your abilities to enhance your employability.
Find out more about the School of Psychology, and discover which psychology course is right for you. You can also sign up to our Open Day to see our city by the sea, or try our virtual experience.
Published: 29 July 2024