Psychology: Now What?

Psychology…NOW WHAT?

[Found on the Occupational Outlook Handbook]

About The Field of Psychology

Widely speaking, the field of psychology is defined by a calling to help people, using knowledge of how the health of human brains and social interactions influence our emotional sense of well-being, our self-identity, and our behavior. 

Most professional counseling positions, including psychiatrist, psychologist, and licensed social worker require additional specialized education beyond a bachelor’s degree.  However, there are a wide range of other occupations and fields that seek out insightful people with a psychology Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, including social services, public affairs, administrative support, education, business, sales, allied health, software design, and human resources. 

Psychology students earning the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in psychology often find work in the research field, advancing our knowledge of human nature. They often start as research coordinators, doing the work of finding and qualifying human subjects, administering surveys or cognitive tests, and managing the paperwork that goes along with a professional research project.  Those who wish to propose and run research projects of their own will need to attend graduate school.

What Can You Do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology?

Here’s a quick sample of varied jobs that psychology undergrads might find:

• Community Relations Officer: works either for business or for the government in promoting good relations with the local community.
• Affirmative Action Officer: works for recruitment and equal opportunities for minorities; employed by business, industries, schools and government.
• Management Trainee: plans and supervise operations of a business concern.
• Urban Planning Officer: deals with city planning, renewal.
• Personnel Administrator works with employee relations, selection, promotions, etc.
• Advertising Copywriter: research audience and media, write text of advertisements.
• Media Buyer: research products and audiences to select the most effective media for advertising.
• Health Educator: gives public information about health and disease.
• Psychological Technician: administers routine tests, helps patients under supervision of a psychologist.
• Director of Volunteer Service: recruits, supervises, trains and evaluates volunteers.
• Public Statistician: collects and interprets data on health and disease and community relations.
• Customs Inspector: serves at international borders and airports in investigations and inquiries.
• Probation/Parole Officer: people with psychological backgrounds are often preferred for such positions, especially with adolescent parolees.
• Technical Writer: researches and writes material dealing with social science for magazines, newspapers, and journals.
• Sales Representative: major publishers of psychological books often seek out undergraduates with psychology majors for these positions on college campuses.
• Opinion Survey Researcher: does opinion polls and interprets results.
• Daycare Center Supervisor: supervises and coordinates activities of preschool children with working parents.
• Research Assistant: assists in the collection and analysis of data for major investigations. Positions usually available only in large hospitals, businesses, and government.
• Laboratory Assistant: Psychology background preferred for students working with animal behavior research, especially primate laboratories.
• Scientific Instrument Salesperson: opportunities in sales and development for companies specializing in psychology apparatus.
• Case Manager: works as part of a care team to help patients access community resources

Here are some occupations & industries that seek psychology graduates:

Industrial &/or Organizational Psychology

• Adult Learning/Community Instruction
• Information/Library Science
• Higher Education Administration and Student Support Services including: 
  • Admissions
  • Financial Aid
  • Academic Advising
  • Alumni Affairs
  • International Education and Study Abroad
  • Career Services
  • Residence Life
  • Student Activities and Greek Life
  • Multicultural Affairs
• Recreational Sport 
• Program Development
• Administration
• Research
• Career Planning

Forensic Psychology 

• Law Enforcement
• Legal Services
• Re-Entry Support
• Co-response Clinician 

Clinical Psychology, Direct Patient Care or Human Services 

•  Art Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Case Management
• Mental Health Services
• Physical Health and Wellness
• Crisis Work
• Rehabilitation Services
• Child Life Specialists
• Hospice Care
• Rehabilitation
• Wellness Promotion          
• Individual and/or Group Counseling         

    Business, Industry & International

• Sales
• Customer Service
• Public Relations
• Marketing or Advertising
• Product Design
• Management
• Insurance 
• Claims Management
• Underwriting
• Real Estate or Property Management
• Peace Corp Volunteer/Staffer
• Analyst, CIA
• International Research Specialist
• Foreign Service Officer
• Agent, International Bureau, FBI
• Consultant to Multinational Corporations
• International Correspondent
• International Nonprofit positions (various)
• United Nations positions
• Civil Military consultant

Selection of Employers & Internships for recent (Class of 2021 - 2026) UMass Amherst Psychology Graduates:

• ABA Centers of America
• Action Ambulance Service Inc.
• All Point Licensed Behavior Analysts
• Alleghany County Jail
• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
• Amazon
• Amherst Fire Department
• Amherst Public Schools
• Arbour Counseling Services
• ArcLight Consulting
• Atkinson Family Practice
• Autism Behavior & Learning Experience (ABLE)
• Autism Care Partners
• Barton Associates Staffing Agency
• Baystate Health System
• Beacon ABA Services
• Beacon Hill Staffing Group
• Behavioral Health Network
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Bicycle Therapeutics
• Boston Behavior Learning Centers
• Boston Children’s Hospital
• Boston University School of Medicine
• Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC)
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Cambridge Eating Disorder Center
• Catalent Pharmaceuticals 
• Center for Human Development
• Clinical & Support Options
• Cooley Dickinson Hospital
• Crisis Text Line
• CVS Health
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Easterseals Community and Disability Services
• FirstService Residential
• Franciscan Children’s Hospital
• Greenbrook TMS NeuroHealth Centers
• Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Hingham Public Schools
• Holyoke Medical Center
• International TEFL Academy
• Justice Resource Institute
• Lifespan Health System
• Loyola Medicine
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• Massachusetts General Hospital –Recovery Research Institute
• May Institute
• McLean Hospital
• MetroWest Medical Center
• Milford Regional Physician Group
• MiraVista Behavioral Health Center
• Monte Nido and Affiliates
• Riverside Community Care
• ServiceNet
• Spectrum Health Systems
• Teach for America
• The New England Center for Children
• The Key Program
• The TJX Companies
• Tufts Medical Center
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
• Walden Behavioral Care
• William James College
• Veeva Systems
• Vinfen

Actual Job Titles Attained for recent (Class of 2023 - 2026) UMass Amherst Psychology Graduates:

• ABA Counselor
• Administrative Case Manager
• Advertising Sales Assistant
• Assistant Buyer
• Behavior Support Assistant
• Care Coordinator
• Case Manager
• Case Worker
• Clinical Research Assistant
• Counselor
• Counselor Advocate
• Customer Service Rep.
• Direct Support Worker
• Drug & Alcohol Treatment Specialist
• Educational Treatment Counselor
• Paraeducator (High School)
• Patient Services Coordinator
• Pharmacy Technician
• Play Therapist
• Preschool Teacher
• Probation Officer
• Project Coordinator
• Recreation Aid – Kid’s Peace
• Research Assistant
• Residential Counselor
• School Behavioral Health Worker
• Second Lieutenant – USAF
• Employment Specialist
• Healthcare Rep.
• Intake Coordinator
• Intensive Case Manager
• Investigator
• IT Recruiter
• Journalist
• Life Skills Trainer
• Mental Health Counselor
• Milieu Counselor
• Nutrition Counselor
• Officer – USAF & USMC
• Secret Service Agent
• Special Education Aide
• Substitute Teacher (K-12)
• Teacher (K-12)
• Teaching Assistant
• Therapeutic Staff
• U.S Army Reserve Qualification Officer (Recruiter)
• Youth Counselor

Selection of Graduate Schools for recent (Class of 2021-2026) UMass Amherst Psychology Graduates:

• American International College
• Arizona State University
• Boston College
• Boston University
• Brown University
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Columbia University
• Emory University
• Fordham University
• Georgetown University
• George Washington University
• Harvard University
• Johns Hopkins University
• King’s College London
• Liberty University
• London School of Economics & Political Science
• Louisiana State University
• Marymount University
• MCPHS
• Mass. General Hospital – Institute of Health Professions
• Merrimack University
• New England College of Optometry
• New England Law School
• New York Institute of Interior Design
• New York University
• Northeastern University
• Pennsylvania State University
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Rutgers University
• Sacred Heart University
• St. Thomas Aquinas College
• Salem State University
• Seton Hall University
• Simmons College
• Smith College
• Springfield College
• SUNY – Stony Brook
• Suffolk University
• Trinity College Dublin
• Tufts University
• Tufts University School of Medicine
• University of Chicago
• University of Denver
• University of Hartford
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• University of Massachusetts Lowell
• University of New Hampshire Durham 
• University of North Carolina Charlotte
• University of North Carolina Greensboro
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Rhode Island
• University of Wisconsin Madison
• Vanderbilt University
• Virgina Tech.
• William James College

Professional Associations, Planning Resources & Websites

National Institute of Mental Health                https://www.nimh.nih.gov/             

National Association of Social Workers          www.socialworkers.org    

Association for Psychological Science             www.psychologicalscience.org

UMass Amherst CNS Career Center               cns.umass.edu/careers

UMass Amherst Career Fairs Calendar              https://app.joinhandshake.com/edu/career_fairs 

Resources by Major                                        https://www.umass.edu/natural-sciences/advising/careers/job-internship-and-co-op-searching/career-resources  

Career Choices and Career Planning in Psychology

Psychology Careers by Category                    http://careersinpsychology.org/psychology-careers/ 

O-Net Online – Assessment Tool                   https://www.onetonline.org/find/ 

State Dept and Foreign Service Careers         https://careers.state.gov/career-paths/

Careers with the FBI                                       https://www.fbijobs.gov/career-paths 

Finding Jobs & Internships in Psychology

UMass Handshake Database                         https://umass.joinhandshake.com/stu/postings 

Psych Dept Research                                      https://www.umass.edu/psychological-brain-sciences/research

American Psychological Association (APA)    https://www.apa.org/education-career/job-search

Summer Internship Program at NIH               https://www.training.nih.gov/trainees/summer_interns 

Human Services Jobs in Western Mass              http://www.humanserviceforum.org/jobs/ 

AmeriCorps and Community Service             https://www.americorps.gov/ 

Psychology Job Board                                    http://jobs.psychologyjobs.com

Jobs with the Federal Government               http://www.usajobs.gov/ 

Counseling Psychology                                       https://www.counselingpsychology.org/ 

Human Resources (HR) Jobs

Society for Human Resource Management    http://jobs.shrm.org/

North East HR Association                             http://jobs.nehra.com/

World at Work Jobs Board                             https://careers.worldatwork.org/jobseekers/ 

International Development Opportunities

Fulbright Opportunities                                 http://us.fulbrightonline.org/

Volunteer Abroad                                          https://www.goabroad.com/volunteer-abroad/ 

Intern Abroad                                                 https://www.goabroad.com/intern-abroad 

Jobs in Development                                      https://www.devex.com/jobs

Peace Corps                                                    www.peacecorps.gov

Important Qualities to Include on Your Resume

• Analytical skills. Psychologists must examine the information they collect and draw logical conclusions.
• Communication skills. Psychologists must have strong communication skills because they spend much of their time listening to and speaking with patients or describing their research.
• Integrity. Psychologists must keep patients’ problems in confidence, and patients must be able to trust psychologists’ expertise in treating sensitive problems.
• Interpersonal skills. Psychologists study and help individuals, so they must be able to work well with clients, patients, and other professionals.
• Observational skills. Psychologists study attitude and behavior. They must understand the possible meanings of facial expressions, body positions, actions, and interactions.
• Patience. Psychologists must demonstrate patience, because conducting research or treating patients may take a long time.
• Problem-solving skills. Psychologists need problem-solving skills to collect information, design research, evaluate programs, and find treatments or solutions to mental and behavioral problems.

What Do Employers Look For? (NACE 2026 Job Outlook for Students)

Top 10 Skills Employers Seek on a Candidate’s Resume:

1. Teamwork
2. Problem-Solving
3. Communication (verbal)
4. Technical Skills
5. Communication (written)
6. Work Ethic
7. Analytical/Quantitative Skills
8. Initiative
9. Leadership Potential
10. Detail-Oriented