Find a Job You Really Want In
With psychology being the study of the mind, a degree in the field opens a lot of career positions. As it’s high people-centric, you can choose between careers in mental health, HR, PR, and other jobs that deal with the public.
Key Takeaways:
-
A master’s in psychology opens up opportunities in HR, PR, mental health care, social work, and sales.
-
The compensation for jobs with a degree in psychology varies. This will depend on whether you work in the private sector or public sector and your level of education.
-
The majority of positions in psychology require good soft skills, like communication, empathy, organizational ability, and being able to keep the information confidential.
-
Psychology is an extremely popular major at the moment. While this isn’t a bad thing, it can mean that you won’t stand out from other applicants with a psychology degree.
10 Best-Paying Jobs for People With a Master’s in Psychology
-
Average Annual Salary: $69,000
Psychotherapy is also called talk therapy, and that is primarily what a psychotherapist does – talk to patients and get them to talk to them. While unable to prescribe medication, psychotherapists can help diagnose and treat mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and self-esteem issues.
Required Skills: strong communication skills, interpersonal skills, empathy, and familiarity with the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
-
Average Annual Salary: $78,000
As the name suggests, school psychologists deal with the psychological health of the students in a school. They work with children suffering from behavioral and emotional issues, all while working with parents and teachers to make sure kids are getting the help and treatment they need.
Unfortunately, as with most school positions, it’s possible that you’ll end up stretched thin in this position. Some school psychologists work for several schools or will serve a large student body by themselves. Often they work regular hours, but this can vary on the situation and how many students are in their care.
Required Skills: Empathy, communication skills, analytical ability, familiarity with child psychology, and attention to detail.
-
Average Annual Salary: $73,000
Most psychology associates work for an organization like a prison, nursing home, or other group living situation. Their main duties involve administering and scoring evaluations, but they also assist in dealing with psychological issues and making sure environments aren’t psychologically harmful (when possible).
Typically, both at least a master’s degree and experience are required to take this position. It can be a difficult job, depending on where you work, as you’ll be dealing with people who are struggling or unhappy on a regular basis.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, analytical ability, ability to give directions well, as well explaining complex subjects to laypersons.
-
Average Annual Salary: $80,000
As the title implies, someone in this position manages part of the HR department in a business. This will include being involved in recruiting, hiring, benefits distribution, and responding to any employee complaints.
HR is a very people-centric career path. You need to be able to diffuse disputes, be aware of all employment laws, and keep track of private information accurately and confidentially.
Required Skills: Good communication skills, interpersonal skills, organizational ability, and the ability to keep information strictly confidential.
-
Average Annual Salary: $99,000
As a user experience researcher, your job would be to make online platforms as user-friendly and engaging as possible. That means that you’ll spend a lot of time doing research into how people use online platforms and what resonates with them and what doesn’t.
To that end, you’ll be in charge of recruiting subjects to participate in your research and be honest about their experiences. This is a relatively new position, with psychology being by far the most commonly reported major, beating out the next nearest by more than 15%.
Required Skills: Computer literacy, interpersonal skills, analytical ability, and a strong aesthetic sense.
-
Average Annual Salary: $63,000
A clinical social worker is a rough cross between a counselor and a social worker. Unlike regular social workers, they can offer counseling and potentially diagnose psychological conditions alongside other counseling duties.
Unlike a counselor or a therapist, though, they’re able to offer help and services to their clients beyond just therapy – much like a social worker. If you’re not sure whether to be a social worker or a therapist, then this is the job for you.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills – especially listening skills – empathy, knowledge of social programs, and being able to keep information confidential.
-
Average Annual Salary: $104,000
A marketing manager manages the marketing department – or a part of it, depending on the size of the business. Marketing is all about branding. You will lead your team in keeping a consistent brand and image for your product, as well as working with other departments as needed.
Required Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills, an emphasis on aesthetics, and attention to detail.
-
Average Annual Salary: $48,000
Public relations is all about how the public will react to what an organization does. As psychology is about the study of the mind, it makes an excellent major for this type of position. Public relations managers run the PR team, making sure that the message is consistent, political, and relevant.
Required Skills: Communication skills are paramount, as well as being aware and in touch with the business customers’ needs and expectations.
-
Average Annual Salary: $50,000
As the name suggests, executive assistants assist executives. This assistance can range in scope greatly, but it often includes scheduling, setting up meetings, reminding them of their schedule, and dealing with paperwork and documents. Executive assistants keep track of and keep the executives organized and on schedule.
Required Skills: Strong organizational skills, communication skills, and being familiar with the company and the executives they assist.
-
Average Annual Salary: $93,000
Sometimes also called a psychometrist, a psychometrician runs neurological tests. They can work in many different environments but typically assist a neurologist or psychiatrist. They most commonly work with people who believe they may have neurological issues, but that isn’t always the case.
This job requires not only administering and running the tests but also analyzing the data. That’s why psychometricians need to have at least a master’s degree, but some places will require a doctorate degree. Their assistance is invaluable to both researchers and diagnosis.
Required Skills: Analytical ability, mathematical aptitude, strong communication skills, and interpersonal skills. Also, the ability to explain complex subjects to laypersons.
10 Entry Level Jobs for People With a Master’s in Psychology
-
Average Annual Salary: $29,000
As the name implies, teacher’s aides assist teachers in the classroom. Their duties can vary wildly and from day to day but include helping set up the classroom, assisting students with class activities, and sourcing materials needed for a lesson. They may also guide a part of the class during a lesson or activity.
Depending on the class and age of the students, a teacher’s aide may help with behavioral issues, hygiene, or administering needed medications to students.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, observational skills, empathy, knowledge of child development, and patience.
-
Average Annual Salary: $47,000
As a mental health specialist, you will work with people who struggle with mental illness or addiction. Mental health specialists are most often employed in rehabilitation centers, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals. You’ll work with other mental health professionals to aid patients in proper treatment, care plans, and rehabilitation.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, ability to work as part of a team, being calm in an emergency situation, and empathy.
-
Average Annual Salary: $54,000
Research is a complex and broad field. Psychology research assistants will help researchers with psychological research. This will require filling out reports, organizing data, and doing basic analysis. Some will also handle correspondence, especially if the study is done via survey and other administrative tasks.
Required Skills: organizational skills, attention to detail, strong reading and writing ability, and analytical skills.
-
Average Annual Salary: $34,000
Medical assistants take care of most of the everyday administrative and clinical tasks in a medical facility, be it a doctor’s office, hospital, or clinic. Their duties can vary widely from organizing medical records, preparing medical samples, and scheduling appointments to helping with medical exams.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, organizational ability, time management, and ability to multitask.
-
Average Annual Salary: $64,000
This is a specialized nursing position. Psychiatric nurses perform the majority of the same duties that the average nurse does, such as evaluation, administering medications, and treatment. However, they instead work with psychiatric patients. While the majority in this career have nursing degrees, some will have psychology degrees.
Due to the nature of where they work, they may have to deal with difficult, uncontrollable, or agitated patients. They need to be calm or restrain patients as needed, as well as monitor them for changes in their condition. They’re also expected to help educate both patients and family members on psychiatric conditions.
Required Skills: Strong observational abilities, empathy, communication skills, and patience.
-
Average Annual Salary: $56,000
Sales representatives are the ones who go out and try to drum up sales. Depending on the business you work for, it may involve more reaching out and cold calls, or it may require researching the best people to try to make a sale to. Sales representatives are in almost every business, meaning that there are lots of options to choose from.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills are a must, as well as interpersonal skills and knowledge of the product, and you must be willing to travel.
-
Average Annual Salary: $36,000
Someone in this position usually works with at-risk youth. Most youth counselors will help young people work through the problems in their lives, as well as offer additional resources where applicable. They often work for a charitable organization, but they will also sometimes be employed at a summer camp or other similar establishment.
Required Skills: Empathy, patience, strong communication skills, the ability to build trust, and it helps to be certified in first aid, CPR, and other emergency aid.
-
Average Annual Salary: $50,000
Social workers help others. There are many types of social workers, from those working in foster care to addiction treatment to those working with at-risk youth.
You will need to get to know your clients, gain their trust, and do your best to get them the assistance they need, whether it’s new housing, additional financial support, or navigating legal pitfalls.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, empathy, and patience.
-
Average Annual Salary: $51,000
Some companies will actively look for talent, especially when they aren’t getting a lot of good applications. That’s where recruiters come in. A recruiter’s job is to look for employees that might be a good fit for an open position and contact them.
Some businesses will have quotas that you have to meet, while others have a more standard recruitment process, such as putting up want ads on career sites.
Required Skills: Written and verbal communication skills, knowledge of resumes, and where to place want ads.
-
Average Annual Salary: $39,000
Psychiatric technicians assist in the care and treatment of psychiatric patients. They aren’t qualified to prescribe or administer medication, but they can help with treatment plans and therapeutic care. They will help patients with counseling and help them with improving their social behaviors.
Required Skills: Communication skills, patience, empathy, being observant, and strong time management skills
Psychology Master’s Degree Options
Psychology is a broad degree field with many different subdivisions. Most of them are going to be covered by individual classes, but it’s also possible to specialize in your degree. If you have a bachelor’s in psychology and are looking for good choices for a master’s degree, or are just interested in similar degrees, here are some options to look at.
-
Child Development. The development of the brain is a major study in psychology. This degree would focus on that and the changes that the brain grows through as we grow into adults. It’s an excellent choice if you want to work with kids or as a teacher.
-
Clinical psychology. This focuses on the clinical and treatment side of the discipline. If you know you want to work in a clinical setting or as a researcher, specializing in clinical psychology is a good idea.
-
Counseling. It’s possible to get a master’s degree in counseling. Counselors help people through the struggles in their lives. They can work with individuals, families, or couples.
-
Education. While not really the same as psychology, the science of how people learn is a part of the study of the mind. Education covers learning and teaching techniques and sets you up to become a teacher or other education professional.
-
Criminal Justice. The study of criminal justice is an intersection between psychology, sociology, and law. It will cover why people commit crimes, the types of people more prone to law-breaking, and how our society categorizes and deals with offenders.
Master’s in Psychology Jobs FAQ
-
What can you do with a master’s degree in psychology?
There are many career options for a master’s degree in psychology, including administration, HR, PR, mental health services, and research. Psychology is a broad field, meaning that a degree in it opens up a lot of different paths.
It should be noted that psychology is a very popular degree right now, especially with women, meaning that you would be competing against a lot of other psychology majors. That isn’t inherently a bad thing, but if you’re looking to stand out, it might be worthwhile to look into other similar degrees.
-
What skills do you need for psychology jobs?
As the majority of psychology jobs are human-centric, you’ll need good soft skills to excel at them.
These include communication skills, interpersonal skills, organizational ability, and empathy. If you choose to work as a mental health professional, you’ll also need to be able to follow strict confidentiality laws and regulations.
-
Do employees with a master’s in psychology get paid more?
There are several jobs listed here that are only obtainable with a master’s degree, and they are more highly paid. They include psychometricians, school psychologists, and psychotherapists. That being said, there are many jobs on this list that also don’t require a master’s degree and are well compensated.
Psychology isn’t a field where getting a higher degree is paramount. That means that you have a choice as to whether or not you want to take on the expense and time it requires to get a master’s degree. A better education does usually equate to a higher paycheck, but you’ll have to see whether or not it’ll exceed the cost of the classes.
Author
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
