10 Reasons to Major in Psychology

Prepare for a Wide Variety of Careers

Psychology is certainly not a one-size-fits-all career choice. In fact, one of the greatest strengths of a psychology degree is the enormous variety of career paths that are available to graduates.

Some of these potential professions include:

• Clinical psychology
• Sports psychology
• Forensic psychology
• Health psychology
• Industrial-organizational psychology
• Human factors psychology

Learn More About Yourself and Others

Have you ever wondered why people behave in certain ways? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn more about your own mind, emotions, and actions? Earning a degree in psychology is an excellent way to gain a greater understanding of people.

Find a Job That's in Demand

The demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, and social services agencies is expected to fuel a positive job outlook for trained professionals. Three job areas expected to be in high demand are clinical psychology, school psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology.

Obtaining a graduate degree and getting postdoctoral work experience may give you an extra competitive edge if you want to work in a job directly related to psychology.

Enjoy Fun, Rewarding, Challenging Work

If you love solving practical or theoretical problems, then earning a psychology degree might be a great choice for you. Some psychologists focus on developing solutions for real-world problems or helping people resolve complex emotional issues. Others delve deeper into our understanding of the human mind and behavior by conducting research and adding to the body of scientific knowledge.

Make a Difference in People’s Lives

If you’ve ever dreamed of making a real difference in other people's lives, earning a psychology degree can be an effective way to achieve that goal. Psychologists, counselors, therapists, and community services workers devote their time and energy to helping people overcome adversity, increase their well-being, and realize their full potential.

Record, Analyze, and Interpret Data

Psychology students spend a great deal of time learning about research methods and statistics. Even if you don’t particularly love the research process, learning more about how to gather, organize, analyze, and interpret data can be an important skill in a wide variety of careers.

For example, educators, administrators, scientists, marketers, and advertisers often perform such tasks in order to make decisions, evaluate progress, and complete projects.

Prepare for Graduate Study

An undergraduate degree in psychology can be an excellent starting point for graduate study. Many students choose to earn a graduate degree in psychology, while others opt to further their education in a related field such as counseling, education, or social work.

Even if you plan on pursuing a different field in graduate school, you may still find majoring in psychology helpful. Having a background in human psychology can also lead to further study in law, medicine, or the life sciences.

Pursue a Specialty

Let’s imagine that in addition to your strong interest in psychology, you also love sports and physical fitness. While the two subjects might seem only distantly related at first, they actually make up a major specialty area known as sports psychology.

A student who enjoys working with young children can specialize in developmental psychology with a focus on early childhood development, while another student who is fascinated by the aging process could earn a degree in the same subject with a focus on the elderly.

Interestingly, psychologists who specialize in working with aging people may also have particularly great job prospects. Geropsychology, a field that uses psychology knowledge to help aging adults, is expected to be a growing field in psychology.

Impress Potential Employers

Employers highly prize the skills that you acquire during your study of psychology, such as analyzing data, communicating complex information, and understanding human behavior.

These could include:

• Advertising
• Business
• Criminal justice
• Education
• Health services
• Human resources
• Management
• Marketing
• Public affairs
• Sales

Study a Topic You Love

The best possible reason to earn a degree in psychology is simply a love for the subject matter. If you look forward to going to your psychology courses, enjoy discussing psychology topics, spend your free time browsing psychology websites, and love learning new facts about psychology, then chances are good that earning a psychology degree is the right choice for you.