Psychology Degree Jobs by Degree Level
Social and Human Service Assistant
Bachelor’s or Associate Degree Common. Help social workers and other providers deliver client services in fields such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work, including helping clients find benefits and community services. O*NET respondents most often report a bachelor’s degree for new hires, followed by an associate degree. BLS reports a $45,930 median across 437,860 workers. O*NET Social and Human Service Assistants.
Human Resources Specialist
Bachelor’s Degree Common. Recruit, screen, interview, and place people within an organization. O*NET respondents most often report a bachelor’s degree for new hires, and APA lists personnel recruiter and employee relations specialist among jobs held by psychology graduates. BLS reports a $75,940 median across 912,430 workers. O*NET Human Resources Specialists.
Market Research Analyst
Bachelor’s Degree Typically Required. BLS says social science coursework can be relevant, with research methods, statistics, and marketing skills especially useful. BLS reports a $78,760 median across 899,580 workers. BLS Market Research Analysts.
Social Science Research Assistant
Bachelor’s Degree Typically Required. Research methods, statistics, data handling, and laboratory or survey work can support applications to assistant positions, depending on the project. BLS reports a $61,990 median across 30,640 workers. BLS Occupation Data.
Psychiatric Technician
Education Varies by Employer. Care for people with mental or emotional conditions under the direction of physicians or other health practitioners, monitor their well-being, and take part in treatment and rehabilitation programs. O*NET respondents report that requirements range from a high school diploma to a bachelor’s degree depending on the job. BLS reports a $45,130 median across 156,960 workers. O*NET Psychiatric Technicians.
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor
Master’s Degree Common. Counsel individuals, families, and groups on addiction, mental health, and related problems. O*NET respondents report that 89 percent of new mental health counselors need a master’s degree, while requirements for substance abuse counselors are more mixed. Reported job titles include LPC and LADC, so check your state’s counseling board. BLS reports a $59,350 median across 491,930 workers. O*NET Mental Health Counselors.
School Psychologist
Specialist-Level Degree and State Credential. Work in schools to address learning, behavior, and developmental concerns. NASP says most school psychologists hold at least a specialist-level degree, typically three years of full-time graduate study, and must be state certified or licensed. BLS reports a $95,990 median across 63,940 workers. NASP What Is a School Psychologist?.
Psychologist
Doctoral Degree and State License for Clinical and Counseling Practice. Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional conditions. ASPPB says most jurisdictions require a doctoral degree in psychology, supervised experience, and the EPPP. BLS reports a $100,580 median across 75,990 clinical and counseling psychologists, and industrial-organizational psychologists, a small group of 790 workers, report a $193,950 median. ASPPB Requirements to Practice.
Most Psychology Majors Work Across Many Fields
The American Psychological Association reports that about 25 percent of psychology bachelor’s recipients go on to graduate school in psychology, about 18 percent continue their education in another field, and 57 percent go straight to work. It also says the degree qualifies you for a large number of jobs without uniquely qualifying you for any one of them. Those shares come from a 2017 APA analysis. The job you want decides how far you study.
Pay for Psychology Jobs From Bachelor’s to Doctoral Level
These are May 2025 national wages for nine occupations that psychology graduates move into, listed from bachelor’s-level work to doctoral-level practice. Industrial-organizational psychologists are a small group of 790 workers, so read that median as a description of that group and not a typical starting salary.
| Occupation | 10th Percentile | Median | 90th Percentile | U.S. Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social and Human Service Assistants | $34,200 | $45,930 | $63,290 | 437,860 |
| Psychiatric Technicians | $35,090 | $45,130 | $60,750 | 156,960 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | $38,090 | $61,990 | $102,070 | 30,640 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $47,180 | $75,940 | $128,720 | 912,430 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $43,390 | $78,760 | $155,480 | 899,580 |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $38,940 | $59,350 | $97,590 | 491,930 |
| School Psychologists | $63,070 | $95,990 | $142,330 | 63,940 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $55,170 | $100,580 | $180,960 | 75,990 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $79,010 | $193,950 | $247,220 | 790 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, national estimates. U.S. employment is the OEWS estimate. The 10th and 90th percentiles describe the pay spread for employed workers, not entry-level and senior-level guarantees. Browse BLS OEWS tables.
Skills That Carry a Psychology Major Into These Jobs
Statistics, research methods, and writing apply to nearly every job on this list. A research assistant or market research analyst uses them directly, and a human resources specialist or human service assistant relies on the interviewing and people skills the major builds. Keep one finished project you can send with an application, such as a survey you designed and analyzed, and note any internship or volunteer hours in a human services setting.
Choose the Level That Matches the Job You Want
If you want to work right after graduation, compare programs by internship access and statistics courses, including online options that fit a work schedule. If you want to counsel clients, work in schools, or practice as a psychologist, compare graduate programs and your state’s licensing rules, then read the psychologist career guide. The psychology program rankings cover each degree level.
Questions About Psychology Degree Jobs
What Jobs Can You Get With a Psychology Bachelor’s Degree?
Common bachelor’s-level jobs include market research analyst, human resources specialist, social science research assistant, and social and human service assistant. O*NET respondents most often report a bachelor’s degree for new human resources specialists and social and human service assistants, and each job has its own experience requirements, so read the posting.
Can You Be a Psychologist With a Bachelor’s Degree?
No. Practice as a psychologist requires a graduate degree and a state license. ASPPB says most jurisdictions require a doctoral degree, and about half allow people with a master’s degree in psychology to practice under a licensed doctoral-level psychologist. The bachelor’s is the first degree on that route.
What Are the Highest-Paying Psychology Degree Jobs?
Of the occupations compared here, industrial-organizational psychologists have the highest May 2025 national median at $193,950, though only 790 people hold that job. Clinical and counseling psychologists follow at $100,580, then school psychologists at $95,990. The best-paid bachelor’s-level job on the list is market research analyst at $78,760.
Does a Psychology Degree Guarantee a Counseling Job?
No. Counseling jobs have their own graduate and state-licensing requirements. O*NET respondents say 89 percent of new mental health counselors need a master’s degree, so check the counseling board in your state before you plan your program.
Do Psychology Majors Have to Go to Graduate School?
No. APA’s 2017 analysis found that 57 percent of psychology bachelor’s recipients went straight into the workforce. Graduate school becomes necessary for the licensed psychologist, school psychologist, and counseling routes.
Sources and Related Degrees
- American Psychological Association: Working in Psychological Science for degree levels and doctoral training.
- American Psychological Association: Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology for graduate-school and workforce shares.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 national wages.
- O*NET Social and Human Service Assistants for social and human service assistant.
- O*NET Human Resources Specialists for human resources specialist.
- BLS Market Research Analysts for market research analyst.
- BLS Occupation Data for social science research assistant.
- O*NET Psychiatric Technicians for psychiatric technician.
- O*NET Mental Health Counselors for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor.
- NASP What Is a School Psychologist? for school psychologist.
- ASPPB Requirements to Practice for psychologist.
