The field of psychology examines the thought processes and actions of the individual, and with the right application, has the potential to influence just about every aspect of our society.
And whilst most people’s understanding of psychology in practice is usually associated with its clinical applications – that is to say, psychiatry and similar roles – a degree in this subject can open roles in a number of diverse fields, teaching you a range of useful analytical skills.
As a psychology graduate from ARU, your new qualification may lead to a career directly related to your studies, but our Applied and Clinical Psychology BSc course may also be applicable in a number of professional contexts.
If you’re considering studying this course with us but aren’t sure what to do afterwards, here are just five careers you can do with a psychology degree.
1. Clinical Psychologist
As mentioned above, many psychology graduates go on to take this path.
As a clinical psychologist, you’ll apply your knowledge and understanding of mental health to diagnose and provide treatment to those with various conditions and disorders. This may include forms of counselling or therapy, and is highly rewarding, giving you the chance to provide crucial support at a time when mental health is an issue of major prevalence, affecting up to 1 in 4 UK adults.
Clinical psychology is perhaps the best-known path in the field, and the one that people traditional associate with the subject. But for an ambitious graduate your options are by no means limited and you may choose a completely different path in your psychology career.
2. Forensic Psychologist
Forensic psychology is the application of psychological theory to criminals to understand the factors which lead them to commit crime.
And as part of a career in forensic psychology, you may be profiling criminals to discern motivations for criminal activity. You’ll also work to tailor treatments for the rehabilitation of offenders to encourage and support them in improving their own lives and assisting their safe reintegration into society, as well as working to assess the risk of reoffending in individual cases to determine courses of action.
This career path will enable you to play a vital role in the prison and justice systems, working directly with offenders to foster reintegration as well as supporting victims.
3. Sport Psychologist
If you’re passionate about sports, our online degree in Applied & Clinical Psychology could be a chance for you to transform your skills into an exciting role.
Sports is a physically demanding career, but its competitive nature can also take a psychological toll. As a sports psychologist, you’ll be involved in managing the mental health of team members and providing support to help them balance their physical and psychological wellbeing, assisting them to cope with defeat, injury, pressure, routines and a host of other challenges.
By understanding the psychology of a competitive mindset and the factors that motivate individuals and encourage team collaboration, you’ll be in a position to prime the wellbeing of sportsmen and women to improve both their performance and their overall mental health.
4. Educational Psychologist
This career path gives you the chance to support children and young people and help them navigate psychological challenges within educational environments.
As an educational psychologist, you’ll assess children and young people to discover the barriers that can be preventing them from success in their education and impacting on their psychological wellbeing. From an early age, key identifiers can be seen in young children’s development and behaviour which may indicate a likelihood to struggle in education.
Your role as an educational psychologist will be to support children displaying these signs, and their parents, to help them overcome barriers to success and find solutions within the educational environment to help them manage challenges and achieve their goals.
5. Marketing
With a broad understanding of individuals, as well as group psychology, you’re well positioned to understand the consumer mind.
And while it might not be the traditional path of a psychology graduate, the expertise of a degree in this field and the analytical skills you’ll develop will serve you well in a marketing career.
With an online degree in psychology, you’ll have a breadth of knowledge which will enable you to make predictions on consumer demands, intentions and behaviour patterns to guide branding, product development, advertising and consumer connection.
Marketing opens a range of career roles, from market research to planning and promotions. And with a distance learning degree in psychology, you’ll develop a wide skillset which will aid you in any of these positions.
These are just five careers you may pursue with a degree in psychology. But our Applied and Clinical Psychology BSc, accredited by the British Psychology Society (BPS), can open doors to many more varied and exciting career opportunities, giving you the chance to make a powerful and inspiring change in society.
Whatever your ambitions, our flexible distance learning course will prep you with the skills to build your career.
Want to know more about the field of psychology, distance learning and our other courses?