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Career Opportunities for Psychology GraduatesPsychology is such a diverse field that there are many careers that are open to a person with a background in psychology. Below are examples of career opportunities available, both within and outside of psychology proper. Career Opportunities in PsychologyCareers paths within the field of psychology are shaped in part by a person's level of education and in part by a person's career interests. Persons who do not obtain the doctoral degree in psychology encounter some limitations in their career development within the field. For example, they will probably not be able to obtain a permanent teaching position in most four-year colleges, be the principal investigator on research grants, or provide psychological services without supervision. Many intellectually stimulating and financially rewarding jobs, however, are available to psychology graduates (B.A. level). (see next section for career opportunities outside the field of psychology). For those who do plan to continue their education beyond the B.A. level, employment settings are as diverse as the field itself. Professional psychologists are employed in the government, industrial, and private settings dealing with the application, research, and teaching of psychology. The diversity of the field is well represented in the variety of graduate programs available in psychology. The following is a partial list of areas of study offered in psychology. (*) = Fewer than 10 programs offered in this areaAdolescence and youth Many other areas of study outside the field but closely aligned to psychology are available for psychology majors and minors. Some require only a M.A. degree while others require four years of postgraduate study. A partial listing of those fields as well as others in which past psychology majors at Ohio Wesleyan have completed advanced degrees are listed below: Animal Behavior Please consult the following link (www.apa.org/ed/gradschool/) provided by the American Psychological Association for helpful information about applying to graduate programs in psychology. Career Opportunities Outside PsychologyA liberal arts degree in psychology from a recognized college like Ohio Wesleyan can open many different doors that remain closed for the non-college graduate. The marketability of college graduates is grounded in employers' views that college graduates are more emotionally and socially developed than non-college graduates and have enhanced skills in critical thinking, problem solving, writing, and speaking, all of which employers believe increases the probability of success in the workplace. Psychology graduates are especially in demand since many employers have high regard for the type of academic preparation and interpersonal skills that students exiting an undergraduate psychology curriculum are perceived to have. Especially impressive to prospective employers is psychology's emphasis on quantitative skills, objectivity of inquiry, rigor of the program, and breadth of preparation. As you might remember from your introductory course in psychology, the field is extremely broad and continues to move into new areas. The influence of psychology and psychologists thus extends far beyond the traditional arenas of the classroom, the laboratory, the clinic, and the personnel office. Indeed, it appears that there is virtually no area of human endeavor to which those trained in the content and methodology of psychology could not make a creative and valuable contribution. You, as potential psychology graduates, have been trained in the depth and breadth of the field and therefore should be able to make the necessary changes in your career development to adapt to the changing careers of tomorrow. Your preparation has not focused on a specific set of skills and as a consequence your career plans do not need to restrict you to a given area of employment. This is the advantage of a liberal arts education and, more specifically, a major in psychology. Many intellectually stimulating and financially rewarding jobs are available to individuals completing only an undergraduate degree in psychology. However, like with other liberal arts majors, the jobs available to psychology graduates are typically at the entrance level and are often outside the mainstream of the discipline. Some specific career opportunities for BA level persons in vocations related to psychology are:
Consistent with surveys of psychology alumni from other liberal arts colleges, analysis of the occupations of our alumni indicates the following employment settings: Academics......................................9% primary/secondary teacher 4% special education provider 1% college teacher/administer 4% Arts...........................................1% Business......................................40% accountant 1% banker 1% human resources 2% manager 21% producer 2% sales/marketing 5% owner 8% Professional Services.........................19% dentist 2% lawyer 2% physician 1% psychologist 7% other 7% Research...................................... 2% Retired .................................... 9% Service .....................................10% administrator 1% health care worker 2% social worker 6% minister 1% Miscellaneous ...............................10% government employee 2% homemaker 1% programmer 1% student 1% other 5% Note: the above survey represents 65% of our alumni or approximately 1050 individuals. Approximately 43% of the alumni surveyed above have advanced degrees (12% at the MA level) and 57% have no known degrees beyond the BA level. Some of the occupations listed above require advanced degrees in psychology or other fields. In some cases, course work in other areas such as economics, sociology, biological sciences, or education is helpful to the student who does not plan an advanced degree. The majority of psychology graduates nationwide have no advanced degrees beyond the B.A. level. Of those who do, many have received their M.A., Ph.D. or other professional degrees after first entering the job market.
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