Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Psychology majors sometimes get a bad reputation. Many people think psychology majors learn how to read minds and will sit in a room and listen to people sharing their feelings for the rest of their lives – this couldn’t be further from the truth. Psychology is a vast field and includes many different areas of specialization and job opportunities. Learn more about the types of psychology majors that colleges offer for students.
Table of Contents
Types of Psychology Majors
Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychologists are professionals who are qualified to work directly with patients and provide services. Some services they may provide include:
- Interpreting cognitive tests
- Interpreting personality tests
- Diagnosing mental illness
- Providing psychotherapy
- Coming up with treatment plans
On top of some of the formal tests that clinical psychologists give, they may also use behavior signals and interviews as part of their observation process. Clinical psychology is one of the most popular types of psychology majors as many people specialize in this area of psychology.
Clinical psychologists usually focus their time and energy on specific disorders or people. For instance, a clinical psychologist may only work with patients who have obsessive-compulsive disorder, or patients who are adolescents.
| Clinical Psychologist | |
| Average Salary | $80,261 |
| Hourly Rate | $53.15 |
| Common Degree Held | Doctoral Degree |
Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychology involves individuals who work with the legal system – they may work for the legal system or provide assistance to the legal system. Forensic psychology involves many different tasks which is why it is one of the most popular types of psychology majors. Some of the responsibilities of a forensic psychologist include:
- Evaluating people’s ability to stand trial
- Working cases that involve abuse or neglect
- Working cases where no custody accusations have been made
- Evaluating children and victims
- Providing treatment to people who are incarcerated
- Criminal profiling
Forensic psychologists will usually go on to earn their doctoral degrees. Earning a doctoral degree is necessary for forensic psychologists to be licensed and work directly with individuals and provide services for them. Forensic psychology is a growing field and individuals can expect to earn similar salaries to other psychology professionals – these figures may be higher if they work in the private sector.
| Forensic Psychologist | |
| Average Salary | $69,828 |
| Hourly Rate | $39.25 |
| Common Degree Held | Doctoral Degree |
Health Psychology
Health psychology involves individuals who observe the connection between physical and mental states. Health psychologists can either work directly with individuals or can work on the research side of the field – there are plenty of opportunities on both sides of this field.
Health psychologists primarily work with individuals who have physical problems or may be at risk. Health psychology deals with exploring how psychological factors impact an individual’s health. Some common areas of research in this field include genetics, immunology, and neurology. People who work in the health psychology field primarily work in hospitals, outpatient centers, or research settings.
Health psychologists will have a doctorate degree, but students can start learning about the field as undergrads. Students can take courses that focus on health psychology, which is a great way to learn more about the field and build a good foundation of knowledge.
| Health Psychologist | |
| Average Salary | $81,738 |
| Hourly Rate | $39.00 |
| Common Degree Held | Doctoral Degree |
Industrial Organizational Psychology
Industrial organizational psychology is an interesting field. This type of psychology involves applying psychological principles to businesses and organizations. Individuals who work in this field may be tasked with developing surveys, assessments, and other tools to measure performance or success.
Industrial organizational psychologists could also oversee improving morale in the workplace, enhancing workforce performance, and hiring or leadership decisions. Some big companies will have their own psychologists on staff while smaller companies might bring in these individuals as consultants.
| Industrial Organizational Psychologist | |
| Average Salary | $78,589 |
| Hourly Rate | $25.00 |
| Common Degree Held | Master’s Degree |
Social Psychology
Social psychologists deal with human interaction. Individuals who study social psychology will focus on areas like self-perception, group processes, and the well-being of others. Social psychology crosses over with some other types of psychology majors that we have already touched on like industrial organizational psychology.
Social psychologists will not be assessing and treating individuals. These types of psychologists will apply their research to various areas like healthcare, childcare, and law. Social psychologists will generally have a master’s degree, but in order to stand out in the field, a doctorate degree will be helpful.
| Social Psychologist | |
| Average Salary | $79,768 |
| Hourly Rate | $38.00 |
| Common Degree Held | Master’s Degree |
Sports Psychology
Sports psychology is a growing field. This major is one of the more popular types of psychology majors for students who have a background in sports. Sports psychologists will help athletes perform to the best of their abilities. Athletes deal with a lot of issues behind the scenes that fans do not know about – this is where a sports psychologist comes in.
Sports psychologists may help athletes with many issues including:
- Performance issues
- Eating disorders
- Dealing with injuries
- Family issues
- Various off-field issues
- Transitioning after retirement
| Sports Psychologist | |
| Average Salary | $71,821 |
| Hourly Rate | $48.25 |
| Common Degree Held | Bachelor’s Degree |
Child Psychology
Child psychologist will deal with children. The ages of the children they work with will vary but usually it consists of children ages 7 through 18. Child psychologists will help children deal with stress that may have occurred for a variety of reasons like divorce, death, family issues, or school issues.
Many times, their clients will have developmental issues like attention deficit disorder, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, and various phobias. Child psychology is usually considered a sub-specialty of clinical psychology which means that individuals who wish to study child psychology will need to pursue a doctorate degree in clinical psychology – this will allow them to work directly with their patients.
| Child Psychologist | |
| Average Salary | $68,528 |
| Hourly Rate | $34.07 |
| Common Degree Held | Doctorate Degree |
Types of Psychology Degrees
Psychology differs from other college majors. For most college majors you can get your undergraduate degree and be fine for the rest of your career. Most students working towards an undergraduate psychology degree will plan on attending a master’s program and maybe even a doctorate program. There are some opportunities for students with an associate or bachelor’s degree in psychology, however, most of the big-time jobs in psychology will require at least a master’s degree.
Associate Degree in Psychology
An associate degree in psychology will take around 2 years to complete and is considered an undergraduate degree. Most students who are working towards an associate degree in psychology will be completing this program at a community college or two-year school.
An associate degree in psychology is not going to land you any big-time jobs in the field of psychology – to be completely honest, there won’t be many job opportunities in the field for these students. Most students will transfer their credits after completion and work towards a bachelor’s degree in psychology. This is a great option and will help students build a good base of knowledge.
Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology
Most students who want to go into the field of psychology will pursue a bachelor’s degree to start. Check out what types of psychology majors your school offers – odds are they will offer a broad-based psychology major. Most of the specialized types of psychology majors will be taken in a masters or doctorate program.
Colleges and universities may offer a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. The differences between the two degrees will depend on your individual school, but a B.A. usually requires more liberal arts general education courses while a B.S. requires more general science education courses.
Students can secure jobs in the psychology field with a bachelor’s degree, but it may prove to be difficult. Most jobs in psychology, as you can see above for the different types of psychology majors, require a masters or doctorate degree. It is possible to use your psychology degree to work in fields that are closely related to psychology but may not be considered psychology.
Master’s Degree in Psychology
A master’s degree in psychology will be completed after students complete their bachelor’s degree. A master’s degree will generally take between 2-3 years to complete. Students will be able to choose between a Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) in psychology.
Students who earn their master’s degree in psychology will find that there are a lot more jobs available to them in the field of psychology – which makes a master’s in psychology a very popular degree. Some master’s programs will be designed to prepare students for jobs in the industry, while other master’s programs will be designed to prepare students for a doctorate degree.
Psychologist Doctorate – PhD and PsyD
Students who want to get their doctorate in psychology have two options – a PhD or PsyD. Students who want to focus more on the research route or academic route of psychology will want to work towards a PhD in psychology. Students who want to focus on clinical work should pursue a PsyD in psychology.
PsyD degrees are usually given for clinical psychology, although you may be able to specialize in other fields like school counseling. PsyD programs are usually 1-2 years shorter than PhD programs. PhD programs have a couple more options for specialization like clinical, counseling, and school psychology. Each of these specializations has multiple subspecialties. PhD’s and PsyD’s are popular types of psychology majors as they open up many job opportunities for individuals who complete these programs.
Psychology Major FAQS
While you don’t need to earn a master’s degree to work in the field of psychology, it certainly helps. Students will find that there are a lot more job opportunities for individuals with a master’s degree in psychology. The same goes for students who earn a doctorate degree in psychology.
Every major in college is going to be challenging. With that being said, psychology is one of the harder majors out there. On our list of hardest college majors, we found that psychology was the 8th hardest major out there. Students majoring in psychology have a lower retention rate and average GPA when compared to other college majors.
1. Clinical Psychologist – $80,261
2. Sports Psychologist – $71,821
3. Child Psychologist – $68,528
4. Social Psychologist – $79,768
5. Forensic Psychologist – $68,828
All earnings data was found on PayScale and Zip Recruiter.