Students who pursue a degree in business psychology will find themselves being educated in several different fields. They will learn about the theory of human organizations, as well as some of the research that is currently underway in the field. This will give them the ability to select personnel, perform interventions and assess and develop organizations. They will also gain knowledge of research and statistical analysis. This will give them the ability to approach problems from a rational perspective in order to devise solutions that are more likely to work based on previous research.

Furthermore, students of business psychology will learn how to create and properly administer surveys in such a way that minimizes bias. They will gain an understanding of performance management systems and selection systems. In addition to this, many of the programs will also expose students to communication and interpersonal skills so that they can operate more effectively in a business environment. This includes the ability to resolve conflicts, communicate effectively, network, strategize, train others and develop ideas with coworkers.

Business psychology deals with many different subjects. Some of the disciplines that exist under the category of business psychology are:

Job Analysis – This is when a job is analyzed from a psychological angle. It can either be used to identify workers who are best suited to a job or to identify ways of changing a job so that workers can perform it more efficiently. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Personnel Recruitment and Selection – Business psychologists may work with the HR department to find and identify individuals who are best suited for particular jobs. They may also work together to determine where those who are best suited for the job are likely to be found.

Performance Management – This is when an individual’s behavior is weighed against what would be most effective for a job. Performance management is implemented by using feedback in order to improve productivity.

Individual Assessment – This is used to assess differences between individuals that can be used to select employees for particular jobs.

Compensation – Business psychologists may analyze a job to determine the appropriate level of compensation in order to attract the most effective employees.

Training Applications – Job analysis and structural design can be used to determine how best to train individuals for a given job.

Group Behavior – This is the study of how individuals function as a collective, and it can be applied in order for teams to operate more effectively.

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Psych students have the option of studying a variety of coursework including abnormal psychology, behavior analysis, comparative psychology, child development, and industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology. The study of psychological principles provides a well-rounded background for employment opportunities in the private or public sector.

Advertising and Marketing

Critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze and understand social behavior enables job seekers with a social sciences foundation to work wonders in the advertising field. An awareness of current events, the ability to forecast future trends, and keen communication skills are vital for the success of an advertiser or market researcher. Careers in this sector can be found at TalentZoo.com

Business Sector

Prospective employees with an understanding of human and organizational behavior have many opportunities in the government and private business arena. Human resource employees and administrative managers serve to hire prospective employees, moderate conflicts, and develop and administer employee training. In the same vein, relations officers serve as a liaison between a particular business and the general public. Human resource-related jobs are available at Jobs4HR.com.

Criminal Justice

Graduates with a background in psych may choose from a number of careers in criminal justice. Students with knowledge of human and social behavior may pursue a career as a corrections officer, detective, law enforcer, or parole and probation officer. People with an undergraduate degree in psychology may also serve as customs inspectors and investigators at airports. Careers can be found at PoliceEmployment.com

Daycare and Preschool Settings

Many psychology students find employment as administrators in early developmental childcare environments. A psych background allows people to work effectively with staff and families to provide quality care, and develop educationally rich programs for young children. Jobs in the childcare field are available at Care.com.

Freelance or Professional Writer

Persons with a background in the social sciences can contribute articles to various publications. With optimal communications and writing skills, jobs at newspapers or magazines are often the perfect fit. Writing jobs can be found at TheWriteJobs.com.

Lab and Research Assistant

Undergraduate degree holders qualify to assist scientists in various projects concerning animal or human behavior. Work is available in numerous lab settings, including business, hospital and governmental, to collect and analyze data. Research and assistant jobs can be found at theLabRat.com

With so many diverse career options to choose from, a bachelor’s degree in psychology opens up a world of possibilities.

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Clinical Psychologists
Counselors
School Psychologists
Social Psychologists
Experimental Psychologists

Many types of psychology jobs exist. Often a master’s degree is necessary to land a position in this field, and some psychology jobs in counseling and clinical psychology require medical school. Having just a bachelor’s degree likely only means a person can work under other psychologists, as an assistant of sorts. However, doing so for a few years while getting a higher degree either part-time or online is a great way to make additional college more affordable.

There are several differences between the different types of psychology jobs available. For example, a clinical psychologist might work in any number of medical facilities and could find work with people in a number of areas, like coping with physical therapy or grieving over the loss of a loved one. Clinical psychologists have such a wide range  of job opportunities that they often specialize in a specific area, such as drug addiction or aging. Clinical psychologists often work in a medical setting, and so it’s appropriate that they work closely with doctors and physicians in the treatment of their patients, though they aren’t the ones to prescribe medications.

School psychologists and counselors work in a school setting, working with students. Counselors can work in other areas, too, not just schools. Some businesses and other places of employment offer counselors to their employees. Counselors do not have the basic medical knowledge that clinical psychologists have, but instead focus more on understanding their clients’ ways of thinking and acting.

Social psychologists, as the name suggests, study how people interact and think, especially in a social environment. They look at people in group settings and study the nature of leadership, among other things. Social psychologists often work in areas of marketing and business.

Experimental psychologists work on research in an any number of levels, including at universities, within the government, for private businesses and for non-profit organizations. They conduct experiments dealing with specific topics provided by their employer and look to see how people behave or react to things like drug addiction, different methods of learning and genetics.

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Career prospects for those who elect to study child and adolescent psychology are wide ranging and encompass individual, team and group environments at different levels of administration. The public tends to typecast child and adolescent psychologists as counselors, but counseling careers are only the visible tip of the opportunity iceberg.

Professional psychologists often work in managed care or government settings at both residential and outpatient facilities. Hospitals and schools employ child psychologists for consultation services. Individuals who have a background in child psychology, but may not yet have board certification, are still valued as support staff. Juvenile court settings, rehabilitation centers and group homes associated with court-directed youth services also hire people trained in child and adolescent psychology.

A different avenue for job prospects lies in the field of scientific research. The accumulation of knowledge is ongoing and new treatments for mental illnesses must be tested. Research may involve conducting clinical trials, or it may involve searching existing literature. Such jobs are most common in a university environment. When the results of a study are published in professional journals, the articles need editing by someone trained psychological termonology.

In the political and public sectors, a background in child and adolescent psychology can lead to jobs as advocates and lobbyists for child mental health policies, regulations and laws. Community activists often work toward the prevention and treatment of negative issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, peer victimization, abortion, teen pregnancy and poverty.

The employment prospect for someone who is skilled in child and adolescent psychology is fairly optimistic. According the US Department of Health and Human Services, the United States has experienced severe workforce shortages in the mental health professions. The shortages are especially acute in rural areas. Recent studies indicate that the need for these skills will continue to grow.

The working environments for child psychologists are just as varied as the job opportunities, ranging from individual work to collaborative team efforts, from field assignments with travel to cloistered office cubicles, from rural to urban, from public to private, and from high to low pay. As of January, 2010, the average salary for a mental health counselor in the US was ,000; a Behavioral Specialist Consultant, ,000; and a Director of Clinical Services averaged ,000. Child and adolescent psychology students have a virtual kaleidoscope of choices and opportunities available in the field of child and adolescent psychology.

What Career Opportunities are Available for Forensic Psychologists?

Forensic psychologists engage in expert testimony and psychological evaluation; expert testimony involves providing testimony as an expert on the likely validity of evidence presented in a legal case, while psychological evaluation may involve evaluating a suspect for the purposes of assisting the prosecutor or defendant.

A forensic psychologist works with individuals who are at an increased risk for engaging in aggressive behaviors. When working with these individuals, a forensic psychologist may engage in consultation, treatment, assessment or in a combination of the above to facilitate treatment.

Forensic psychologists become involved in the legal process through provision of consultative services, as well as through conduction of research and offering of testimony. Additionally, they may offer direct treatment and other services to individuals who are involved with or impacted by the legal system, such as defendants or victims or family members of individuals involved in legal casework.

What Sub-Specialties Exist in Forensic Psychology?

It is relatively rare for forensic psychologists to be involved in the conduction of criminal profiling. But a few forensic psychologists do so regularly, but they are better known as investigative psychologists.

A police psychology sub-specialty in forensic psychology involves working specifically with police officers and persons related to law enforcement. A police psychologist may work to provide support for the families of law enforcement officers or work to optimize the functioning of a police department in a more consultative role.

An offender profiling sub-specialty involves creating profiles of particular offenders, assisting law enforcement and legal services in identifying the kinds of individuals likely to have committed a particular crime.

A criminal psychology or criminal behavior sub-specialty in forensic psychology involves studying the psychological profiles of criminals, as well as their behavior profiles.

A correctional psychology sub-specialty involves work in correctional settings, where a psychologist may work with inmates or with personnel who come in contact with the inmates.

A victims services or victimology sub-specialty involves work with individuals who have been victimized by criminals; a forensic psychologist may work directly with the victims or in a consultative role to those assisting the victims.

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Although the terms school psychology and educational psychology have often been substituted for one another, they are not the same. Theorists and researchers are more likely to be recognized as educational psychologists, while practitioners in either schools or school-related settings are recognized as school psychologists. The field of educational psychology often focuses on subgroups such as those subject to certain disabilities and gifted children, and it is concerned with how students develop and learn.

Psychology Careers

1. The role of an educational psychologist is to study a student’s behavior and his or her capabilities to learn in an academic environment. These psychologists are concerned with the tools and teaching techniques in the classroom in hopes of facilitating learning. This comes about by research done on classroom dynamics and teaching methods. They also research sub-groups that are within student populations such as students with learning disabilities, gifted children or those with behavioral problems.

2. School psychologists are concerned with the needs of individual students. In the field of educational psychology, school psychologists develop treatment plans, perform performance evaluations and diagnostic assessments, and monitor effectiveness and progress.

Educational Psychologist Skills

Getting a degree as an educational psychologist will allow individuals the develop skills that can positively influence the quality of education. The following are some skills that are developed with a degree in psychology and are used in the profession of an educational psychologist:

• Ability to analyze the behavior of children
• Ability to counsel students
• Evaluate needs
• Make good sound decisions
• Develop oral and written communication skills
• Increase knowledge concerning child development
• In possession of highly developed interactive skills
• Comprehend individual education programming
• Comprehend behavioral changes
• Develop assessment methods

Training and Education

The shortest route to becoming an educational psychologist is by enrolling in a two-year program known as a master’s in educational psychology program (MEd). During this time, students are introduced to courses in cognition, development, human learning and research methodology. Upon graduation, individuals will have the ability to conduct applied research, as well as evaluate and consult the needs of public and private schools.

An Ed.S also known as an education specialist degree in school psychology, is needed for those who desire to become school psychologists. This typically takes one to three years to complete and is a basic follow-up to the master’s in educational psychology degree.

In order to earn a Doctor of Education (Ed.D), also known as a Doctor of Philosophy degree, an individual typically has to commit to a four to six year program. These programs dig deeper into the field of educational psychology by concentrating on age groups and developmental specialties as well as sharpening a student’s skills in areas of human development, research design, and educational, emotional and behavioral problems.

Does a career in educational psychology interest you? Then take the first step by getting in touch with an administrator at Argosy University, which offers a wide selection of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in a variety of psychology concentrations at 19 locations across the nation.

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