While psychology graduates are not mind readers, their unique ability to comprehend, anticipate, and articulate human behaviors is an invaluable currency in today’s job market. Forward thinking employers long ago abandoned the notion that psychology graduates belonged solely in research facilities and have been recruiting them to fill positions that demand an understanding of employee thinking.
For graduates of the University of Arizona Global Campus Master of Arts in Psychology program, the future is wide open, with opportunities in a number of career fields in which success is advanced by the skills and knowledge of psychological science.
Putting Your MA in Psychology to Work
Since psychology can be applied to multiple industries, graduates gravitate toward any career that involves working one-on-one with people, collecting and analyzing data, studying and predicting human behavior, or creating plans and policies to better lives and organizations. Here are five fields to consider with your Master of Arts in Psychology:
Business
Organizations are always looking for ways to maximize efficiency and harmony in the workplace. To that end, psychology graduates can offer invaluable insight into what motivates today’s workforce, and Fortune notes that this investment into industrial-organizational psychology comes with big payoffs for companies. “There’s an increased recognition among employers and business owners that they can do better in the competitive marketplace if they focus on the psychology of the workplace,” says Dennis Stolle, senior director of applied psychology at the American Psychological Association.
Knowledge of employee behavior – gained through courses such as PSY 615 Personality Theories – be a tremendous asset in recruiting new workers, reorganizing departments, and developing employee engagement programs that build company culture.
Health Care
An aging Baby Boomer population is expected to create employment opportunities for psychology graduates in the coming years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Global Campus graduates entering healthcare fields will have advanced knowledge of brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases, having completed PSY 630 Psychopharmacology also offer critical insight into drug use and psychiatric disorders.
Mental Health
On the topic of mental health, this field is rife with opportunities for graduates with an MA in psychology. Further, mental health presents exciting opportunities for those wondering, ‘What jobs can you get with an MA in psychology?’ These include:
- A focus on prevention: There's an increasing emphasis on preventive mental health care. The World Health Organization advocates for integrating mental health services into primary care, creating opportunities for psychology graduates in collaborative care settings.
- Global mental health: The World Health Organization reports a global shortage of mental health workers, particularly in low and middle-income countries, suggesting potential international opportunities for MA in Psychology graduates.
- Technology integration: The integration of technology in mental health, such as AI-assisted therapy tools and virtual reality exposure therapy, is creating new roles that blend psychology and technology expertise.
- Research opportunities: Graduates with an MA in psychology can contribute to the growing body of mental health research. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) consistently increases its research funding, with a budget to support mental health each year.
Education
The need to address mental health issues and learning needs in the classroom will add to the demand for qualified psychology graduates. Courses such as PSY 620 Learning and Cognition help prepare them for careers in which they’ll offer guidance and understanding to future generations. This degree may prepare individuals for various roles in education by providing an understanding of human development.
Psychology graduates have a deep understanding of cognitive, social, and emotional development across the lifespan. This knowledge is crucial in educational settings, as the National Association for the Education of Young Children emphasizes the importance of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education. Psychology graduates can apply well-known psychology theories like cognitive development stages or social development theory in curriculum design and teaching methods.
Grads choose where, when, and how to educate – as the opportunities for where this degree could lead may surprise you.
Social and Human Services
UAGC graduates who have completed PSY 610 Applied Social Psychology finish school with an understanding of social quandaries in the fields of mental and physical health, the workplace, the education system, and the legal system. This gives them a great advantage when pursuing a career with a social service agency.
What Can You Do with an MA in Psychology?
Within these five fields, with your MA in psychology, you can pursue a role in a variety of industries and career paths, including:
- Social and Community Service Managers
- Adoption Services Manager
- Community Services Director
- Graduate Research Assistant
- Psychology Teacher, Post-secondary
- Human Services
- Education
- Business
- Research
- Community Colleges
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Successful completion of the Master of Arts in Psychology program by itself does not lead to licensure or certification in any state, regardless of concentration or specialization. The Master of Arts in Psychology is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed psychology professional. There is no practicum or internship associated with this degree. The University of Arizona Global Campus does not guarantee that any professional organization will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any exam for the purpose of professional certification or licensure. Students seeking licensure or certification in the field of psychology should carefully research the requirements prior to enrollment. Requirements vary by state. Further, a criminal record may prevent an applicant from obtaining licensure, certification, or employment in this field of study.