The 7 Most Lucrative Careers for Psychology Majors

When it comes to careers in psychology, the options and diverseness are tremendous, but of course this also mean that earnings for psychologists are just as wide-ranging. This is a career field that gives you the opportunity to find employment based on your interests and strengths. From working with children or helping people who suffer from mental illness to researching how the brain develops, there is a psychology profession for you. Here is a list of the highest paying ones as well as notes on the states with the best job outlooks for each field…

It takes a lot of time in college to become a psychiatrist, but the emotional and financial rewards make it worthwhile. Plan about eight years of post-undergraduate study. Once you receive your bachelor’s degree, you’ll need to graduate from medical school after which you’ll move into the residency part of the program. After completing a four-year residency program, you can start working as a psychiatrist. In this line of work, you’ll diagnose and treat people who suffer from mental illnesses and disorders. You’ll also participate in regular discussions with patients about their struggles and help them find ways to live a better life through behavioral changes and therapy sessions.

The best states to work in if you’re a psychiatrist include California, New York and Ohio while the average salary for this position is $194,490 per year.

If you decide to work as an industrial-organizational psychologist, then you’ll need your doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology. In this career area, it will be your job to help companies and corporations make wise hiring decisions, oversee market research and increase productivity levels. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the field is expected to grow by an estimated 53 percent in the next 10 years.

Companies are beginning to realize that with psychologists on staff, they can gain a competitive advantage as psychologists allow them to manage their talent and bring in the right people.

You might be tempted to enter this career for its strong job outlook and comfortable pay. The average salary for industrial-organizational psychologists is $97,800 while the best states to work in are Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

If you’re fascinated with the study of the brain, then neuropsychology is the career field for you. Along with studying the brain, you’ll have the opportunity to look into its biochemistry and physiology. You’ll also be in a position to study how some chemicals affect the brain. In this line of work, you’ll conduct brain scans, perform cognitive tests and help those who are dealing with brain injuries.

You’ll need to earn a doctorate degree in clinical neuropsychology or general neuropsychology to work in this field. As a neuropsychologist, you can expect to work in a hospital, college, mental health clinic or a pharmaceutical lab.

Neuropsychologists earn $90,400 on average annually. The best states to work in are Illinois, Minnesota and Maryland.

Careers in psychology include clinical work. To become a clinical psychologist, you’ll need a doctorate degree in psychology. For this field area, you must complete a supervised residency program which generally takes a year or two to finish. You’ll also be required to pass the state’s licensing exams in which you intend to practice. After jumping through all of these hoops, you’ll be ready to assess, diagnose and treat mental disorders and illnesses. You will even have the educational background to prevent some people from developing them.

When it comes to salary, the factor that affects it the most is experience, so as time passes, you’ll earn more. However, the average yearly salary for clinical psychologists is $72,500. The best states to work in are California, New York and Texas. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts also provide good opportunities for clinical psychologists.

As a counseling psychologist you would perform a number of the same tasks that clinical psychologists are expected to provide, including offering treatment for mental health conditions and psychotherapy. However, in counseling, you will likely work with people who have less severe forms of mental illnesses. As a counseling psychologist, you could work in research or teach university courses.

The average salary for counseling psychologists is around $72,500 a year. The best states to live in if you are this type of psychologist include Rhode Island, Hawaii and Connecticut.

If working as a school psychologist is your dream job, then plan to complete a 60-credit psychology specialty program. In this field, you’ll be a part of the country’s educational system. It will be your job to diagnose and treat learning and behavioral problems in school-aged children. Often, school psychologists collaborate with other professionals like teachers and doctors as well as work with parents to help their children manage emotional, social and academic issues.

The job outlook for school psychologists is good. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the field to grow by 8 percent by 2024. On average, people who work as school psychologists earn $58,000 a year. The best states for this job include Rhode Island, Hawaii and New York as well as Alabama and New Jersey.

If aiding law enforcement appeals to you, then consider focusing your psychology career on forensics. To obtain employment in this area of psychology, plan to earn your doctorate degree in counseling, clinical or forensic psychology. Some of the work responsibilities in this field include creating psychological profiles of criminals, working with child custody issues and providing expert testimony. You may need to prepare people to testify in court cases or train law enforcement agents on how to talk to people.

The average salary for forensic psychologists is $59,000 annually while the best states to work in if you become one are Arizona, Florida and North Carolina.

From working with injured brains to counseling children, diverse employment opportunities come with a degree in psychology, making the years spent as a psychology student well worth it. If you decide to seek employment in this field, then you can choose to work in an area you love, as well as one that is fulfilling and lucrative.