Clinical psychologist
Clinical psychologists assess and treat mental health problems and emotional difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, trauma and eating disorders, mainly through psychological assessment and talking therapies.
What can you do with a psychology degree?
Also called: Psychological science · Applied psychology · Behavioural science
Updated How we use data
Quick answer
A psychology degree is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour: how people think, feel, learn, develop and relate to each other. It combines theory with experiments and statistics. Some graduates go on to postgraduate training to become psychologists, while many others use their understanding of people in human resources, marketing, social work, user experience design and health careers.
Careers with a psychology degree
Psychology graduates work in a very wide range of jobs. To become a clinical psychologist or another type of practising psychologist, you usually need several more years of postgraduate training. Many graduates use their knowledge of behaviour elsewhere, for example as human resources officers, marketing managers or user experience (UX) designers and researchers. Some train as social workers or speech and language therapists. The research and statistics skills from the degree are also useful in data analysis, market research, education and public policy.
-
-
Human resources officer
Human resources (HR) officers look after the people side of an organisation, including recruitment, contracts, pay and benefits, training, employee relations and workplace policies.
-
Social worker
Social workers support children, families and adults who face serious difficulties, such as abuse, neglect, poverty, disability, mental illness or addiction.
-
UX/UI designer
UX/UI designers make websites, apps and digital services easy and pleasant to use.
-
Speech and language therapist
Speech and language therapists assess and treat people who have difficulties with communication, eating, drinking or swallowing.
-
Marketing manager
Marketing managers plan and lead the work that makes people aware of a product, service or organisation and persuades them to choose it.
Other roles graduates go into: Counsellor · Mental health support worker · Market researcher · Behavioural scientist · Recruitment consultant · Educational psychologist
What you study and the skills you gain
Typical topics
- Cognitive psychology: memory, attention and thinking
- Developmental psychology across the lifespan
- Social psychology
- Biological psychology and neuroscience
- Personality and individual differences
- Mental health and clinical psychology
- Culture and psychology
- Research methods and statistics
Skills you gain
- Designing studies and analysing data with statistics
- Understanding why people think and behave as they do
- Evaluating evidence and scientific claims
- Writing clear scientific reports
- Listening and communicating with empathy
- Thinking about ethics when working with people
How the degree differs around the world
In the UK and much of Europe, a psychology bachelor's degree usually takes three years, while in the United States, Canada and Australia it often takes three or four years. In these and many other countries, the bachelor's degree alone does not qualify you to practise as a psychologist. You usually need a master's degree or doctorate, supervised practice and registration or a licence. In the UK, the first step is normally a degree accredited by the British Psychological Society, and in the United States clinical psychologists usually need a doctorate. In some countries, such as Brazil and Argentina, psychology is a first degree of five years or more that can lead directly to registration.
How do psychology graduates do?
Earnings and employment by country
The OECD compares graduates by field of study. This subject falls under “Social sciences, journalism and information”. The first column compares the median earnings of tertiary-educated adults in this field with all tertiary-educated adults (100 = average).
| Country | Earnings index (all graduates = 100) | Employment rate, this field | Employment rate, all graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonia | 112 (2023) | 89.8% (2024) | 89.2% |
| Chile | 112 (2023) | 82.5% (2022) | 85.7% |
| Denmark | 107 (2023) | 89.5% (2021) | 87.8% |
| Norway | 107 (2023) | 87.0% (2024) | 89.3% |
| Switzerland | 107 (2023) | 86.4% (2024) | 89.5% |
| Finland | 106 (2022) | 88.6% (2024) | 88.8% |
| United States | 101 (2023) | 83.7% (2017) | 84.3% |
| Costa Rica | 101 (2023) | 72.4% (2024) | 79.2% |
| Latvia | 100 (2023) | 86.8% (2024) | 87.7% |
| South Korea | 100 (2023) | — | — |
| Canada | 98 (2020) | 80.4% (2021) | 80.4% |
| Romania | 97 (2023) | 91.1% (2024) | 91.5% |
| Slovenia | 96 (2020) | 89.9% (2024) | 90.8% |
| Australia | 96 (2020) | 85.5% (2024) | 88.4% |
| Luxembourg | 95 (2023) | 84.6% (2024) | 85.7% |
| Austria | 94 (2023) | 83.0% (2024) | 86.4% |
| Portugal | 93 (2020) | 90.7% (2024) | 90.7% |
| Mexico | 93 (2023) | 78.6% (2024) | 81.5% |
| Sweden | 92 (2023) | 88.5% (2024) | 89.6% |
| United Kingdom | 91 (2020) | 85.5% (2021) | 84.6% |
| Germany | 81 (2020) | 85.1% (2024) | 88.7% |
| Iceland | — | 94.4% (2016) | 93.6% |
| Lithuania | — | 92.5% (2024) | 90.4% |
| Poland | — | 91.2% (2024) | 91.6% |
| Netherlands | — | 90.5% (2024) | 90.6% |
| Slovakia | — | 89.8% (2024) | 90.5% |
| Belgium | — | 86.1% (2024) | 88.5% |
| Czechia | — | 86.1% (2024) | 88.4% |
| Ireland | — | 85.8% (2021) | 86.9% |
| Croatia | — | 83.6% (2024) | 89.7% |
| Italy | — | 83.5% (2024) | 84.7% |
| Spain | — | 83.5% (2024) | 83.9% |
| France | — | 82.1% (2024) | 87.3% |
| Greece | — | 81.0% (2024) | 82.3% |
| Peru | — | 80.9% (2024) | 81.7% |
| Türkiye | — | 68.1% (2016) | 72.9% |
| Hungary | — | 62.2% (2024) | 76.2% |
Source: OECD, Education at a Glance. Adults aged 25–64 with tertiary education; latest year available, full-time earners where published. Values are for the whole field of study, not this subject alone.
Graduate earnings in the UK
The UK government links tax records to university records to measure what graduates earn. These figures are for “Psychology (non-specific)” first-degree graduates who were employed in the 2023–24 tax year.
| Time since graduating | Median | Lower quartile | Upper quartile | In work or study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| After 1 year | £22,700 | £17,200 | £27,100 | 90.1% |
| After 3 years | £27,100 | £22,700 | £32,200 | 90.4% |
| After 5 years | £29,600 | £24,200 | £36,600 | 89.5% |
| After 10 years | £35,100 | £24,200 | £47,200 | 86.5% |
Source: UK Department for Education, Graduate labour market outcomes (LEO), tax year 2023–24. Earnings are annual and include only graduates in sustained employment. More UK detail on CourseToJob.co.uk
Is a psychology degree right for you?
It may suit you if
- You are curious about why people think, feel and behave as they do.
- You are comfortable with science, experiments and statistics, not only discussion.
- You would like a degree that keeps many career options open.
Think twice if
- You expect to work as a therapist straight after your first degree, as this usually needs years of further training.
- You dislike statistics, which are a large part of most programmes.
- You want to study only mental health, as the degree covers many other areas of psychology.
Further study
Postgraduate study is essential if you want to practise as a psychologist. Routes include master's degrees and professional doctorates in clinical, counselling, educational, health, forensic or organisational psychology, followed by supervised practice and registration. Entry to clinical training is highly competitive, and relevant work experience is usually needed first. Other graduates take master's degrees in areas such as neuroscience, data science, human resources or UX research.
Questions about studying psychology
What jobs can you get with a psychology degree?
With further training, you can become a clinical, counselling, educational or other type of psychologist. With a bachelor's degree, graduates work in human resources, marketing, market research, user experience (UX) design, social care, education, mental health support and public services. Some retrain as social workers, speech and language therapists, teachers or counsellors.
Can I become a psychologist with just a bachelor's degree?
In most countries, no. A bachelor's degree is usually the first step. To practise as a psychologist, you normally need a master's degree or doctorate, supervised practice and registration or a licence from a regulator. The exact route and the rules on who can use the title differ between countries, so check with the regulator or professional body where you want to work.
Is psychology a science?
Yes. Psychology is studied as a science in most universities. You learn to design experiments, collect data and use statistics to test ideas about behaviour and the mind. Some programmes lead to a Bachelor of Science and others to a Bachelor of Arts, but most include a large amount of research methods and statistics.
Is psychology a hard degree?
It can be harder than people expect, mainly because of the statistics, research methods and scientific writing. The amount of reading is also high. However, you do not need advanced mathematics, and most programmes teach statistics from the beginning. Students who keep up with practical work and ask for help early usually manage well.
Related subjects
-
Sociology
A sociology degree studies how societies work: how groups, institutions and cultures shape people's lives, and why inequality, crime, migration and social change happen.
-
Criminology
A criminology degree studies crime, why people commit it and how societies respond through policing, courts, prisons and prevention.
-
Biomedical science
A biomedical science degree teaches the biology of human health and disease, and how laboratory tests help doctors diagnose and treat patients.
Sources
- OECD — Education at a Glance, labour-market outcomes — Earnings and employment by field of study, adults 25–64
- UK Department for Education — Graduate labour market outcomes (LEO) — CAH CAH04-01-01 — Psychology (non-specific)
- UNESCO — ISCED-F 2013 — ISCED-F 0313
How to cite this page: CourseToJob (2026). What can you do with a psychology degree? Jobs and salaries. https://coursetojob.com/subjects/psychology/ (accessed September 26, 2026)