Whether you’re considering a psychology degree or already a psychology student, it’s natural to wonder where your course could take you once you graduate. We explore the skills you’ll develop throughout your degree and the wide range of career opportunities you could have as a psychology graduate.
Written by Grant Longstaff. Published 22 April 2025.
Psychology remains a popular degree choice with undergraduates and research shows a degree in the discipline can lead to a wide range of employment opportunities. One of the reasons in career diversity for psychology graduates is the wealth of transferrable skills and knowledge a psychology degree equips students with.
What skills will I gain from a psychology degree?
If you choose to study psychology you’ll have an opportunity to develop your psychological literacy and a number of transferable skills desired by many employers. How you engage with the subject and develop your skills means you’ll become a versatile, highly employable individual.
Transferrable skills
Some of the transferrable skills you’ll develop during a psychology degree include:
Critical thinking – During your degree you’ll question and analyse theories and make conclusions based on evidence. Both essential skills for tackling complex situations in the real world.
Communication – You’ll use both the written and spoken word to discuss complicated, academic ideas and express empathy and emotional intelligence, allowing you to develop greater communication skills.
Data literacy - You’ll use statistics to interpret psychological data and greatly improve your evidence based decision making, which could be useful in many industries.
Project management – Designing and conducting studies for your psychology degree will help improve your time management and project development skills.
Scientific and analytical training – Psychology is a science based discipline, grounded in research and evidence. As a psychology student you’ll gain robust skills in research methods and data analysis, which are increasingly sought after skills, particularly in data driven industries.
Teamwork – Collaboration with your peers will help you explore different perspectives and work styles and better prepare you for workplace relationships.
What is psychological literacy?
Psychological literacy is the ability to apply psychological science to real world problems, understand human behaviour and the capability to make evidence informed decisions. It’s another fundamental skill you’ll develop during a psychology degree.
Throughout your studies you’ll apply psychological insight to matters in a variety of areas, including mental health, education and relationships. You’ll also learn how to approach complex human behaviour with empathy and scientific thinking.
What can I do with my psychology degree?
Becoming a professional psychologist is one potential route for graduates. However, only 15-20% of psychology graduates end up working as professional psychologists. In fact, many of those who choose to study psychology end up in a vast array of careers because of the versatility of a degree in the discipline.
A 2022 article in The Psychologist highlighted “many graduates end up choosing a career outside psychology”, adding, “while it may seem obvious that psychology graduates would aspire to graduate roles or postgraduate study, the reality shows large variations in our students' career destinations.”
Many graduates choose to move into roles within the wider psychological workforce, choosing instead to pursue careers as wellbeing practitioners, mental health support workers, psychotherapists, counsellors and family support workers. For others their path could lie in social work, youth work, careers advice, community and charity work.
There are also a number of graduates who go on to become researchers in a wide range of applied contexts. This includes sectors such as education and healthcare, through to business, technology and policy making. Others may choose to move into roles in education, user experience and market research and human resources.
Dr Adam Jowett, the University’s Director of Psychology, explains “while many psychology students start out aspiring to become professional psychologists, the reality is a degree in psychology opens the door to a wide array of careers. Evidence shows the overwhelming majority of graduates go on to successful careers in a diverse range of sectors.”
Employers increasingly value graduates who can bring the skills you’ll learn and develop during your degree, and choosing to study psychology is a great way to enhance your future employability, regardless of where your future career might lie.
Our BSc in Psychology is designed to enhance your employability. Find out more and enrol today.
