Career Options

Students graduating with a major (A.B./B.S.) in psychology will be well-prepared for a variety of graduate (M.S./Ph.D.) programs in psychology and related fields, including programs that focus on research and clinical practice. Completion of a Ph.D. in psychology facilitates a career as a research scientist/educator in colleges and universities, government-sponsored institutions, or private industries. Psychology majors from Duke are also highly competitive for admission to non-psychology graduate programs, such as medical, law, and business school. Even for those not interested in graduate training, psychology is excellent preparation for nearly any career in which an understanding of human behavior is important. Students who graduate with a degree in psychology go on to pursue a variety of professional paths, such as:

  • Academia, (teaching psychology and other subjects; doing research; consulting)
  • Business (marketing; advertising; organizational development; human resources work)
  • Law (lawyer; jury selection consultant; victim advocate)
  • Health-related careers (clinical research; health education)
  • Global health (global health reporting; global health research)
  • Creative sector (product design; advertising)
  • Consulting (research for private companies; research for nonprofit foundations)
  • Government and policy (public policy research; policy advising)
  • Writing and publishing (scientific journalist; educational writer/producer)
  • Innovation/entrepreneurship (social and other media creator; app creator; medical device developer)

More information about Career Options in Psychology

  • Career service specialists are waiting to meet with you to discuss potential career options even before you declare your major
  • Talk with psychology professors; ask them about their experiences and what their career path has been like.
  • As a Psychology major, you will have a ‘major advisor’ that you can also talk to about your career path.
  • The Office of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology shares information about jobs and other professional opportunities here.