Psychology Degrees

Psychology degrees have long been viewed as a proving ground of sorts for higher education. It’s no wonder.

With more than 40 percent of undergraduates in the field eventually going on to law school, business school or some other professional program, the social sciences major ranks among the highest in post-graduate academic attainment.

But what about job prospects for those with only a bachelor’s degree?

At least one college professor insists that opportunities in both the public and private sector abound. And, he says, the perception that a psychology degree is best used as an educational stepping stone is giving college students the wrong idea.

“A lot of people think that in order to do anything with a degree in psychology you must get a Ph.D and become a psychologist,” said Charles Brewer, a psychology professor at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. “Most parents, even if they are professionals in their own right, don’t understand what opportunities are open to psych majors.”

Brewer notes the vast majority of his former students have found successful careers “in almost anything you can name” and he stressed the greatest advantage of a psychology degree is its “flexibility and adaptability.”

Shelly K. Schwartz