Careers in Psychology

Psychology graduates do not only become psychologists - our graduates are using the skills learned at Massey University to pursue careers in dozens of industries and professions. A psychology degree equips graduates with many valuable transferable skills which make them excellent candidates for a wide range of opportunities.

Skills in which psychology students are directly trained include literacy, numeracy, computer literacy, interpersonal awareness, problem-solving skills, critical evaluation, research and measurement skills and higher order analysis - the ability to extract general principles from immediate or concrete situations.

These skills are not unique to psychology graduates, of course, but not many disciplines offer so comprehensive a list. It should not surprise you, then, that the breadth of an undergraduate psychology major allows students to find rewarding work in a variety of areas.

Our graduates can use their skills in careers as varied as advertising, public relations, marketing, social work, teaching, research, and health service management - and that is not an exhaustive list. The skills listed above are valuable to any employer. In addition, there are opportunities to specialise as clinical psychologists in the health professions, or organisational psychologists in public and private sector organisations.

 

Clinical Psychologists work in hospitals or government departments such as Corrections, Social Welfare or Education. They also work in private practice or for other private organisations. Recommended courses are abnormal and therapeutic psychology, assessment, developmental psychology, social and community psychology, whanau and psychology and brain and behaviour. Postgraduate study is required. Personnel and Organisational Psychologists work for either government or private organisations in the areas of personnel placement, training and development, performance assessment and organisational development. Recent graduates have been employed by the army and air force and work in New Zealand or overseas (including Bosnia). They may also work as private consultants. Appropriate courses are organisational psychology, personnel psychology, assessment, psychological research, social psychology, and principles of learning and behaviour.

Researchers are employed by all government departments for evaluation and assessment projects or by private research organisations, aviation training, or industrial design firms. Courses that are directly applicable include psychological research, assessment, community psychology, social psychology, and psychology of women.

Career Advice

Massey University Careers website provides information about job search strategies, writing CVs and cover letters, interview skills, what you can do with your degree, employment opportunities and much more.

Career Opportunities

Other perspectives of careers in psychology can be found at the links below from New Zealand and around the world.

Postgraduate Study

Postgraduate study, after completion of a Bachelors degree, may provide you with the opportunity to practice as a Registered Psychologist. In fact, your career opportunities will be bounded only by your imagination and will to succeed. Registered psychologists work in a variety of settings. Their occupational proportions are revealed in the graph at right. Of course many graduates do not gain registration, but use their skills learnt in completing a psychology degree or post-graduate study to extend their options of employment.

Many of the occupations for psychologists require postgraduate qualifications. The School of Psychology offers a full range of programmes, of which the most common are Masters or Honours degree and the Diploma of Clinical Psychology. If you are planning to specialise in one area of psychology, Massey University offers programmes in clinical counselling, occupational, social and critical, and health psychology. Other students have chosen to specialise in areas such as neuropsychology or behavioural research. Postgraduate study is available to internal students and those studying at a distance. For more information on graduate study, please refer to the Graduate Studies web pages or request a Graduate Prospectus from the School of Psychology.