Career Opportunities with a Degree in… Psychology

Your Skills and the Employment Market

Possible Career Opportunities

Sample Jobs

Further Study Opportunities

What Past Graduates Have Done

Resources in the Careers Information Room

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Your skills and the employment market

Training in psychology can provide many useful skills and qualities including:

• Social skills - teamwork, negotiation skills, initiative, ability to deal with people, conflict management
• Information gathering – literature searches, report writing, interviewing, designing surveys
• Analysis and synthesis skills – editing and synthesising information from a variety of sources, reading critically
• Project planning – identifying steps, resources, solving problems, dependability, initiative and being able to work on several tasks at once, time management
• Knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of people – cognitive, perceptual, physical, emotional, social, development, personality
• Numerical, IT, statistical and inferential skills, analysis and presentation
• Oral and written communication skills, listening, speaking etc.
  

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Possible Career Opportunities

Note: Further qualifications may be needed for certain positions. This list is a sample of positions available. Up to 40% of graduate employment opportunities are open to graduates of all disciplines.  In most cases, however you will need further postgraduate study or professional training. 

In reality, it takes six to seven years to become a Psychologist; a Masters is the minimum qualification required.  Not all graduates become Psychologists and over the past few years an increasing number of students find stimulating and interesting career opportunities in numerous fields, using their interests and knowledge of human behaviour gained through their degree. 

• There are many different areas in which one can specialise such as:
• Counselling Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Occupational Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology
• More information can be found on the Psychological Society of Ireland or British Psychological Society’s websites

Psychologists work in a wide range of workplaces, such as:

• Private practice
• Consulting firms, market research, recruitment firms,
• Education - universities, schools, career services
• Government departments
• Health and welfare services
• Community agencies
• Police, law courts, prisons, defence forces
• Counselling services
• Research institutions
• Training and development services
  

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Further study opportunities

For certain career choices, employers may look for candidates with further qualifications and training.  Some of the range of opportunities available in NUI Galway include:

• Master of Psychological Science & Health Psychology
• PhD Clinical Psychology
• MA Community Development
• HDip / MA Health Promotion
• MA Journalism
• MA Writing
• HDip Business Studies
• HDip Software Design & Development

For a full list please visit www.nuigalway.ie/courses .

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What past graduates have done

It is interesting to know what fellow graduates have done after obtaining their degree at NUI, Galway.  Here is a sample of job titles and employers currently occupied by past students who studied Psychology.  This has been researched from recent First Destination Statistics.  

• Care Services Worker, Ballymun Local Drugs Taskforce
• Childcare Worker, Brothers of Charity, Galway
• Development Worker and Researcher, Brothers of Charity, Limerick
• Lecturer, Merlin Park Hospital, Galway
• National Training & Research Manager, UCH, Galway
• Psychologist, ISPCC, Dublin 2
• Public Health Research Officer, Health Board, Drogheda
• Research Officer, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin 2
• Recreational Worker, NE Health Board
• Child Care Worker, Midland Health Board
• Psychology Project Worker, NE Health Board

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Resources in the Careers Information Room

 We have valuable information resources, experienced career development advisers and information staff on hand to help you with your queries.

For a start why not pick up a Signpost Sheet, ’Your Degree in Psychology…What Next?’, which outline possible opportunities.

Reference material in the Information Room includes:

• Occupational Files [Yellow] Section B and the following reference books:
• Getting into Counselling
• Getting into Psychology

Drop into our information room and we will be happy to assist you.

Psychology graduates considerably increases their chances of getting employment and preferred postgraduate courses by gaining relevant work experience. Visit the Careers Service to find information on possible sources of work experience.

For useful links, see www.nuigalway.ie/careers/students/virtual  .

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