Career Path Forecast
 According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
faster-than-average employment growth is expected for psychologists. Job
prospects should be the best for people who have a doctoral degree from
a leading university in an applied specialty, such as counseling or
health, and those with a specialist or doctoral degree in school
psychology. Master's degree holders in fields other than
industrial-organizational psychology will face keen competition.
Opportunities will be limited for bachelor's degree holders.
Employment of
psychologists is expected to grow 15 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster
than the average for all occupations. Employment will grow because of
increased demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals,
social service agencies, mental health centers, substance abuse
treatment clinics, consulting firms, and private companies.
Employment growth will
vary by specialty. Growing awareness of how students' mental health and
behavioral problems, such as bullying, affect learning will increase
demand for school psychologists to offer student counseling and mental
health services.
The rise in health
care costs associated with unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking,
alcoholism, and obesity, has made prevention and treatment more
critical. An increase in the number of employee assistance programs,
which help workers deal with personal problems, also should lead to
employment growth for clinical and counseling specialties. Clinical and
counseling psychologists also will be needed to help people deal with
depression and other mental disorders, marriage and family problems, job
stress, and addiction. The growing number of elderly will increase the
demand for psychologists trained in geropsychology to help people deal
with the mental and physical changes that occur as individuals grow
older. There also will be increased need for psychologists to work with
returning veterans.
Industrial-organizational psychologists also will be in demand to help
to boost worker productivity and retention rates in a wide range of
businesses. Industrial-organizational psychologists will help companies
deal with issues such as workplace diversity and antidiscrimination
policies. Companies also will use psychologists' expertise in survey
design, analysis, and research to develop tools for marketing evaluation
and statistical analysis.
 Job
prospects should be the best for people who have a doctoral degree from
a leading university in an applied specialty, such as counseling or
health, and those with a specialist or doctoral degree in school
psychology. Psychologists with extensive training in quantitative
research methods and computer science may have a competitive edge over
applicants without such background.
Master's degree
holders in fields other than industrial-organizational psychology will
face keen competition for jobs because of the limited number of
positions that require only a master's degree. Master's degree holders
may find jobs as psychological assistants or counselors, providing
mental health services under the direct supervision of a licensed
psychologist. Still others may find jobs involving research and data
collection and analysis in universities, government, or private
companies.
Opportunities directly
related to psychology will be limited for bachelor's degree holders.
Some may find jobs as assistants in rehabilitation centers or in other
jobs involving data collection and analysis. Those who meet State
certification requirements may become high school psychology teachers.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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