Careers in psychology
Career options for psychology graduates
Employment outcomes
Employment prospects and outlook
Salaries
Find out more
Career options for psychology graduates
Psychology graduates have a wide range of career options available to them both within psychology and beyond.
Graduates who choose to become psychologists must complete additional study after their initial bachelor degree in order to satisfy the standards for accreditation set by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).
According to the Australian Psychological Society (APS), psychologists can specialise as:
- academic psychologists
- clinical psychologists
- clinical neuropsychologists
- community psychologists
- counselling psychologists
- educational and developmental psychologists
- forensic psychologists
- health psychologists
- organisational psychologists
- sport psychologists.
Details of each of these specialisations can be found on the APS website at www.psychology.org.au/study/careers .
Psychology graduates who choose not to become accredited psychologists have wide ranging career options across a great variety of industries.
Employment outcomes
Where do psychology graduates work?
According to The Good Universities Guide 2008, 43% of psychology graduates work in private industry, 36% work in the public sector, and 3% go into private practice. Almost half (48%) of psychology grads go on to further study after finishing their degrees.
Where do psychologists work?
The Australian Government JobSearch website reports that accredited psychologists work in the following industries: health and community services 64.9%; education 17.5%; government administration and defence 12.3%; personal and other services 3.5%; and property and business services 1.8%.
Employment prospects and outlook
Employment prospects for psychologists in Australia are very positive. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ Australian jobs 2007 reports that job prospects for psychologists are currently good, and unemployment is below average. Future jobs growth to 2011–12 is expected to be strong.
Salaries
Psychology graduates can expect competitive salaries that compare well to salaries within other disciplines. According to The Good Universities Guide 2008, psychology graduates in 2006 earned an average of $39,746. Graduates who opt to work in the public sector can expect salaries that are around $5000 higher than in the private sector.
Find out more
Australian Psychological Society (APS), www.psychology.org.au
Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), www.apac.psychology.org.au