CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY AND RELATED AREAS

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Teaching and Research

 
If you're interested in teaching undergraduate, master's-level, or doctoral-level students, then you will probably work in a university setting, where you will probably also do research. If you are not interested in teaching and want to focus on research, then you can work for government agencies (for example, the Centers for Disease Control) or for private research organizations. To work as a psychologist in these settings, you typically will need a Ph.D. in psychology--not in another field such as education or social work.You might be able to get a teaching job at a two-year school with a master's degree in psychology; however, the job market is glutted, and Ph.D.'s are taking many of these jobs. For more information about the various subfields in psychology vist the division information page of the American Psychological Association.
Applied Work
  
Psychologists in selected fields have the option not only of teaching (sharing knowledge) and research (generating knowledge), but also of working in settings in which they apply their knowledge. Most areas of psychology can have an applied nature to them, which allows psychologists in those areas to work in applied settings. For example, social psychology, sports psychology, and clinical psychology are just a few fields of psychology that allow one to teach or work in an applied setting (see Areas of Specialization for more info.). You do not always need a doctorate (a Ph.D.) to work in these fields. However, a doctoral degree offers additional training and further skill development that many of the jobs in these fields find very desirable.