Higher Education Careers--All Graduate Degree Levels

Higher Education Careers--Master's degree in Psychology

What are my Higher Education Career options with a Master's Degree in Psychology?

You can use your Psychology degree to move forward to graduate school and earn a Master's degree in Psychology. At that point, you can consider various types of jobs in higher education. You can teach at a college or university with a Master's degree, but it is unlikely that you can secure a full-time position without continuing in graduate school to earn a PhD. Still, you may be able to teach some courses on what is called an "adjunct" or part-time basis. Another option with a Master's deree is to pursue an administrative position at a college or university. This type of position might be in one of many departments on a campus--enrollment management, admissions, advising, student services, etc. The key is that a Master's degree tin Psychology ends to offer greater job opportunities and greater salary than a Bachelor’s degree.

Earning a Master's degree will require you to be accepted in a graduate program. You will need to think about what type of Master's degree in Psychology you want to pursue. For a higher education degree, it might be best to get a Master's degree in General Psychology. This type of degree typically requires 2 years of graduate school to complete a Master's thesis (research project) and typically you must pay tuition at your school. You should check with the schools you are interested in to see if they offer any type of financial assistance.

Salary Information

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Click on the links below to read about another Higher Education career that requires a graduate degree:

Higher Education Careers--PhD in Psychology

Click on the links below to read about types of Higher Education careers:

Higher Education Careers--Research and Teaching

Higher Education Careers--Researcher only

Higher Education Careers--Teacher only

Higher Education Careers--Doctoral Degree in Psychology

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After receiving my Psychology degree, what are my Higher Education career options with a Doctoral Degree in Psychology?

After you receive your Psychology degree, you may decide to move forward and get a Doctoral (typically PhD) degree so that you can get a job in Higher Education. If you decide to go this route, there are several options for you. You can use your Doctoral degree to get a Higher Education job in teaching only, research only, or both teaching and research. It really is up to you what path you want to pursue. For example, some PhDs do not want to deal with the pressure of publishing and would prefer to only teach at a small college or even a community college. Keep in mind that whatever you path you choose may have implications for where you can land a job, how much money you will make, and what job security you will have.

Remember that to earn a Doctoral degree you must have first earned a Master's degree, either from another school or the same school you earn your doctorate. In addition, the time it takes to earn a Doctoral Degree typically involves 4-6 years of graduate school. At many schools you do NOT pay tuition--you receive a tuition waiver--and you will receive a stipend, a form of salary for serving as a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Research Assistant (RA). Read about comparisons between Masters and PhD degrees in psychology here.

Salary Information

payscale.com lists the average yearly income for an Assistant Professor in Psychology at $57,500.

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