Career Paths with an MS in Psychology

What You Can do with An MS in Psychology: The Pathway to Possibility

Choosing to enter a graduate program is a crossroads of personal and professional growth: a place of opportunity and imagination. Whether you’re ready to advance your career, to make a passion-based pivot to a new field, or to pursue a lifelong curiosity about what makes people tick, an MS in Psychology offers flexibility and deeply meaningful work. It is also a smart investment that can empower both your career and your life.

From those whose work centers on watching people navigate systems and technologies, to corporate leaders with a passion for understanding people, to nonprofit founders with a human-centered mission, our graduate students come to Palo Alto University (PAU) from a constellation of backgrounds and experiences. Specialization tracks and experienced faculty support these journeys as students customize their studies to fit their interests and goals. Our online format allows you to tailor a schedule that works for students from all walks of life. No matter their histories or futures, our students graduate with both deep knowledge of the field and a new set of career choices. 

Is an MS in psychology right for you? Consider the worlds of possibility our program opens up for PAU students and imagine how they might advance your career.

A Deep-Dive into Human Behavior

The roots of the behavioral sciences extend to the very foundation of our shared human history. The question of what it means to be human, and the study of why we move, think, and interact the ways we do, is critical to helping us navigate the world. Psychologists are passionate about understanding the constellation of behavior, and about shaping new patterns that help us thrive in it. In your MS studies, you’ll have time to study classic texts, encounter new work in the field, work closely with faculty to ask and answer compelling questions, and conduct original research of your own.

When you study the behavioral sciences, you’ll bring transformational perspectives to both your professional and personal lives. Psychology offers insight into what makes identities form, families interact, workplaces hum. MS students have the opportunity to focus on topics of their choice and to conduct original research. You might follow a thread about childhood personality development that has fascinated you for years, or come across a course reading on forensic profiling that inspires you to contribute to new movements in the legal field.

The ability to bring your personal interests to a professional program is what makes a master’s in behavioral science deeply valuable for those who wish to infuse their professional lives with passionate drive. At this intersection, you’ll feel the pull to learn more about various theories and topics that can become a specialization on the job, a book project, or a source of lifelong expertise.

As you deep dive into the specialized study of psychology at PAU, you’ll also learn to apply your learning to your individual career pathway and goals.

A Powerful Investment

In addition to this investment in yourself and your interests, a graduate program can also be a savvy investment in career advancement. You can leverage your MS in Psychology to unlock more job opportunities and higher earning potential. 

After earning their master’s, many PAU students choose career paths that offer relatively high median salaries, including industrial-organizational psychology, user experience (UX), or product marketing. Others choose careers in mental health therapy, school counseling, and forensics: each of these fields promises strong, growing long-term job prospects. Studies from FreOpp and Payscale show that the investment in a psychology MS has clear financial returns for graduates: measurably higher pay than those without graduate degrees and an expansion of career pathway opportunities. 

The tools, frameworks and perspectives students develop in an MS program are in high demand, and the need for psychologists in industry is growing. In fact, the demand for psychological insights generates 13,400 new job openings each year; this number continues to grow in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Those with a master’s degree have an edge in hiring and promotion. Many roles in the field require a graduate degree to access the most exciting and in-demand opportunities. 

Psychology.org estimates a 14% increase in the number of jobs for psychologists–more than double the average growth of other occupations–by 2028. With higher demand for this specialized knowledge comes higher pay, flexibility, and career growth. Below, we’ll explore how our psychology MS brings a strong return on investment for a series of career pathways.

One Gateway, Many Career Pathways

In the business world, psychological expertise can be leveraged to understand customers, organizations, and market dynamics. For those in the nonprofit fields, psychology opens up insight into cultural change, communication, and trends in global health.

Flexibility is a key benefit to graduate studies in the field. For many PAU students, a psychology MS becomes an on-ramp to more graduate training, like a PhD in the behavioral sciences. It can become a cornerstone of a unique career in STEM, the arts or humanities, or a specialized career like digital forensics. Clinicians might conduct therapy with a host of populations and settings, or to become pioneers in emerging approaches to mental health.

Our MS program offers four specializations: Generalist, Forensic, PhD Prep (with a focus on further study in Psychology), and Tech and Mental Health. Each area opens up a host of career possibilities and can apply to the following areas. We can work with you to strategize how to apply your degree to these and related roles: 

• Forensic Psychology: Law Enforcement, Investigator, Corrections, Legal

These roles include: clinical forensic psychologist, criminal profiler, researcher, legal testimony expert, and corrections officer. A master’s-level education in psychology unlocks leadership roles, deepens your skill set in the field, and brings meaning to the work you do. The field of digital forensic psychology, for instance, is projected to reach 14% growth between 2023 and 2033.

• Clinical and Health Settings: Hospitals, Private Practice, Mental Health Centers

BestColleges reports that roles in this field will increase by 20-30% by 2030. Similar growth is unfolding for school guidance counselors, addiction counseling and more. School counselor positions are set to grow 11% over the decade. Clinical roles offer lifelong career flexibility and high pay: ZipRecruiter indicates a salary range of $88,500 to $122,000 (25th to 75th percentile), with top earners potentially making $143,000 annually. 

• Technology & UX: Mental Health Startups, UX Research, AI Ethics

Roles in this field yield very high income potential and a host of emergent career opportunities as tech evolves to understand more deeply how humans and computers interact. By deeply understanding the human dimension of tech development and use, those with a psychology master’s contribute critical perspectives to the field; many roles now require a master’s degree. Leadership roles in tech bring in well over $200,000 a year, and often extend into executive positions in innovation and product development. Venture capital has recently turned to behavioral scientists to found human-centered apps and platforms.

• Education & Research: Teaching, University Support, Applied Research

An MS in psychology applies to both clinical therapy and scientific research into human behavior, cognition, and mental processes. Many MS students follow PAU’s pathway to PhD track to a career in clinical psychology. Others choose to become academics, teaching college and graduate students from their research and expertise. Their investigations include experiments, observational studies, interviews, and surveys. Many travel to give talks and panels about their breakthroughs. Some researchers go beyond the psychology field and partner with teams in medical or business schools. A master’s degree qualifies candidates to teach at the community college level. Across these opportunities, excellent job security and career satisfaction are key benefits to work in education and research  

• Nonprofits & Government: Public Health, Policy, International Development

Social service management jobs are set to grow by 15% between 2020 and 2030. Psychologists in public health improve the health and well-being of populations by addressing issues like obesity, violence, and smoking, working to prevent these issues. Rather than on an individual level, public health and policy psychologists work at the level of populations as they turn data and statistics into impactful, often global, action for social change. 

• Corporate & HR: Organizational Development, DEI Leadership, People Analytics

Businesses hire MS psychologists throughout organizations, including roles like organizational strategist, DEI leader, and PeopleOps or HR. Career mobility is a major benefit to these roles, as scaling organizations open up leadership opportunities for those who can apply psychological insight to corporate growth, culture and strategy. These roles are amongst the highest-paid in the field and offer future-facing career pathways that leverage psychological perspectives. An MS in the field sets candidates apart and allows professionals to drive change across organizations. Independent organizational consulting is another, flexible career path.

A Unique, Versatile, Meaningful Career

The Palo Alto University MS in Psychology is more than a degree—it’s a toolkit, compass, and roadmap. Whether you’re embarking on a new career or advancing one you’re already on, our program supports your goals and helps you discover new possibilities.

With your degree from PAU, the possibilities are vast and varied. Whether you aspire to impact mental health through clinical practice, drive innovation in technology and UX, lead change in corporate or nonprofit sectors, or pursue advanced academic research, our program equips you with the knowledge and skills to succeed. PAU’s flexible specializations and supportive faculty ensure you can tailor your education to your passions and career ambitions, opening doors to fulfilling and dynamic opportunities. 

Whatever path you choose, an MS in Psychology from PAU is your gateway to making a meaningful difference, both in your life and in the world around you. Request information today to learn how our program can be your portal to a clinical, corporate, legal, academic or tech career.