Is Psychology a Good Major?
Many people in the U.S. have pursued an education in Psychology. According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), as of 2023, the number of people in the U.S. with a Psychology degree was as follows:
- Bachelor’s degree: Nearly 2.2 million
- Master’s degree: 896,000
- Doctoral degree: 215,000
Are you thinking about majoring in Psychology yourself? If you feel that you might have an interest in the field, it can be beneficial to explore the answer to a fundamental question: Is psychology a good major?
Learning about human behavior can lead to a rewarding and challenging career path, allowing you to connect with others on a personal, transformative level. The services you offer could give clients greater insight into how they think, feel, and act.
If you’re considering enrolling in a Psychology degree program, it’s helpful to know what to expect, what earning a Psychology degree would entail, and how to know if it’s right for you.
Requirements to Become a Psychology Major
Psychology is the study of human behavior and mental processes. As a Psychology major, you’ll take courses that study the human mind, brain, and interactions.
The coursework in the undergraduate Psychology major can prepare you for graduate programs in various fields, from psychology and education to medicine, business, or law.
While each university will have its own course requirements, most of your introductory classes will focus on the basics of psychology. For example, at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU):
- Undergraduate students take courses in subjects such as Psychobiology, Personality Theory, and Professional Ethics and Career Development.
- Graduate students take more advanced courses in subjects such as Psychopathology, Human Sexuality, and Family Systems and Relational Psychotherapy.
Courses in a Psychology degree program can include Research and Statistical Methods, as well as lab courses. In your labs, you’ll learn how to conduct research and design experiments, as well as observe, measure, and analyze human behavior.
Admission requirements for Psychology degree programs can vary by university. For example, at NDNU:
- Undergraduate students must have between 45 and 78 transferable units and meet minimum GPA requirements
- Graduate students must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. (or the equivalent), meet minimum GPA requirements, provide two references, complete course prerequisites, and submit a resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
Why Psychology Is a Good Major
While Psychology can be an enriching major, it isn’t the right path for everyone. Let’s take a look at some of the top reasons that Psychology can be a good major for students to pursue.
If these reasons appeal to you, then investing the time it takes to complete a Psychology degree can be a good choice for your academic future.
You Can Make a Difference
Of course, the top reason that most people choose to major in Psychology is that they’re naturally driven to help others. The more you study and learn about human behavior, the more empathetic and understanding you’ll become.
As you help individuals work through their issues, you form meaningful relationships with them, helping facilitate their growth and provide them with valuable coping skills to improve their quality of life. The clients with whom you interact on a regular basis may be struggling with mental health issues or they may simply want to improve their lives and well-being.
The therapeutic relationship helps people change ingrained patterns and develop new behaviors that help improve their lives. However, it’s important to realize that in giving so much of yourself, this job can be emotionally draining at times. Psychologists, therapists, counselors, and mental health professionals must also learn how to prioritize their own mental health and self-care to avoid experiencing burnout.
You Enjoy Learning About Science
Has science always been one of your favorite subjects in school? If so, Psychology can be a good major for you.
While this discipline centers on human connection, it’s a science at its core. After all, one of a mental health professional’s main roles is to make a hypothesis about the issues a client might face, and then carefully test that hypothesis.
They can then present their findings to add knowledge, answer questions, and recommend viable ways forward. While this may sound straightforward, psychological research and clinical work can often be complicated and nuanced.
Human behavior isn’t clear-cut, and you may have to explore and understand diverse disciplines and perspectives to understand and help clients. This is a challenge that other scientists don’t have to face. Still, the road to an answer can be fascinating if this type of work interests you.
The Job Prospects Are Rich
Competent, well-educated psychologists, therapists, and counselors are always in demand, and their potential work settings are extensive. Earning a Psychology degree can put you on a job path that includes many exciting, diverse professions. Some of the most common titles for careers in psychology include the following:
- School psychologist
- Substance abuse counselor
- Marriage and family therapist
- Clinical counselor
- Clinical mental health counselor
- Mental health therapist
- Clinical psychologist
- Child psychologist
- Social worker
- Behavior analyst
- Behaviorist
As you work toward your Psychology degree, you’ll also learn a host of soft skills that can be useful in almost any industry. From leadership and teamwork to empathy and communication skills, these abilities can help you secure a position in business, marketing, administration, and more.
It Can Be a Foundation for Graduate School
If you have your sights set on attending graduate school, Psychology can be a great undergraduate degree to obtain.
Many students majoring in Psychology go on to get their master’s degrees or even their doctoral degrees in the field. You could also use a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology to enter a graduate program in medicine, law, business, or social sciences.
You Can Explore Your Interests
Psychology also is a good major because it gives people the opportunity to pursue their interests. Studying psychology can be a way to explore the specific fields of study for which you have a passion. For example, if you love children and enjoy working with them, you may want to consider working in Early Childhood Development.
If you’re passionate about learning the ins and outs of the human brain, you can dive into Neuropsychology. If you’re curious about social constructs and how they inform behavior, you can go into Social Psychology. If your passion is helping families and couples, you can focus on Marriage and Family Therapy. Students who are interested in helping people with mental illnesses or behavioral disorders may choose to work as marriage and family therapists, clinical counselors, and clinical psychologists.
In other words, whatever you’re interested in studying, a Psychology degree can help you find a career that lets you nurture that interest. Psychologists are even needed in sports.
The Income Potential and Demand for Psychological Expertise Is High
Most people who enter the field of psychology do so because they truly want to help others and make a difference. However, it’s smart to think about the salary you could earn, as well as the demand for professionals who work in the field.
As the sector of psychology is so broad and vast, there isn’t quantifiable data to help you predict exactly what type of salary you can expect. However, salary data is available for certain positions. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for psychologists was $94,310 as of May 2024. Mental health professionals can earn considerably more or less than that amount depending on factors such as their specialty and position.
One of the best things about working in the field of psychology is job security. Given the flexible nature of the work and the broad application of your talents, you can rest assured that your skill set will always be in demand. An ongoing shortage of mental health professionals could translate into strong job prospects in the field. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA):
- As of August 2024, 122 million people in the U.S. about one-third of the population) lived in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas (MHPSAs)
- In 2023, approximately 59 million U.S. adults had a mental illness, but almost half of them weren’t able to obtain the treatment they needed to address those illnesses
It’s also important to know that Psychology can be a good major because the number of jobs in the field is expected to grow. For example, the BLS projects 7% job growth for psychologists through 2033, with about 13,000 job openings for psychologists annually. This allows you to consider your options and job offers more strategically to ensure that you’re making the right decision for your future.
Qualities of a Psychology Major
If you’re thinking about majoring in Psychology, it helps to know the types of qualities and personality traits that successful students in this field tend to share.
Of course, the list below doesn’t apply to everyone, and it isn’t exhaustive. These are simply the most common ones that most students exhibit.
Excellent Problem-Solving Skills
Are you someone who shies away from problems or do you meet them head-on? If problems motivate you and you feel driven to solve them, Psychology could be a good major for you.
One of the top requirements for therapists, counselors, and psychologists is the ability to take a complex problem and dig deeply to find the root cause.
This might mean helping a married couple understand why there’s conflict in their relationship. It might mean working with grade-schoolers to uncover the source of their tension and anxiety. It might also mean working with people facing addiction, trying to help them work through and process their emotions in a healthier way.
People are complicated, and their issues can be difficult to pinpoint. As a therapist, counselor, or psychologist, it will be your job to understand the motives behind behaviors, using strategies that emerge from disciplines ranging from philosophy to statistics.
Relatedness and Strong Communication
Mental health professionals need to be able to relate to a wide variety of people and clearly communicate with their clients. Therapists, counselors, and psychologists generally enjoy interacting with others and are energized by this kind of work. Depending on the niche you choose, a significant portion of your job could be spent listening and engaging with others, and this is an equally critical part of communication.
Someone who’s perfected the art of relating to others and employing active listening may enjoy the process of gathering information to make better clinical decisions. Some aspects of active listening include staying engaged in the conversation, maintaining good eye contact, using nonverbal cues (such as nodding), and asking open-ended questions to spur further dialogue.
Communication is a cornerstone of psychology. If you aren’t quite there yet, take heart. You’ll have plenty of time to strengthen this skill during your undergraduate or graduate program.
Natural Empathy
Would you consider yourself empathetic? Put simply, empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of someone else.
Beyond active listening, it means truly putting yourself in other people’s shoes. Therapists, counselors, and psychologists who are naturally empathetic can connect with their clients on a deeper level, creating space for them to open up and share their experiences.
While not all jobs in this field will involve dealing directly with clients, you’ll still need empathy even if you’re in a lab or classroom studying human behavior.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that you have to be a social butterfly or an extrovert to succeed in this field. You simply need the willingness to connect, feel, and relate to people, even if their experience is different from yours.
A Desire for Lifelong Learning
Psychology is a great major for people who love learning. Psychology isn’t a subject in which anyone can achieve 100% proficiency — it’s something you’ll continue studying throughout your career.
If you enjoy learning on an ongoing basis, this might be music to your ears. Even with all of the collective knowledge that we’ve gained throughout the years, the mysteries of the mind are still vast.
Around every curve is something new to discover. If you’re a genuinely curious person who never grows tired of finding out something new, this major will definitely appeal to you.
Openness and Trust
Do your friends and family members regularly come to you for advice and help? If they know they can trust you, they’re more willing to share what’s in their hearts and minds.
The same will hold true for the people or clients with whom you work. You’ll be required to hold space for some of their most closely held feelings, thoughts, and emotions. For them to open up, they must be confident that they can trust you.
This will require you to be open-minded, nonjudgmental, and protective of the information people choose to share with you.
Learn More About Becoming a Psychology Major
Now that you know a little more about what this field includes and the kinds of traits it requires, do you think that Psychology could be a good major for you?
Psychology can be a richly rewarding field to enter, with strong job prospects, high earning potential, and the opportunity to make a major and meaningful difference in the lives of those you help.
At the NDNU School of Psychology, we offer two distinct programs in Psychology:
- BA in Psychology, offered in partnership with the San Mateo County Community College District
- Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Psychology with emphases in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and Marriage and Family Therapy and Licensed Professional Clinical Counseling (MFT/LPCC)
Our Bachelor of Arts in Psychology offers students opportunities to hone their skills both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to classwork, you’ll participate in individual research and community-based learning.
Students who graduate from our programs go on to enjoy fulfilling careers in various disciplines, becoming counselors, therapists, mental health professionals, and more.
Start working toward your degree in Psychology today by filling out the form below to get in touch with our Admissions team.
Recommended Readings
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Is a Bachelor’s Degree Worth It?
Master of Arts vs. Master of Science: What’s the Difference?
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