There are many potential careers that use a Psychology degree of some kind. MCC does not offer a major in Psychology because in most cases students don't declare a major in Psychology until their junior year at a four-year school. However, if you are interested in one of the careers described below, you should look into MCC's advisement sequence in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (LA35) designed for students who plan to go on to major in Anthropology, Psychology, or Sociology.

There are several web sites devoted to psychology careers available from:

• Wadsworth Publishing Company
• PsychWeb
• American Psychological Association

In general, careers in Psychology fall into four broad categories: Academic, Clinical, Counseling, and Applied. There is, of course, a lot of overlap between these four categories.

• Academic careers in Psychology are for people interested in doing research to understand people better, and teaching that understanding to others. Academic psychologists usually work in colleges and universities, and occasionally in other research settings. They plan and conduct various kinds of research projects, including experiments, field studies, and surveys. They then analyze their results and publish them in scientific journals. Most of them also teach. Some academic psychologists teach primarily, and do little or no research (such as the people who teach at MCC). These careers require at least a Master's degree in Psychology, and often require a Doctorate.
• Clinical careers in Psychology are for people interested in helping those who face psychological difficulties. Some clinical psychologists work in hospitals or clinics, seeing patients with psychological problems ranging from mild anxiety to severe psychosis. Others work in private practice, helping patients with the same range of problems. In general, we use the term clinical psychologist to refer to someone who helps those who suffer from some sort of disorder or who have a problem that needs to be fixed. Clinical psychologists must have at least a Master's degree and often have a Doctorate degree. They must have specialized courses and training in their graduate work, and then must pass a state-sponsored board exam to be licensed to practice psychology.
• Counseling careers in Psychology are for people who want to help others who need some support to deal with a particular life situation. Examples of counseling work include family therapy to help a family cope with the behavior of an unruly child; couples therapy to help two people keep their relationship together; and grief therapy to help those who have suffered a serious loss. Counseling therapists often have a Master's degree and even a Doctorate. However, counselors are not regulated by New York State. Anyone can take out an ad in the Yellow Pages and call themselves a counselor. Still, special training in Psychology can make you a better, more effective counselor, and knowledgeable people will ask a counselor what training he or she has had.
• Applied careers in Psychology are for people who want to use the full range of information learned by the academic psychologists and apply it to a wide variety of settings. Applied psychologists work in many careers, including Human Resources departments of companies, sales and marketing departments, and educational management. There are no specific educational requirements for applied psychologists. You can take whatever psychology you have learned, at any degree level, and apply it to a variety of careers. Degrees in psychology are often useful for work in business or management, because psychology teaches us about how people work, think, and relate to each other.