What can you do with a degree in Psychology? The relevance of a liberal education, focused on the social sciences, to the workplace

The 1995 APA Survey of 1992 Psychology Baccalaureate Recipients: Grocer and Kohout (1997)

What Psychology Majors Actually Do After Graduation

What Psychology Majors Do

How well do social science majors do in the marketplace? Horn, Zahn & Carroll (2001): Major and Employment Outcomes of 1992–93 Bachelor’s Recipients Who Did Not Enroll in Graduate Education By NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Show me the money!

Social science majors compared to math/physical science majors

Compared to social work majors

Compared to engineering majors

GPA Does Matter!

Summary of data on major and income: Most psychology majors end up working in business, education and health. After a slow start, psychology majors do well in the marketplace. The advantages of being a business major wear off over time.

What skills do you need after university? THE SECRETARY'S COMMISSION ON ACHIEVING NECESSARY SKILLS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WHAT WORK REQUIRES OF SCHOOLS (2000)

Determining the skills A panel of government, educational and industry leaders, representing: IBM, Motorola, GTE, General Electric Company, Aetna Life and Casualty, Gregory Forest Products, UAW/Chrysler National Training Center, RJR Nabisco, MCI

The Skills Basic skills (ERIC Identifier: ED339749) Reading Writing Mathematics Speaking Listening

The Skills Thinking Skills Creative Thinking Problem-Solving Skills Decision Making Skills Visualization Skills

The Skills People Skills Social Negotiation Leadership Teamwork Cultural Diversity

The Skills Basic skills Reading: Identify relevant details, facts, and specification; locate information in books/manuals, from graphs; find meaning of unknown words; judge accuracy of reports; use computer to find information.

The Skills Basic skills: Writing: Write ideas completely and accurately in letters and reports with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation; check, edit, and revise for accuracy and emphasis, use computer to communicate information.

The Skills Basic skills: Mathematics: Use numbers, fractions, and percentages to solve problems; use tables, graphs, diagrams, and charts; use computer to enter, retrieve, change, and communicate numerical information.

The Skills Basic skills: Speaking: Organize and communicate ideas clearly; speak clearly; select language, tone of voice, and gestures appropriate to audience

The Skills Basic skills: Listening: Listen carefully to what person says, noting tone of voice, and other body language; respond in a way that shows understanding of what is said.

The Skills Thinking skills: Creative Thinking: Use imagination freely, combining ideas or information in new ways; make connections between ideas that seem unrelated.

The Skills Thinking skills: Problem-Solving Skills: Recognize problem; identify why it is a problem; create and implement a solution; watch to see how well solution works; revise as needed.

The Skills Thinking skills: Decision Making Skills: Identify goal; generate alternatives and gather information about them; weigh pros and cons; choose best alternative; plan how to carry out choice.

The Skills Thinking skills: Visualization: See a building or object by looking at a blueprint, drawing, or sketch; imagine how a system works by looking at a schematic drawing.

The Skills People skills: Social: Show understanding, friendliness, and respect for feelings; assert oneself when appropriate; take an interest in what people say and why they think and act as they do.

The Skills People skills: Negotiation: Identify common goals among different parties in conflict; clearly present the facts and arguments of your position; listen to and understand other party's position; create possible ways to resolve conflict; make reasonable compromises.

The Skills People skills: Leadership: Communicate thoughts and feelings to justify a position; encourage or convince others; make positive use of rules or values; demonstrate ability to have others believe in and trust you because of your competence and honesty.

The Skills People skills: Teamwork: Work cooperatively with others; contribute to group with ideas and effort; do own share of work; encourage team members; resolve differences for the benefit of the team; responsibly challenge existing procedures, policies, or authorities.

The Skills People skills: Cultural Diversity: Work well with people having different ethnic, social, or educational backgrounds; understand the concerns of members of other ethnic and gender groups; base impressions on behavior, not stereotypes; understand one's own culture, others’ and how they differ; respectfully help people make cultural adjustments when necessary.

How can you get these skills? Liberal education specializing in the quantitative social sciences! Especially by taking this course!