Education Careers
Understanding how the brain works helps you teach in a way that is meaningful and memorable.
To be a successful educator, you need to present students with information in a way that is compelling and memorable. Classes in social psychology can help you understand what is important to students, and classes in cognition can help you present information in a way that is easy to understand.
Learn about successful psychology graduates working in education by clicking the links below.
Stefany Shaibi, PT
Associate Clinical Professor, Northern Arizona University
Kody Manke, PhD
Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
Interested in a career in education? Check out the resources below.
Teacher
As a teacher, you would be creating and implementing lesson plans for various age groups and subject matters.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 341 - Developmental Psychology
- PSY 320 - Learning and Motivation
- PSY 324 - Memory and Cognition
- PSY 344 - Directed Child Study
- EDP 311 - Educational Psychology for Future Teachers
Typical salary: $42,000 - $80,000 per year
Requirements:
- To Teach Preschool - 3rd Grade:
- Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education.
- Pass the National Evaluation Series or other appropriate educator exam for the state you wish to teach in.
- To Teach 1st Grade - 8th Grade:
- Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.
- Pass the National Evaluation Series or other appropriate educator exam for the state you wish to teach in.
- To Teach 6th Grade - 12th Grade:
- Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education.
- Pass the National Evaluation Series or other appropriate educator exam for the state you wish to teach in.
Special Education Teacher
As a special education teacher, you would adapt lesson plans to help promote development in children with a range of developmental disabilities.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 341 - Developmental Psychology
- PSY 443 - Abnormal Child Psychology
- PSY 320 - Learning and Motivation
- PSY 344 - Directed Child Study
Typical salary: $38,000 - $96,000 per year
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in special education
- Pass the National Evaluation Series or other appropriate educator exam for the state you wish to teach in.
Professor
As a professor, you would be creating and implementing lesson plans within your interested field of study, as well as conducting research of your choice.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 320 - Learning and Motivation
- PSY 290 - Research Methods
- PSY 350 - Social Psychology
- PSY 230 - Introduction to Statistics
- PSY 399/499 - Supervised Research is strongly recommended for students interested in graduate school
In order to be a competitive candidate for graduate school, students will need:
- Experience working in a research lab or as a teaching assistant
- Letters of recommendation from faculty
- Strong GRE scores.
Typical salary: $39,000 - $170,000 per year
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in the academic field of your choice
- 2-year master’s or 5-year doctoral degree depending on the academic field of interest
Click here to see the doctoral programs available in our Psychology department
Administrator
School administrators handle a variety of tasks required for the day-to-day operations of a school.
Recommended classes:
- PSY 304 - Effective Thinking
- PSY 320 - Learning and Motivation
- PSY 440 - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- EDP 310 - Educational Psychology for Non-Teachers
- PSY 370 - Interpersonal Relationships
Typical salary: $61,000 - $140,000 per year
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in educational studies or other related field
- 2-year master’s degree
Click here to see ASU’s Master’s in Educational Leadership program
Advisor
As a college advisor, you would assist college students in registering for classes, ensure they fulfill graduation requirements and maintain student records.
Recommended classes:
- EDP 310 - Educational Psychology for Non-Teachers
- PSY 315 - Personality Theory and Research
- FIN 123 - ASU Financial Literacy
- CAP 120 - Introduction to Counseling
Typical salary: $53,000 per year
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in the academic field of your choice
- 2-year master’s degree
School Counselor
As a school counselor, you would track student’s school performance, identify any issues contributing to poor performance and help students develop needed skills.
Recommended classes:
- CAP 120 - Introduction to Counseling
- PSY 341 - Developmental Psychology
- PSY 344 - Directed Child Study
- PSY 370 - Interpersonal Relationships
- PSY 399/499 - Supervised Research is strongly recommended for students interested in graduate school
Typical salary: $32,000 - $92,000 per year
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in the academic field of your choice
- 2-year master’s degree in school counseling
- Pass the relevant state licensure exam
School Psychologist
As a school psychologist, you would try to identify students with learning disabilities or mental health problems and develop plans to help address these issues.
Recommended classes:
- CAP 120 - Introduction to Counseling
- PSY 341 - Developmental Psychology
- CAP 120 - Introduction to Counseling
- PSY 366 - Abnormal Psychology
- PSY 399/499 - Supervised Research is strongly recommended for students interested in graduate school
Typical salary: $42,000 - $124,000 per year
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in psychology, education or other related fields
- 2-year master’s or 5-year doctoral degree
- Pass the National Certified School Psychologist exam or other state licensure test