Psychology is a field of study that offers virtually innumerable opportunities in terms of career paths students can choose. As with any other degree program or field of study, there are primarily three types of psychology degrees from which students can choose. However, there are dozens upon dozens of areas within the field of psychology where students can specialize. For example, students can choose to work with children, adolescents, the elderly, or in business, organizational, or research environments. Students can take an undergraduate degree and apply it to virtually any number of other career fields. Graduate degrees, however, primarily focus on clinical or private practice.

The three primary types of psychology degrees are bachelors, masters, or doctorate. There are some community colleges and two year schools that offer an associate's degree in psychology, as well as four year universities that provide for minors in psychology. However, for most students, the option to complete, at the very least, a bachelor's degree is the best option. An undergraduate or bachelor's degree in psychology does not necessarily mean a student has to become a psychologist. They can use their education to continue to graduate school in careers like law or law enforcement, business, and even science.

Graduate degrees prepare a student for direct patient care in a particular area of psychology. For example, one of the two types of psychology degrees at the graduate level is a master's degree. With a master's degree, students can work with students as a school psychologist, in private practice as part of a group of therapists and psychologists, or other areas of psychology. However, private practice and direct solo patient care, as well as some school psychology positions require a higher graduate degree than a master's does. Each state has specific licensure requirements for who can practice in what environments, with what educational background, and professional experience.

For students who wish to have unlimited potential in terms of patient care focused psychology, a doctorate degree is required. In terms of types of psychology degrees, a doctorate is required for most government agencies, state licensures, private care facilities, and school districts. Most malpractice insurance companies require a psychologist wishing to open their own private practice to have a doctorate degree in psychology. State licensure boards, in addition to requiring professional practice experience under a licensed practitioner, passing of state exams, and other criteria, also require candidates to hold a PhD in psychology.

Determining what career path you want to take will help you decide which of the three types of psychology degrees is the best fit for your future goals. The more independent you want to be, the more job potential you want to have, and the more income possibilities you seek, the more advanced your degree studies will have to be. As with virtually any profession, the more education you acquire, the better your future career path and job prospects. If you only wish to study psychology to prepare for another career field, an undergraduate degree is sufficient, but patient care requires graduate studies.