Example Career: Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

Career Description

Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What Job Titles Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Might Have

• Instructor
• Professor
• Psychology Instructor
• Psychology Professor

What Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Do

• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
• Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
• Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
• Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
• Develop and use multimedia course materials and other current technology, such as online courses.
• Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
• Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
• Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
• Supervise students' laboratory work.
• Provide clinical services to clients, such as assessing psychological problems and conducting psychotherapy.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
• Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
• Supervise the clinical work of practicum students.
• Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.

What Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Good At

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

What Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

What Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Need to Learn

• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.