Communication is key for any career in any field, but when you combine it with the discipline of psychology, you gain a powerful combination of skills that is invaluable across industries.
While easily mistaken for soft skills, a degree in communications and psychology is a structured program that equips you with the essential expertise to master interpersonal communication.
From crafting marketing campaigns to filming heartwarming advertisements and delivering compelling sales pitches, you will have a diverse range of career opportunities to pursue.
As we move towards the digital era of communications, the career options are endless thanks to the flexibility the degree gives you.
Looking to become a social media specialist? Your communications training coupled with your psychology background will allow you to better connect and communicate with your target audience.
Seeking to make a difference in the medical and health industry? Your combination of skills will allow you to connect with patients better in an empathetic way, helping to resolve any challenges to better reach their goals.
But before you make a decision, here’s the low-down of pursuing a communications and psychology degree.
What Is The Importance Of Psychology In Communication?
Whether you are in mass media, public relations or trying to persuade clients to see your point of view, having the right communication skills are essential.
This means expressing your opinion and view without offending others while also reaching what is most important to them, all without losing their hard-won attention. Sounds like a tall order!
In order to master interpersonal communication, there is another field of science that has to be integrated with the communication skillset and that is psychology. When you are conveying an idea, it is critical that what you say is received and understood in the manner that you intend, without any bias or misinterpretation happening.
With psychology training in your toolbelt, you’ll be able to take your interpersonal communication skills to the next level. You’ll understand how people interact, what motivates them and how they are likely to express their opinions to others.
Understanding behavioural psychology will allow you to apply critical thinking to the use of mass media. You will be thinking ahead about how your audience will receive the information, how it gels with their experience and what is most important to them. This allows you to better tailor any messaging to suit their taste and address their needs.
With training in psychology, you will study the way people think, perceive, memorize and understand the world. This is a universal skillset that not only allows you to improve your communication skills, but you’ll also be able to create messaging that cuts through cultures and borders.
This includes effectively opening a dialogue with the most important information, hooking attention spans with a big focus in the conversation and being fluent in the way you communicate without over-complicating the message. And when you are done, you can utilise the tools of persuasion to motivate your audience to take action.
Whether you choose to be a social worker seeking to help individuals or a broadcaster looking to influence millions, the skills learned in a communications and psychology degree will serve you well.
Why Should You Pursue A Communication And Psychology Degree?
When you pursue a degree in communication and psychology, you are opening a world of opportunities across a spectrum of sectors.
Whether you are looking to enter the world of finance and big tech or looking to make a difference in government policy, you have the flexibility to enter a variety of roles that promises a vibrant career.
Psychology allows you to better understand human behaviour, analyze data and better develop a strategy to connect with your audience. Communication on the other hand allows you to better interact and relay that information to your audience.
With the degree, you can explore exciting roles across core departments including advertising, mass media, research and corporate communications. From developing marketing strategies and messaging to reach new audiences to increasing employee engagement, professionals with the ability to be empathetic with people skills are highly valued contributors.
Looking to harness your communication skills to bring in revenue for the company? Then being part of the sales & relationship management team is also possible. You can help clients better articulate their needs and help guide them to the right solutions for a win-win proposition.
If you are looking for a career with diverse mobility opportunities across various sectors, especially in roles that deal with people, this course will be an excellent asset and springboard to an exciting professional path.
In addition, if you would like to become a psychologist, the degree allows you to pursue further education such as a Master’s Degree. You’ll be able to work alongside medical professionals and help them assist patients and even start up your own clinical practice.
With a degree in communications and psychology, you are in full control of how diverse or specialised your career will be. It affords you the opportunity to be flexible or focused.
Career Opportunities in Communication And Psychology
Upon graduation, you will be able to enter a variety of job roles across various industries. These include launching rewarding careers in advertising agencies, mass media giants, social agencies, as well as the medical and health industry.
Here are some of the career paths and roles you can expect to embark on:
- PR Consultant
- Communication specialist
- Marketing specialist
- Research analyst
As a PR consultant, you will become an expert in helping companies communicate their objectives, plans and thoughts to the public and various stakeholders. This would involve working on communications through various media channels including social media as well as liaising with employees to help shape a company’s corporate image to the world.
As a marketing specialist, your edge in communications and psychology is to craft wonderful marketing campaigns to reach and convert audiences to the company’s brand. This could involve deep survey groups where you interview potential customers and use this information to tailor a message that is compelling while retaining the brand of the company. If you are looking to mix commercial advertising with your expertise, this role is perfect for you!
As a research analyst, you can work across the public and private sectors. One such example in the private sector is as a consumer behaviour researcher where you dive deep into the psyche of your customers to understand what they love and hate about experiencing your brand and products.
In the public sector, your research will help policymakers better shape the country. For example, in the healthcare sector, interacting with patients and analyzing their data will help shape healthcare policies to ensure better and adequate care is given.
Embark On Your Communications Career With SIM
Keen on taking the next step and start pursuing an exciting career in communications & psychology?
At SIM, our Bachelor of Arts (Communication and Psychology), awarded by the University at Buffalo, is designed in consultation with employers and industry groups to provide you with the most relevant education in the field.
As the leading private education institution in Singapore, our lecturers demonstrate both professional and academic competence in the industry, ensuring you receive the very best learning experience possible.
It’s time to join an evergreen industry brimming with potential for you to develop a fulfilling career across various exciting roles.
The Bachelor of Arts (Communication and Psychology) course is offered by the University at Buffalo. The institution is a Member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). As one of the leading public research universities in the United States, the institution is engaged in the highest levels of research and dedicated to academic excellence.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Arts (Communication and Psychology).