Psychology to Consulting

Psychology is a good background for consulting, especially with organisational psychology and behavioural economics. You do not need a business degree, but you should build stronger business and analytical skills

Focus on:

• Take courses in economics, finance, accounting, statistics, and data analysis.
• Learn Excel well. Basic PowerPoint and Python/R are useful too.
• Get experience through internships, pro-bono consulting, case competitions, student societies, or research projects with real business questions.
• Build leadership stories: leading a team, solving a problem, handling conflict, or driving an outcome.
• Start case interview prep early, around 4–6 months before applications.

Consulting firms mainly look for structured problem solving, clear communication, teamwork, leadership, and strong learning ability. Your degree can be a differentiator if you explain how it helps you understand customers, employees, and decision-making

You do not need to do every course. Pick 2–3 practical ones, get relevant experience, and build a strong story around why psychology + behavioural economics makes you a useful future consultant.

Hello! When I was reviewing resumes, for non-traditional backgrounds I would look for a few things:

• Very high overall GPA and standardized test scores (and the bar is higher depending on the major/degree; e.g., a GPA for psychology should typically be even higher than a GPA for a degree in physics for example)
• Quantitative coursework (e.g., statistics, data analysis) - to highlight that you're able to perform well in this type of thinking. These would be some courses you could add in the next year, if you feel confident you'll be able to get great scores in them. Otherwise, it might be advantageous to not do those courses if it could drag down your GPA so would balance the pros/cons there.
• Internships or major examples of professional experience that would also strengthen the application and ideally also showcase quantitative/qualitative analytical skills 

Ultimately though, in addition to internship experience, I'd say that networking and making great in-person impressions (and then performing really well in case interviews) likely matters more than the degree/major/coursework at the end of the day - assuming a really strong GPA and test scores. If there are any in-person recruiting events on campus or nearby, I would absolutely prioritize going to those and meeting current employees. They then become your biggest advocates in the resume review process. 

All the best! 
- Matt 

Hi there,

Is it common for psychology graduates to enter strategy consulting? No.

But it is also not common for business, economics, engineering, or finance graduates to get into top consulting firms! These firms hire people from all walks of life.

Do not take random courses merely to compensate for studying psychology. Instead, focus on:

1. Maintaining strong grades.
2. Securing good internships.
3. Building leadership experience and measurable impact.
4. Demonstrating quantitative ability through your coursework and experience.
5. Joining your consulting club, networking, and preparing properly for recruiting.

Since you are starting early and want to understand the entire journey, my 360° Consulting Recruiting Course Bundle covers applications, referrals, screening tests, case interviews, fit interviews, and offer strategy.

Hi,

History major here - I managed to break into consulting despite not having a business background. In fact my interview prep buddy was a Psych major, and he got into MBB.

I would say that it is possible to get into consulting even with a Psych bachelors if you are able to demonstrate you have the relevant capabilities which include for e.g.:

1. Intellectual horsepower
2. Demonstrated track record of achievement
3. Interest/passion for business/consulting

You may not even need a graduate degree (again depending on which country you are in). 

For grad degrees, the most common path to consulting is still an MBA.

Check out my article on this topic: Breaking into Consulting from a non-traditional background

All the best!

Hey there :)

Your Psychology background can actually be a nice differentiator for consulting, especially given your focus on organisational psychology and behavioural economics. I wouldn’t overload yourself with courses. Focus on building strong quantitative skills, Excel, PowerPoint, business fundamentals and structured problem solving, while getting comfortable with case interviews.

More importantly, try to build evidence of leadership, teamwork and impact through internships, societies or extracurricular projects. Consulting firms care much more about what you’ve actually achieved than a long list of certificates.

Since you graduate in 2027, you have plenty of time to build the profile gradually. If you want, feel free to reach out and I can also help you map out a preparation plan.

Best, Alessa :)