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Lecturer, Psychology

Education

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.

EducationGeneral

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA lecture hall

  • Mostly indoors
  • Sitting for most of the day
  • Dealing with customers or the public
  • Regular working hours

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

Psychology lecturers in Malaysia are based in public universities (e.g. UKM, UPM, UIAM, UMS) and many private universities, where psychology is a popular degree. Clinical psychology is a regulated allied health profession here, so staff teaching clinical training usually hold a clinical Master's and professional registration.

How people get into it here
SPM → STPM/Matriculation/Foundation/Diploma → Bachelor's in Psychology → Master's (minimum for a DS11 public-university post) → PhD (strongly preferred; needed for Senior Lecturer and above); to teach clinical practice, also a Master's in Clinical Psychology and registration as a clinical psychologist
Demand
UKM lists Clinical Psychology among the 'critical fields' where it will appoint lecturers on temporary DS45 terms while they complete their PhD (2024 hiring criteria). UKM lecturer appointment criteria UA20241

Sources:pengambilancns.uitm.edu.myperlis.uitm.edu.myappsmu.ukm.myspp.gov.my

Pay in Malaysia

Government starting pay

RM3,320 – RM3,650

per month

Senior grade

RM6,210 – RM14,370

per month

Official basic pay for the government grade, before allowances. Private-sector pay can differ.

UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA) · Dec 2025

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationDoctoral degree

Quick answers

How do you become a Lecturer, Psychology in Malaysia?

SPM → STPM/Matriculation/Foundation/Diploma → Bachelor's in Psychology → Master's (minimum for a DS11 public-university post) → PhD (strongly preferred; needed for Senior Lecturer and above); to teach clinical practice, also a Master's in Clinical Psychology and registration as a clinical psychologist. Optional registration with Malaysian Allied Health Professions Council (MAHPC) — Clinical Psychologist is a regulated profession under the Allied Health Professions Act 2016 (Act 774); needed for clinical practice, not for lecturing in general psychology is available.

What should I study to become a Lecturer, Psychology?

Related fields of study: Education. SPM subjects that help most: English, Additional Mathematics, Mathematics and Biology.

How much does a Lecturer, Psychology earn in Malaysia?

The official pay scale put starting pay at RM3,320 – RM3,650 a month, and RM6,210 – RM14,370 with experience (source: UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA), Dec 2025).

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.
  2. 2Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  3. 3Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
  4. 4Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  5. 5Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  6. 6Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  7. 7Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  8. 8Supervise students' laboratory work.
  9. 9Recruit and hire new faculty.
  10. 10Supervise the clinical work of practicum students.
  11. 11Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  12. 12Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  13. 13Provide clinical services to clients, such as assessing psychological problems and conducting psychotherapy.
  14. 14Develop and use multimedia course materials and other current technology, such as online courses.
  15. 15Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  16. 16Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
  17. 17Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
  18. 18Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
  19. 19Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
  20. 20Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  21. 21Write letters of recommendation for students.
  22. 22Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
  23. 23Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
  24. 24Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
  25. 25Review books and journal articles for potential publication.
  26. 26Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
  27. 27Act as advisers to student organizations.
  28. 28Participate in campus and community events.
  29. 29Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Teacher
  • Lecturer
  • Professor
  • Instructor
  • Faculty Member
  • Adjunct Professor
  • College Professor
  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Psychology100%
  • English Language96%

    English

  • Education and Training86%
  • Sociology and Anthropology78%
  • Mathematics77%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Therapy and Counseling76%

    BiologySports Science

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentRarely
  • Time spent sittingMost of the time

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Mentor other faculty members.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

16%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.01%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job, and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

Source: UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA) · as of Dec 2025

Check the salary figures yourself:UiTM academic job advertisement (Pensyarah Universiti DS11/DS13, SSPA)

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org