Impact

Sex tech is a rapidly evolving industry that intersects technology, human sexuality and FemTech, creating various innovative products and services. A degree in SexTech equips you with a broad range of skills to pursue your professional interests that combine creativity, technology, and a focus on improving human sexuality, health, and relationships. Graduates will work with tech companies, startups, companies supporting women’s health, and similar sex tech companies in roles such as: 

• Sexual Health Product Consultant: Provide expertise and advice for companies that design, develop, and market sexual health products and services. 
• Industrial Designer: Focus on the physical design and user experience of sex toys and related medical devices and solutions. May work in the FemTech space, which usually focuses on developing solutions for female-bodied women. 
• UX/UI Designer: Develop user-friendly interfaces for apps and devices, ensuring seamless user interactions.
• Research & Development Subject Matter Expert: Provide insights into human sexuality to inform product development. 
• Sex Educators: Provide education and resources about sexual health and the use of sex tech products.
• Advocacy and Advisory: Promote sexual and reproductive wellness and the acceptance of sex tech and FemTech solutions in society and advise to support informed decision-making by leaders. 
• Writers and Editors: Develop content for blogs, product descriptions, and educational materials. 

A degree in sex counseling equips you to pursue several roles within the broader field of sexual health, education, and wellness, such as:

• Sexual Health Educator: Develop and implement educational programs and materials on sexual and reproductive health, relationships, and consent for schools, community organizations, non-profit, and healthcare settings. Lead workshops and seminars on topics such as sexual and reproductive health and wellness, intimacy, and communication skills.
• Sexual Wellness Coach: Provide coaching services focused on improving individuals' sexual wellness, intimacy, and relationship satisfaction (note that this role may require specific training or certification in coaching, depending on the region). This work can include the emergent role of intimacy coach/coordinator for the entertainment industry.
• Content Creator: Write articles, blogs, or create videos and podcasts on sexual and reproductive health and wellness topics for online platforms or magazines.
• Program Development: Develop and manage programs related to sexual health education, outreach, and advocacy for non-profits or healthcare organizations.
• Sexual Health Advocate: Work with advocacy groups to promote sexual health awareness, rights, and education within communities.
• Community Outreach Worker: Engage with various communities to provide information, resources, and support on sexual health issues.
• Peer Support Specialist: Offer peer support and guidance to individuals seeking help with sexual health concerns, often through non-profit organizations or support groups.

Most students enter our doctoral program as early- or mid-career professionals seeking to deepen their expertise, expand their leadership capacity, and contribute original scholarship to the field of human sexuality. Throughout the program, students use their coursework, research, dissertation topic, and professional networks to build toward meaningful and often innovative career pathways.

The Ph.D. in Human Sexuality prepares students to pursue a wide range of professional opportunities across academic, clinical, community, organizational, policy, and entrepreneurial contexts, including:

• Research and scholarship, including basic, translational, applied, community-based, and interdisciplinary research.
• Higher education and teaching, including faculty roles, academic leadership, curriculum development, and student mentorship.
• Sexuality education and training, including K–12, higher education, continuing education, professional training, and community-based education.
• Clinical and counseling-related settings, including LGBTQ+ centers, community mental health organizations, women’s centers, reproductive health clinics, interdisciplinary care teams, and licensed clinical practices (though our program does not support or lead to licensure).
• Public health, health equity, and nonprofit leadership, including work in HIV/AIDS services, reproductive and gender-affirming health, transgender health, eating disorders, disability justice, and community wellness.
• Advocacy, policy, and systems change, including reproductive justice, gender and sexuality policy, pleasure activism, anti-violence work, and human rights initiatives.
• Governmental, NGO, and international work, including health departments, human rights organizations, anti-trafficking efforts, global health initiatives, and sexuality-related policy advisement.
• Media, culture, and public scholarship, including writing, podcasting, consulting, public education, documentary/media work, and thought leadership.
• Entrepreneurial and innovation-focused work, including research consulting, independent practice, organizational consulting, SexTech, FemTech, digital health, and mission-driven startups, including AI-native efforts.

Students should note that while select courses integrate several core knowledge areas of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) to support students who may be interested in pursuing AASECT certification, the Ph.D. in Human Sexuality does not, by itself, lead to AASECT certification.