Life As a Psychology Professor
Occupation 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.
Life As a Psychology Professor: What Do They Do?
- Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
- Provide clinical services to clients, such as assessing psychological problems and conducting psychotherapy.
- Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
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What a Psychology Professor Should Know
These are the skills Psychology Professors say are the most useful in their careers:
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Types of Psychology Professor Jobs
- Abnormal Psychology Teacher
- Behavioral Science Chair
- Teacher
- Psychology Professor
- Applied Psychology Professor
Is There Going to be Demand for Psychology Professors?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 46,900 jobs in the United States for Psychology Professor. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 15.1% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 7,100 new jobs for Psychology Professor by 2026. There will be an estimated 4,500 positions for Psychology Professor per year.

The states with the most job growth for Psychology Professor are Utah, Colorado, and Missouri. Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, North Dakota, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Psychology Professors Make A Lot Of Money?
The salary for Psychology Professors ranges between about $39,350 and $155,710 a year.

Psychology Professors who work in California, District of Columbia, or Connecticut, make the highest salaries.
How much do Psychology Professors make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $68,660 |
Alaska | $59,200 |
Arkansas | $64,360 |
California | $117,990 |
Colorado | $68,010 |
Connecticut | $88,070 |
District of Columbia | $109,060 |
Florida | $77,810 |
Georgia | $75,850 |
Hawaii | $65,850 |
Idaho | $88,970 |
Illinois | $87,880 |
Indiana | $85,580 |
Iowa | $92,430 |
Kansas | $81,530 |
Kentucky | $67,960 |
Maine | $73,000 |
Maryland | $87,850 |
Massachusetts | $97,690 |
Michigan | $92,000 |
Minnesota | $86,380 |
Mississippi | $71,880 |
Missouri | $83,520 |
Nebraska | $81,300 |
Nevada | $60,880 |
New Hampshire | $89,780 |
New Jersey | $99,670 |
New Mexico | $87,010 |
New York | $99,690 |
North Carolina | $77,700 |
North Dakota | $82,580 |
Ohio | $83,230 |
Oklahoma | $60,140 |
Oregon | $76,580 |
Pennsylvania | $89,300 |
Rhode Island | $93,080 |
South Carolina | $82,630 |
South Dakota | $75,910 |
Tennessee | $74,260 |
Texas | $78,270 |
Utah | $76,470 |
Virginia | $75,770 |
Washington | $68,420 |
West Virginia | $68,470 |
Wisconsin | $77,150 |
Wyoming | $68,110 |
What Tools do Psychology Professors Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Psychology Professors:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Word processing software
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- SAS
- Google Docs
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- R
- Minitab
- Blackboard
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Blackboard Learn
- Learning management system LMS
- Sakai CLE
How do I Become a Psychology Professor?
Are there Psychology Professors education requirements?

How Long Does it Take to Become a Psychology Professor?

Psychology Professors Sector

The table below shows the approximate number of Psychology Professors employed by various industries.

Related Careers
Career changers with experience as a Psychology Professor sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: BruceBlaus via Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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