Psychology

Types of Degrees Psychology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many psychology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	32,270
Doctor’s Degree	6,582
Graduate Certificate	3,161

What Psychology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to psychology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Psychology Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Psychology Majors

psychology majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Psychology Majors

Psychology majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Psychology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with psychology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Clinical Psychologists	14.2%	$76,990
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Counseling Psychologists	14.2%	$76,990
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists	5.9%	$97,260
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Loss Prevention Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists	10.3%	$100,770
Psychology Professors	15.1%	$76,710
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
School Psychologists	14.2%	$76,990
Security Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Supply Chain Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Psychology?

This major is dominated by women with about 81% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of psychology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,496
Black or African American	3,871
Hispanic or Latino	5,196
White	16,856
International Students	1,201
Other Races/Ethnicities	3,650

Geographic Diversity

Psychology appeals to people across the globe. About 3.7% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Psychology Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that psychology students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $43,742 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,008 (25th percentile) and $50,439 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in psychology, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $88,490 to $109,030 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to psychology. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Psychology

Some degrees associated with psychology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for psychology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.7%
Some College Courses	0.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	29.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.1%
Master’s Degree	22.4%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	4.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.2%
Doctoral Degree	16.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	17.2%

Online Psychology Programs

In 2020-2021, 1,814 schools offered a psychology program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	18	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	362	70
Bachelor’s Degree	220	56
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1,538	176
Post-Master’s	261	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	688	33
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	116	9
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	3	0

Is a Degree in Psychology Worth It?

The median salary for a psychology grad is $95,610 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 140% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,114,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Psychology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to psychology.

Major	Number of Grads
Education	199,724
Social Sciences	22,292
Communication & Journalism	12,242
Library Science	5,929
History	4,391
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences	3,692
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies	2,911

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Nevit Dilmen under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.