Experimental Psychology

Types of Degrees Experimental Psychology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many experimental psychology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	457
Doctor’s Degree	214
Graduate Certificate	21

What Experimental Psychology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, experimental psychology majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Experimental 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills for Experimental Psychology Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to experimental psychology:

• 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.
• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Experimental Psychology Majors

A major in experimental psychology will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Experimental Psychology Major?

People with a experimental psychology degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Compliance 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

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Experimental Psychology?

This major is dominated by women with about 74% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	43
Black or African American	23
Hispanic or Latino	58
White	182
International Students	116
Other Races/Ethnicities	35

Geographic Diversity

Experimental Psychology appeals to people across the globe. About 25.4% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Experimental Psychology

Some careers associated with experimental psychology require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.0%
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)	1.5%
Some College Courses	0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.1%
Master’s Degree	11.0%
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.	0.9%
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.	1.0%
Doctoral Degree	17.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	30.6%

Online Experimental Psychology Programs

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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	50	1
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	43	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Experimental Psychology

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

Major	Number of Grads
Other Research & Experimental Psychology	13,458
Developmental & Child Psychology	1,929
Behavioral Neuroscience	1,427
Social Psychology	531
Cognitive Psychology & Psycholinguistics	316
Psychometrics & Quantitative Psychology	105
Psychopharmacology	34
Personality Psychology	21
Comparative Psychology	16

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.