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General Psychology

Instructional content is defined in code 42.0101.

Types of Degrees General Psychology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Psychology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	139
Associate’s Degree	18,782
Bachelor’s Degree	118,927
Master’s Degree	7,474
Doctor’s Degree	1,747

What General Psychology Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Psychology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Psychology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a General Psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Psychology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Psychology graduates include:

• Human Relations Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Mental Measurements Teacher
• College Professor
• Industrial Psychology Professor
• Child Development Professor
• Applied Psychology Professor
• Psychology Adjunct Instructor
• I/O Psychology Professor (Industrial/Organizational Psychology Professor)
• Faculty Member
• Psychology Assistant Professor
• Child Development Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Industrial Psychology Teacher
• Psychology Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Psychology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	32.6%
Post-doctoral training	23.7%
Doctoral degree	17.5%
Master’s degree	11.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.5%
Some college courses	2.4%
Postsecondary certificate	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 80% of General Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	117,682	80.0%
Men	29,396	20.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Psychology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	68,902	46.8%
Asian	9,018	6.1%
Hispanic or Latino	37,523	25.5%
Black or African American	16,086	10.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	640	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	264	0.2%
Two or More Races	6,910	4.7%
Race Unknown	4,278	2.9%
International Students	3,457	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Psychology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Psychology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,076
4 years	$43,735
5 years	$50,901

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $50,901 — roughly 54% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Psychology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General Psychology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	85	52
Bachelor’s	158	205
Master’s	40	27
Doctoral (Research)	8	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Psychology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Psychology graduates earn a median of $43,735 four years after completion — roughly 15% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Psychology	213,668
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology	40,952
Research and Experimental Psychology	22,813
Psychology, Other	2,825
Clinical Psychology	—
Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics	—
Community Psychology	—
Counseling Psychology	—
Developmental and Child Psychology	—
Educational Psychology	—
Health Psychology	—
Physiological Psychology/Psychobiology	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.