Psychology Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Psychology major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Sciences, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Sciences, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$107,285

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$169,626

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$227,963

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 8.0%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$4,291,400

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Managers, All Other
SOC: 11-9199
Occupation: Managers, All Other
$136,550
630,980
N/A
N/A
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
SOC: 19-3032
Occupation: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
$109,840
1,050
N/A
N/A
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
SOC: 19-3033
Occupation: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
$95,830
72,190
N/A
N/A
Psychologists, All Other
SOC: 19-3039
Occupation: Psychologists, All Other
$117,580
17,790
N/A
N/A
Social Science Research Assistants
SOC: 19-4061
Occupation: Social Science Research Assistants
$58,040
32,940
N/A
N/A
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC: 25-1066
Occupation: Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary
$80,330
41,610
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Managers, All Other

9.5%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$136,550630,980
2023$133,560589,750
2022$128,620543,290
2021$124,650497,890

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

14.1%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$109,8401,050
2023$147,4201,030
2022$139,2801,280
2021$105,310610
2020$96,270780

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

16.1%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$95,83072,190
2023$96,10071,730
2022$90,13062,880
2021$82,51058,100

Psychologists, All Other

11.2%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$117,58017,790
2023$117,75014,480
2022$106,42013,900
2021$102,90013,800
2020$105,78014,960

Social Science Research Assistants

17.9%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$58,04032,940
2023$56,40030,890
2022$50,47028,720
2021$49,72028,690
2020$49,21035,330

Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

2.8%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$80,33041,610
2023$82,14040,610
2022$78,81040,050
2021$77,86036,060
2020$78,18036,520

Colleges offering Psychology

Yale University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$27k

Earnings

$86k

Fairfield University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$48k

Earnings

$77k

University of San Francisco

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$45k

Earnings

$75k

University of Southern California

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$42k

Earnings

$78k

Shasta College

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$8k

Earnings

$75k