Best Colleges and Universities for Psychology Degrees 2025

Badge for BEST FOR PSYCHOLOGY COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Key Takeaways

  • It is important that the college you choose for your psychology degree is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
  • A bachelor’s degree in psychology remains one of the most popular college degree in the United States.
  • There are a wide range of specialty fields for psychology graduates, further enhancing their career opportunities.

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten colleges and universities for psychology degrees saw some movement. The University of Arizona saw the greatest shift, gaining five ranking positions. The University of Arizona’s psychology department has expanded its research facilities, including new labs for cognitive neuroscience and behavioral research. The university has also introduced interdisciplinary courses that link psychology with data science, health sciences, and artificial intelligence, allowing students to explore emerging fields like neuropsychology and mental health technology. Additionally, new internship opportunities have been created through partnerships with local hospitals, mental health organizations, and community service programs, providing psychology students with practical, hands-on experience in their field.

Featured Programs

The Best Colleges and Universities for Psychology Degrees

  1. #1

    Harvard University

    Cambridge , MA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $57K

    Acceptance

    3%

    Graduation

    98%

    Student body

    39K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1535/35

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Harvard University

    Cost of Degree: $59,076
    Expenses: $27,629
    Starting Salary: $89,390
    Salary after 4 years: $121,612
    Cost Recoup Time: 13 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  2. #2

    Columbia University

    New York , NY
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $66K

    Acceptance

    4%

    Graduation

    95%

    Student body

    37K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1535/34

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Columbia University

    Cost of Degree: $68,171
    Expenses: $20,542
    Starting Salary: $74,288
    Salary after 4 years: $101,067
    Cost Recoup Time: 15 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  3. #3

    Stanford University

    Stanford , CA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $58K

    Acceptance

    4%

    Graduation

    95%

    Student body

    20K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1540/34

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Stanford University

    Cost of Degree: $62,484
    Expenses: $25,349
    Starting Salary: $90,804
    Salary after 4 years: $123,536
    Cost Recoup Time: 13 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  4. #4

    Yale University

    New Haven , CT
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $62K

    Acceptance

    5%

    Graduation

    98%

    Student body

    16K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1540/34

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Yale University

    Cost of Degree: $64,700
    Expenses: $23,600
    Starting Salary: $79,943
    Salary after 4 years: $108,760
    Cost Recoup Time: 14 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  5. #5

    University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia , PA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $63K

    Acceptance

    7%

    Graduation

    96%

    Student body

    33K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1535/34

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at University of Pennsylvania

    Cost of Degree: $66,104
    Expenses: $22,924
    Starting Salary: $84,570
    Salary after 4 years: $115,055
    Cost Recoup Time: 14 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  6. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $13K

    Acceptance

    87%

    Graduation

    68%

    Student body

    54K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1255/25

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at University of Arizona

    Cost of Degree: $13,277
    Expenses: $19,500
    Starting Salary: $36,266
    Salary after 4 years: $48,264
    Cost Recoup Time: 13 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    University of Arizona’s Online Degrees

    BA in Africana Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BAS in Administration of Justice
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Care, Health and Society
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Emergency Medical Services
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BAS in Cyber Operations
    Degree Concentrations
    • Engineering
    • Defense & Forensics
    • and Cyber Law & Policy
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Communication
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BAS in Early Childhood
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Bachelor of General Studies in Economy and Industry
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Environmental Science
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Bachelor of General Studies, in Arts, Media and Entertainment
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Bachelor of General Studies in Global and Intercultural Understanding
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Global Media
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Government and Public Service
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Human Rights Practice
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BAS in Human Services
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering
    • Required Credits: 128
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Business Administration
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Geographic Information Systems Technology (GIST)
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Literacy, Learning and Leadership
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Information Science and ESociety
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BAS in Organizational Leadership
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Psychology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Law
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Political Science
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BAS in Regional Commerce
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BAS in Intelligence and Information Operations
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in History
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Philosophy: Ethics
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Biology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Nutritional Sciences
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Spanish
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Bachelor of General Studies in Sports and Society
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Public Health
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Sustainable Built Environments
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Bachelor of General Studies in Social Behavior and Human Understanding
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  7. #7

    Wesleyan University

    Middletown , CT
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $64K

    Acceptance

    14%

    Graduation

    93%

    Student body

    4K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1415/32

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Wesleyan University

    Cost of Degree: $67,016
    Expenses: $21,704
    Starting Salary: $40,743
    Salary after 4 years: $55,429
    Cost Recoup Time: 21 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  8. #8

    Amherst College

    Amherst , MA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $64K

    Acceptance

    7%

    Graduation

    92%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1485/33

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Amherst College

    Cost of Degree: $67,280
    Expenses: $20,360
    Starting Salary: $53,531
    Salary after 4 years: $72,828
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  9. #9

    Swarthmore College

    Swarthmore , PA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $59K

    Acceptance

    7%

    Graduation

    94%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1500/33

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Swarthmore College

    Cost of Degree: $62,412
    Expenses: $21,691
    Starting Salary: $44,984
    Salary after 4 years: $61,200
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  10. #10

    University of Missouri

    Columbia , MO
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $12K

    Acceptance

    79%

    Graduation

    75%

    Student body

    34K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1240/26

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at University of Missouri

    Cost of Degree: $14,130
    Expenses: $18,142
    Starting Salary: $36,655
    Salary after 4 years: $48,781
    Cost Recoup Time: 12 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    University of Missouri’s Online Degrees

    BS in Business Administration
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Information Technology
    • Required Credits: 126
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Early Childhood Education In A Mobile Society
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BES in Educational Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Sociology
    • Required Credits: 60
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Communication
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in English
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BGS in General Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Interdisciplinary Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BSN in Nursing: RN to BSN
    • Required Credits: 30
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BHS in Radiography
    • Required Credits: 30
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BHS in Respiratory Therapy
    • Required Credits: 30
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BHS in Public Health
    • Required Credits: 60
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BHS in Health Science
    • Required Credits: 64
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Fitness Programming And Management
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  11. #11

    Wellesley College

    Wellesley , MA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $62K

    Acceptance

    14%

    Graduation

    90%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1490/34

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Wellesley College

    Cost of Degree: $64,320
    Expenses: $21,970
    Starting Salary: $46,141
    Salary after 4 years: $62,773
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  12. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $49K

    Acceptance

    79%

    Graduation

    71%

    Student body

    20K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1275/29

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Loyola University Chicago

    Cost of Degree: $51,716
    Expenses: $19,694
    Starting Salary: $40,807
    Salary after 4 years: $55,517
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    Loyola University Chicago’s Online Degrees

    BA in Management
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Information Technology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Web Technologies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Paralegal Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Applied Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Strategic Digital Communication
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BSN in Nursing
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  13. #13

    Pomona College

    Claremont , CA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $59K

    Acceptance

    7%

    Graduation

    95%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1520/34

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at Pomona College

    Cost of Degree: $62,326
    Expenses: $22,974
    Starting Salary: $49,675
    Salary after 4 years: $67,582
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  14. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    85%

    Graduation

    47%

    Student body

    35K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1110/21

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

    Cost of Degree: $9,142
    Expenses: $17,362
    Starting Salary: $32,122
    Salary after 4 years: $42,748
    Cost Recoup Time: 12 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s Online Degrees

    BA in Anthropology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Multidisciplinary Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Urban Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  15. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $8K

    Acceptance

    86%

    Graduation

    54%

    Student body

    8K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1100/22

    Career Outlook for Psychology degree at University of Nebraska at Kearney

    Cost of Degree: $8,270
    Expenses: $17,784
    Starting Salary: $29,661
    Salary after 4 years: $39,473
    Cost Recoup Time: 12 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is University of Nebraska at Kearney known for?

    University of Nebraska at Kearney’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Online Degrees

    BS in History
    Degree Concentrations
    • Social Science Comprehensive
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  16. Go to The Best Psychology Online Colleges

    The best psychology degree programs are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best psychology degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding psychology faculty.

    Back to Top

    Psychology bachelor’s degrees are the 4th most popular undergraduate degree across all student demographics. Only liberal studies, business, and nursing rank ahead of it. Psychology degrees are three times more common among women than men, and rank among the top 5 bachelor’s degrees for both Black people and Hispanics (according to degree-earner numbers reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics).

    While psychology is obviously a sensible major if you’re planning on becoming a clinical psychologist, majoring in psychology is also a great starting point for a career as a school counselor, special educator, addiction specialist, criminologist, forensics expert and countless other professions. Some psychology majors will complete a double major, or a minor, in a complimentary area such as education or law enforcement. Beyond that, psychology degrees can be useful in many areas of business like marketing, human resources, conflict resolution, and business management. Our top reason to choose a psychology degree is that you learn to think about how people think, and thus the versatility of a psychology degree is practically limitless.

    As a psychology major, you’ll study human development, cognition, and behavior. You’ll learn skills like counseling, behavioral therapy, and clinical treatment for mental health disorders. Students who plan to ultimately become practicing clinical psychologists will be required to earn their doctoral degree in psychology from a program that is accredited by The APA Commission on Accreditation, and subsequently qualify for and pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). However, majoring in psychology as an undergraduate can provide a starting point for a wide range of careers in school counseling, substance abuse treatment, special education, and much more. The best schools for psychology are those which are regionally accredited, which offer a full array of psychology concentrations, and which give you the chance to work with the best and most influential professors and classmates.

    Find out which psychology degree is right for you.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees

    While psychology is obviously a sensible major if you’re planning on becoming a clinical psychologist, majoring in psychology is also a great starting point for a career as a school counselor, special educator, addiction specialist, criminologist, forensics expert and countless other professions. Some psychology majors will complete a double major, or a minor, in a complimentary area such as education or law enforcement.

    And if you wish to continue into a doctoral program and ultimately become a practicing psychologist or psychiatrist, this is a natural starting point. Today, top influencers in psychology are breaking new ground in Positive Psychology, the psychology of decision making, the computational theory of mind, and much more.

    Popular culture studies is one of the best emerging new college majors. Graduates with a degree in psychology are eligible for a career in popular culture studies. Find out more about the courses and career information about this popular field.

    Back to Top

    This four-year undergraduate degree is extremely popular, not just among those who will go on to earn an advanced degree, but for those who will apply the concepts of psychology to a wide range of fields including education, marketing, law enforcement, child welfare, and much more. Organizations of every kind seek mental health professionals, human resource specialists, and organizational leaders with a strong understanding of motivation, behavior, and relationships. Your bachelor’s degree could qualify you to fill one of these needs.

    And for those who earn a terminal degree and ascend to the top of the field, earnings are well above the average for all professions. For instance, the Bureau of Labor of Statistics (BLS) indicates that the 2019 median pay for psychologists was $80,370; for postsecondary psychology teachers, $76,620; and for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, $97,260. These salaries far exceed a national average median for all jobs that falls just under $40,000 per year.

    Back to Top

    Psychology is a valuable major for anyone interested in learning how the human mind works and what makes people tick. A psychology major will give you insights into how people interact socially, what makes them go off the deep end (abnormal psychology), how to test for personality traits, what the brain can tell us about emotions, and much more. A bachelor’s degree in psychology can prepare you for work in fields as diverse as psychological testing, counseling, and special-needs learning. It is also a great springboard to other areas of graduate study, such as law, education, politics, sociology, and social work.

    Back to Top

    Psychology tends to be an easy major. It is classified as a social science rather than as a natural or exact science. As such, you can major in psychology without needing to know many, if any, STEM subjects (STEM = Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics). Moreover, by focusing on less technical fields in psychology (such as social psychology or counseling), it’s possible to keep the technical demands of a psychology major to a minimum.

    That said, psychology is a field of endless depth and riches, and there will be plenty to keep you challenged if you want to be challenged. Even mathematics and statistics can play a big role in psychology as in psychological assessment/measurement and in mathematical models of cognition (see, for instance, the groundbreaking work of Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman). Similarly, psychology in the form of neuroscience requires a lot of biology and can also require computer science.

    Some majors have what are called “major killers,” in other words, courses designed to weed out students who don’t measure up (computer science and electrical engineering are notorious for having such courses because there is such a demand for majors in these fields). Psychology typically doesn’t have such “major killer” courses.

    Back to Top

    Course requirements for a psychology major include an introductory course or two that give an overview of the field, and then specific courses covering a range of areas such as cognition, perception, personality theory, abnormal psychology, social psychology, psychological testing, animal learning and behavior, neuropsychology, and counseling. A research methods and statistics course are also required, though beyond that the mathematics requirement tends to be minimal.

    Many of the courses that psychology majors take will either have a laboratory component or a separate lab course. These can have human subjects (as in a cognition course testing memory) or animal subjects (as in a animal learning course training rats in an operant conditioning chamber). Taking such lab courses will be especially encouraged if you are thinking of going on to graduate school in psychology.

    Advanced psychology majors may also be expected to engage in original research with a professor/mentor, working at on-campus laboratories or research facilities, as well as in the field. In that case, they will work closely with faculty, laboratory support staff, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows as they explore areas in psychology that interest them.

    Many colleges and universities require of their psychology majors a senior capstone project consisting of original research and presented at some meeting or conference via a poster, workshop, or other presentation.

    Back to Top

    Once you’ve declared your major in psychology, you will likely be required to complete a set of core courses in a number of related subject areas. While your concentration will give you a chance to choose from a wide range of highly-specialized psychology electives, there are several common courses that most psychology majors will be required to take, including:

    • Developmental Psychology
    • Cognitive Psychology
    • Ethics in Psychology
    • Theories of Behaviorism
    • Abnormal Psychology
    • Forensics Psychology
    • Research Methodologies in Psychology
    • Clinical Psychology
    • Statistics

    Back to Top

    Your “concentration” refers to a specific area of focus within your major. Many undergraduates will decide their concentrations once they get more familiar with the field of study, but in some cases, whether a school has the concentration you want can be a determining factor for chosing a school. A niche field like forensic psychology simply isn’t offered at every college. Therfore, giving some thought to what concentrations excite you the most can help you choose the right college for your psycholgoy degree. According to The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the following are among the most popular psychology concentrations:

    • Clinical Psychology
    • Community Psychology
    • Counseling Psychology
    • School Psychology
    • Educational Psychology
    • Environmental Psychology
    • Family Psychology
    • Applied Psychology
    • Forensic Psychology
    • Psychopharmacology

    Back to Top

    Truth be told, simply having a bachelor’s degree in psychology doesn’t offer you a lot of career options as a psychologist. Usually, additional graduate work or certifications are needed. Unlike engineering, where you can call yourself an “engineer” upon getting your bachelor’s degree in engineering, people tend to call themselves psychologists only when they have additional training beyond the bachelor’s level.

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists seven types of professional psychologists:

    1. clinical psychologists,
    2. counseling psychologists,
    3. developmental psychologists,
    4. forensic psychologists,
    5. industrial-organizational psychologists
    6. rehabilitation psychologists, and
    7. school psychologists.

    Psychology majors have a lot of career options. You’ll need to earn a doctoral degree in order to practice as a clinical psychologist, as well as a medical degree to become a practicing psychiatrist. A master’s degree can help you hone in on an area of concentration such as education, forensics, or mental health counseling. However, opportunities also abound in a wide range of work settings for undergraduates with an educational background in psychology. Depending on your degree level, a psychology major can lead to a wide range of career opportunities, including these top jobs:

    On the last point, applied behavioral analysis (ABA) has become very important with the increase of people on the autism spectrum and their need for special one-on-one training (for which there are not enough psychologists with advanced degrees). Any training and certification in ABA as a psychology major is likely to do you well.

    Bottom line: If you are looking to work in the field of psychology with only a bachelor’s degree, you need to have a clear job objective in mind while pursuing your psychology major and you need to acquire the skills (and perhaps certifications) needed to get that job on graduation.

    Back to Top

    Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

    Research universities are schools whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Such institutions offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, often with tens of thousands of students.

    Is a big high-powered research environment the place for you? In deciding on where to do your psychology major as an undergraduate, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

    Are you good with being a face in a crowd, especially for some of the general introductory psychology classes that you’ll be taking, where you might be one among several hundred students? Are you okay with being a little fish in a big pond?

    If you are serious about studying psychology and think you’ll eventually want to get a graduate degree in psychology, then a research university is probably the place for you. If you excel as an undergraduate at a research university, you’ll be able to take graduate courses your junior and senior years, and you may be invited to do research with some of your professors.

    A research university can thus be a great springboard if you aspire to be a world-class player in the field of psychology.

    Did you know that many psychology graduates also transition into IT careers? Find out how to get into tech with a psychology degree.

    Back to Top

    But perhaps your interest in psychology isn’t overwhelming. Perhaps you are thinking of psychology more as a stepping stone to other things that interest you, such as a career in law or education. And perhaps you want a more intimate campus.

    In that case, a liberal arts college may be just what the doctor ordered. The best liberal arts colleges offer an excellent undergraduate education. In fact, students who do well at a top liberal arts college typically have no problem getting into and thriving at a top research university if upon completing their bachelor’s they decide to go on for further study.

    The best liberal arts colleges offer a broad range of subjects for students to study. They typically provide smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Liberal arts colleges stress not only going deep in one’s major but also going broad.

    Here’s another reason you might appreciate the breadth of a liberal arts education: about 80 percent of undergraduate students end up changing majors while in college and 60 percent of college grads would change majors if they had to do it again. Liberal arts colleges keep you from getting too narrowly focused.

    Back to Top

    The verdict is in: other things being equal, a campus-based college experience is preferable to a purely online college experience. Indeed, nothing beats direct personal contact with faculty and fellow students. Body language, facial cues, voice intonation and a host of other factors like this get lost in going from “real reality” to “virtual reality.” These factors enhance the educational process and get lost in online education.

    There was a key caveat in the previous paragraph: other things being equal. As it is, other things are rarely equal. You may be a second career student with a family to take care of and no way to juggle these obligations with a commute to a local campus. Online education may then be your only option.

    Or it may be that you thrive on independence and solitude, working at your own pace and schedule, viewing video lectures and digital materials at your convenience. Online education gives you unmatched flexibility to pursue your education on your terms.

    Life is a matter of tradeoffs. Pursuing a psychology major online will mean missing out on the benefits of campus life. Such benefits include everything from having housing and meals provided on campus to in-person office hours and counseling services. But where a campus-based education is not an option, an online education may be quite doable.

    Back to Top

    Career Outlook for Students with Psychology Degree

    Go to Degree Finder tool

    Psychology

    Degree Level: Bachelor's

    • Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
    • Avg. Starting Salary*: $31,232
    • Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $41,564
    • * denotes ‘annually’

    Career Salaries

    CareerJob GrowthAvg. Salary
    Industrial-Organizational Psychologists5.81%$147,420
    Managers, All Other5.75%$133,560
    Psychologists, All Other4.95%$117,750
    Clinical and Counseling Psychologists13.28%$96,100
    Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary4.89%$82,140

    Top Industries

    IndustryAvg. Salary
    Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$147,420
    Managers, All Other$133,560
    Psychologists, All Other$117,750

Career Outlook for Students with Psychology Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Psychology

Degree Level: Bachelor's

  • Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
  • Avg. Starting Salary*: $31,232
  • Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $41,564
  • * denotes ‘annually’

Career Salaries

CareerJob GrowthAvg. Salary
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists5.81%$147,420
Managers, All Other5.75%$133,560
Psychologists, All Other4.95%$117,750
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists13.28%$96,100
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary4.89%$82,140

Top Industries

IndustryAvg. Salary
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$147,420
Managers, All Other$133,560
Psychologists, All Other$117,750
Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here