Master's · earnings grade

Is a Psychology degree worth it?

Graduates earn a median $42,682 two years after finishing, more than 23% of master's majors. Measured across 402 US programmes by the Department of Education — real graduate pay, not survey answers.

D

The verdict on the money

Financially it is a slower start than most majors at this level — worth planning your borrowing around.

Median earnings $42,682 2 years after finishing
Typical range $38,289–$48,265 middle half of US programmes
Over no degree +$3,162 vs $39,520 high-school median
Graduates a year 6,941 402 programmes

Where a Psychology degree pays best US programmes ranked on their own graduates' median earnings two years out.

#University1 yr out2 yrs out3 yrs outGraduates/yr
1 George Mason University cost & debt at this university → $66,608 $73,112 $68,279 77
2 Xavier University cost & debt at this university → not published $66,915 not published 22
3 California State University-Fresno cost & debt at this university → $67,245 $66,541 $77,418 20
4 The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga cost & debt at this university → $40,600 $63,005 $73,667 4
5 Middle Tennessee State University cost & debt at this university → $49,120 $59,485 $88,221 48
6 Western Michigan University cost & debt at this university → not published $58,221 not published 4
7 Florida State University cost & debt at this university → $52,945 $57,995 $65,740 40
8 University of Nevada-Reno cost & debt at this university → not published $57,770 $75,701 —
9 Western New England University cost & debt at this university → not published $55,964 not published —
10 Claremont Graduate University $42,329 $55,964 $63,452 1
11 Missouri State University-Springfield not published $55,286 not published —
12 University of Massachusetts-Lowell cost & debt at this university → $49,526 $54,713 not published 11

What this figure does and does not tell you

It is the median of what real graduates of this exact major earned, taken from tax records two years after they completed. It is not a starting salary, not an average of job adverts, and not a projection. The median master's major in this dataset reports $54,713, so Psychology sits below the middle by $12,031.

Two years is early in a career. Fields with long training pipelines — medicine, law, research — look weaker at this point than they will at ten, while trades and applied technical fields peak sooner. Read a low figure in a long-pipeline subject as "slow start", not "bad degree".

There is no debt figure here on purpose. The Department of Education publishes earnings by field of study but not borrowing, so nobody can honestly tell you the debt of a specific major. Debt is published per institution — that is where our university cost pages carry it.

Psychology at other levels

Bachelor's — $29,141 (F)

Scholarships for Psychology students

Whatever the subject pays, the money you do not borrow is the money you keep.

Netherlands Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship PhD Studentships in Psychology at University of Central Lancas... Vice Chancellor’s PhD Studentships in Psychology at Roehampton... Fee-waiver Scholarships for International Students at Universi... Doctoral Research Fellowship in Literature, Cognition and Emot... IoPPN Dean’s Master Scholarships for UK/EU and International S...
See all Psychology scholarships →

Study Psychology Programmes listed on ScholarshipsAds.

Environmental Psychology — Lund University Psychology with Specialisation in Health Psych... — Umeå University Psychology — Bilkent University Psychology — Bilkent University Psychology — Bilkent University Counselling Psychology — University of Toronto

Majors that pay more at this level Closest first — useful if you are still choosing.

Social Work — $44,960 Teaching — $45,668 Criminal Justice — $45,715 Communications — $45,715 Political Science — $46,283 Health Services — $46,966

Funding the degree Lenders that fund US and international students — compare the rate before you sign.

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We may earn a commission if you take a loan through a provider here. It never changes the earnings figures on this page — those come from the US Department of Education.

Psychology: the questions people ask

How much do Psychology graduates earn?
The median master's graduate earns $42,682 two years after finishing, across 82 US programmes that publish the figure. One year out it is $42,820.
Is a Psychology degree worth it?
Financially it is a slower start than most majors at this level — worth planning your borrowing around. The median graduate earns $3,162 a year more than a US worker whose highest qualification is a high-school diploma.
What is the salary range for Psychology?
Half of US programmes report medians between $38,289 and $48,265. Where you study moves this figure more than most applicants expect.
How many people graduate in Psychology each year?
About 6,941 students complete a master's in this field each year across 402 US programmes.
Does this include student debt?
No — and deliberately. The Department of Education publishes earnings by field of study but not debt, so any "debt by major" figure you see elsewhere is an estimate. Debt is published per institution, which is why our university pages carry it and this page does not.
All degree grades Highest paying majors Most popular majors University costs & payback

Classified by the Department of Education as Psychology, General (CIP 4201). Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings (median earnings of graduates who received federal financial aid, measured 1–3 years after completion). Figures are per major and credential level, pooled across US programmes. Information only, not financial advice.