10 Highest Paying Jobs with a Psychology Degree [2024 Guide]
By Joy Miller
Updated on September 4, 2024
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If you have your sights set on a psychology major, then you might be curious about the highest paying jobs with a psychology degree.
Whether or not you decide to go to grad school after your undergraduate program, a psychology bachelor’s degree has the potential to lead to a high salary.
Once you know the highest paying psychology careers, you can make a plan to pursue one that’s a fit for your strengths and interests.
Some of the highest paying psychology jobs go to those who hold graduate degrees in the field, such as psychologists and psychiatrists. Even still, there are noteworthy salaries to be had with just a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
A psychology degree program helps you learn about the ways that people think and act. When you study psychology in college, you can acquire knowledge and skills that can be useful in many different fields, including business and social services.
Select the highest paying jobs you can get with a psychology degree that most interests you to jump to that section of the guide:
The following list of the highest paying jobs you can get with a psychology degree includes salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Annual Median Salary: $226,880
Degree Requirement: Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health. As a psychiatrist, you’d be able to prescribe medication and help people with serious mental health conditions.
To become a psychiatrist, it’s necessary to go to medical school, complete a residency, and become board certified.
Annual Median Salary: $139,280
Degree Requirement: Master’s Degree
I-O psychologists use psychological principles and concepts in the workplace. In this role, you might help organizations boost productivity, build team cohesion, retain employees, or increase morale. You might carry out research projects and then draw conclusions or develop ideas based on your findings.
Annual Median Salary: $130,000
Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree
It’s common for psychology graduates to enter HR departments after graduation. Their psychology training can be useful for responsibilities related to employee development and conflict management.
When paired with experience in lower-level roles, a bachelor’s degree may qualify you for management roles in human resources.
Annual Median Salary: $125,620
Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree
Success in public relations and fundraising depends on building a good rapport with others. Psychology majors understand how to communicate in ways that persuade and influence people, so you might be a fitting candidate for such jobs.
After gaining experience, you might qualify for a job as a PR or fundraising manager.
Annual Median Salary: $120,000
Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree
As a training and development specialist, you could develop programs or initiatives to help employees become as effective as possible in their roles.
Your understanding of psychology can help you create modules that motivate and engage learners. With experience, you might get promoted to a management position.
Annual Median Salary: $90,130
Degree Requirement: PhD in Psychology or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Perhaps you’re interested in psychology so that you can listen to people talk about their problems and help them find solutions.
If so, you might want to get a doctorate so that you can practice independently as a licensed clinical or counseling psychologist. You’ll receive specialized training in supporting people who have mental health disorders.
Annual Median Salary: $81,500
Degree Requirement: PhD, PsyD, or Education Specialist (EdS)
Graduate studies could launch your career as a school psychologist. In this role, you could assist students and families who are dealing with personal problems.
You might also administer assessments, develop accommodation plans, and connect students to support services. Psychologists often play a key role in schools’ special education teams.
Annual Median Salary: $79,960
Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree
BA in Psychology programs, in particular, place a strong emphasis on written communication skills. You might put your communication abilities to work for you in a technical writing position.
Perhaps you’d write on scientific topics related to psychology, but you could work in any field in which readers would benefit from clear explanations of complex topics.
Annual Median Salary: $74,240
Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree
If you chose a psychology major because you want to help people, then you might consider starting a career in human services, social services, or community programming.
With experience, you might end up working as a manager who leads teams of caseworkers, develops programs to meet local needs, or allocates an organization’s resources.
Annual Median Salary: $68,230
Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree
Psychology students learn about people’s desires and motivations, which are important topics for people who work in marketing.
As a market research analyst, you’d pay attention to data on sales trends and consumer behavior. A BS in Psychology’s emphasis on statistics and research could be useful in this career.
Wondering what you can do with a psychology degree? Many of the highest paying jobs with a bachelor’s degree in psychology are management roles. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the median annual salary for human resources managers is $130,000. Public relations managers earn a median of $129,430 each year.
Other potential management positions of a psychology degree include fundraising manager, training manager, and social services manager. Alternatively, you could use the skills acquired in a psychology program to become a market research analyst or a technical writer.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for psychologists is $85,330. With a median salary of $139,280, industrial-organizational psychologists often make the highest wages.
The median for clinical and counseling psychologists is $90,130. For school psychologists, the median income is $81,500. Keep in mind that it’s necessary to have a graduate degree before you can work as a practicing psychologist. There are many high-paying jobs with a bachelor’s in psychology online or on campus, but psychology licensure typically requires a doctorate.
Securing one of the highest paying psychology careers often begins with earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology. You can even study online to obtain this degree, choosing between a BA vs. BS in Psychology based on your career goals.
Online classes will introduce you to topics in personality theory, abnormal psychology, interpersonal relationships, and human cognition. You may also learn how to run psychological assessments and conduct social science research. For your online degree, it’s beneficial to select a regionally accredited college so that your psychology education will be credible and well respected.
You can start exploring your options for online psychology studies today. Curious about your options? Click “Find My Program” to discover what’s right for you.
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