Psychology, General: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 1,203 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Psychology, General pays
Career outlook for Psychology, General graduates
The job market for the occupations Psychology, General graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | 1,333,700 | +4.5% | $136,550 | Bachelor's degree |
| Clinical and counseling psychologists | 76,300 | +11.2% | $95,830 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Psychologists, all other | 55,300 | +4.3% | $117,580 | Master's degree |
| Psychology teachers, postsecondary | 52,500 | +3.6% | $80,330 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Social science research assistants | 40,600 | +4.4% | $58,040 | Bachelor's degree |
| Industrial-organizational psychologists | 5,600 | +6.3% | $109,840 | Master's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Psychology, General vs similar majors
How Psychology, General stacks up against the closest fields in Psychology on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Psychology, General Psychology · this major | Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Research and Experimental Psychology | Psychology, Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 26 F | 47 D | 44 D | 27 F |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Strong return | Strong return | Break-even |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $50,522 | $67,355 | $59,749 | $58,183 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $32,959 | $54,150 | $37,977 | $53,046 |
| ROI vs cost | -32% | +136% | +82% | +40% |
| Typical debt | $24,340 | $62,078 | $25,202 | $60,822 |
| Colleges offering it | 1,203 | 395 | 61 | 28 |
Psychology, General earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Psychology, General
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Master's | $112,858 | — | +5,087% | Strong return |
| 2 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | Master's | $110,855 | — | +2,901% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT | Master's | $104,896 | — | +2,654% | Strong return |
| 4 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI | Master's | $102,289 | — | +2,144% | Strong return |
| 5 | University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT | Master's | $104,896 | — | +2,069% | Strong return |
| 6 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Master's | $93,867 | — | +1,847% | Strong return |
| 7 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA | Master's | $114,026 | — | +1,827% | Strong return |
| 8 | University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT | Master's | $104,896 | — | +1,726% | Strong return |
| 9 | University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT | Master's | $104,896 | — | +1,683% | Strong return |
| 10 | University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV | Master's | $98,544 | — | +1,581% | Strong return |
| 11 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | Associate's | $61,820 | $13,051 | +1,454% | Strong return |
| 12 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ | Master's | $91,023 | — | +1,438% | Strong return |
| 13 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY | Associate's | $60,193 | $11,386 | +1,402% | Strong return |
| 14 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL | Master's | $84,125 | — | +1,361% | Strong return |
| 15 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO | Certificate | $81,052 | — | +1,322% | Strong return |
| 16 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | Master's | $76,789 | — | +1,307% | Strong return |
| 17 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Master's | $95,306 | — | +1,167% | Strong return |
| 18 | Duke University Durham, NC | Master's | $115,994 | — | +1,099% | Strong return |
| 19 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | Master's | $104,896 | — | +1,093% | Strong return |
| 20 | CUNY City College New York, NY | Associate's | $57,786 | $9,000 | +1,080% | Strong return |
| 21 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY | Associate's | $56,477 | $10,500 | +1,044% | Strong return |
| 22 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Associate's | $72,810 | — | +932% | Strong return |
| 23 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE | Master's | $81,435 | — | +927% | Strong return |
| 24 | CUNY Queens College Queens, NY | Associate's | $56,702 | $9,623 | +884% | Strong return |
| 25 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH | Master's | $91,869 | — | +876% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.