Biopsychology

Types of Degrees Biopsychology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many biopsychology graduations there were in 2017-2018 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	152
Master’s Degree	3
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Biopsychology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to biopsychology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Biopsychology Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Skills for Biopsychology Majors

biopsychology majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Biopsychology Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a biopsychology student include the following:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Biopsychology Major?

People with a biopsychology degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Biopsychology?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 152 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology in 2018, making it rank #262 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 78% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of biopsychology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	12
Black or African American	10
Hispanic or Latino	14
White	95
International Students	4
Other Races/Ethnicities	17

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Biopsychology. About 2.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• South Korea
• Netherlands
• Canada
• China
• Ghana

How Much Do Biopsychology Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology have a median salary of $40,400 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,400 (25th percentile) and $40,400 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to biopsychology so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Biopsychology majors often go into careers with median salaries of $139,680. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Biopsychology

Some degrees associated with biopsychology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for biopsychology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	4.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	49.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.3%
Master’s Degree	14.2%
Doctoral Degree	11.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.1%

Online Biopsychology Programs

In 2017-2018, 28 schools offered a biopsychology program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Biopsychology Worth It?

The median salary for a biopsychology grad is $139,680 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 250% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,995,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Biopsychology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to biopsychology.

Major	Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	34,540
Biological & Physical Science	27,751
International Studies	8,097
Interdisciplinary Studies	6,179
Nutrition Science	4,990
Behavioral Science	4,502
Natural Sciences	2,445
Cognitive Science	1,875
Sustainability Science	1,682
Gerontology	1,380
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution	1,297
Human Computer Interaction	1,146
Human Biology	1,066
Science, Technology & Society	1,060
Mathematics & Computer Science	833
Museum Studies	778
Systems Theory	694
Computational Science	619
Dispute Resolution	583
Historic Preservation	446
Multicultural & Diversity Studies	416
Classical & Ancient Studies	315
Marine Science	243
Cultural Studies & Analysis	236
Medieval Studies	119
Holocaust Studies	54
Accounting & Computer Science	45
Maritime Studies	15

References

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By LadyofHats under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.