---

developmental and adolescent psychology

What developmental and adolescent psychology Majors Need to Know

Programs in developmental and adolescent psychology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that developmental and adolescent psychology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in developmental and adolescent psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a developmental and adolescent psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to developmental and adolescent psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, developmental and adolescent psychology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by developmental and adolescent psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for developmental and adolescent psychology graduates include:

• Clinical Psychology Teacher
• Mental Measurements Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Adjunct Psychology Instructor
• Child Development Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Educational Psychology Professor
• College Professor
• Adjunct Psychology Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Lecturer
• Applied Psychology Professor
• Teacher
• Professor
• Industrial Psychology Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to developmental and adolescent psychology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	44.1%
Doctoral degree	16.7%
Master’s degree	12.1%
Post-doctoral training	9.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.4%
Postsecondary certificate	2.8%
Some college courses	2.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

How Much Do developmental and adolescent psychology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of developmental and adolescent psychology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$34,814
4 years	$50,900
5 years	$59,985

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,985 — roughly 72% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in developmental and adolescent psychology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, developmental and adolescent psychology graduates earn a median of $50,900 four years after completion — roughly 34% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Research and Experimental Psychology	42.27
Behavioral Neuroscience	42.2706
Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics	42.2701
Comparative Psychology	42.2702
Developmental and Child Psychology	42.2703
Experimental Psychology	42.2704
Personality Psychology	42.2705
Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology	42.2708
Psychopharmacology	42.2709
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other	42.2799
Social Psychology	42.2707
Applied Behavior Analysis	42.2814

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.