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Psychopharmacology

Types of Degrees Psychopharmacology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Psychopharmacology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	67

What Psychopharmacology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Psychopharmacology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Psychopharmacology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Psychopharmacology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Psychopharmacology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Psychopharmacology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Psychopharmacology graduates include:

• Opticianry Teacher
• Psychiatric Aides Teacher
• Mental Health Aides Teacher
• Speech Pathology Teacher
• Respiratory Therapy Instructor
• Clinical Laboratory Science Professor
• Histology Teacher
• Pathology Teacher
• Surgical Technology Instructor
• Radiology Teacher
• Clinical Instructor
• Recreation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Podiatry Professor
• Health Diagnostics Teacher
• Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	29.3%
Post-doctoral training	21.4%
Master’s degree	19.9%
Doctoral degree	14.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.8%
Some college courses	1.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Psychopharmacology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.6% of Psychopharmacology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	52	77.6%
Men	15	22.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Psychopharmacology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	34	50.7%
Asian	3	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino	9	13.4%
Black or African American	13	19.4%
Two or More Races	3	4.5%
Race Unknown	4	6.0%
International Students	1	1.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Psychopharmacology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Psychopharmacology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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.}

Online Psychopharmacology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Psychopharmacology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	5	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Psychopharmacology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Psychopharmacology 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 Adolescent Psychology	42.2710
Developmental and Child Psychology	42.2703
Experimental Psychology	42.2704
Personality Psychology	42.2705
Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology	42.2708
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.