---

Social Psychology

Types of Degrees Social Psychology Majors Are Earning

Those studying Social Psychology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	5
Associate’s Degree	30
Bachelor’s Degree	279
Master’s Degree	98
Doctor’s Degree	33

What Social Psychology Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Social Psychology emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Social Psychology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Social Psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Social Psychology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Social Psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Social Psychology graduates include:

• Psychology Adjunct Instructor
• Clinical Psychology Professor
• Adjunct Psychology Instructor
• Human Relations Professor
• Adjunct Psychology Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Clinical Psychology Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Applied Psychology Teacher
• Human Relations Teacher
• Adjunct Psychology Faculty Member
• Industrial Psychology Professor
• Industrial Psychology Teacher
• College Professor
• Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.1%
Post-doctoral training	25.2%
Doctoral degree	17.5%
Master’s degree	8.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Some college courses	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Social Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 78.4% of Social Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	359	78.4%
Men	99	21.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	214	46.7%
Asian	29	6.3%
Hispanic or Latino	79	17.2%
Black or African American	59	12.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	37	8.1%
Race Unknown	18	3.9%
International Students	21	4.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Social Psychology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Social Psychology 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 Social Psychology Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Social Psychology. 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
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	4
Master’s	1	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 Social Psychology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Social 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 Adolescent Psychology	42.2710
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
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.