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Clinical & Counseling Psychology

Types of Degrees Clinical & Counseling Psychology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Clinical & Counseling Psychology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	24
Associate’s Degree	70
Bachelor’s Degree	4,726
Master’s Degree	31,519
Doctor’s Degree	4,564

What Clinical & Counseling Psychology Majors Need to Know

Programs in Clinical & Counseling Psychology emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Clinical & Counseling Psychology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Clinical & Counseling Psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Clinical & Counseling 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 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Clinical & Counseling Psychology graduates report doing:

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation 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 Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Clinical & Counseling Psychology graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.8%
Post-doctoral training	21.5%
Doctoral degree	17.8%
Master’s degree	10.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.2%
Some college courses	2.3%
Postsecondary certificate	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Clinical & Counseling Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.1% of Clinical & Counseling Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	34,016	83.1%
Men	6,936	16.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	20,831	50.9%
Asian	1,911	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino	7,813	19.1%
Black or African American	4,600	11.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	171	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	87	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,543	3.8%
Race Unknown	2,804	6.8%
International Students	1,192	2.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical & Counseling Psychology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Clinical & Counseling Psychology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,756
4 years	$59,892
5 years	$67,036

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $67,036 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Clinical & Counseling Psychology Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Clinical & Counseling 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	3	3
Bachelor’s	61	32
Master’s	170	104
Doctoral (Research)	38	22

^{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 Clinical & Counseling Psychology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Clinical & Counseling Psychology graduates earn a median of $59,892 four years after completion — roughly 58% 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
Psychology	42
Clinical Psychology	42.02
Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics	42.03
Community Psychology	42.04
Counseling Psychology	42.06
Developmental and Child Psychology	42.07
Educational Psychology	42.18
Health Psychology	42.23
Physiological Psychology/Psychobiology	42.11
Psychology, General	42.01
Psychology, Other	42.99
PSYCHOLOGY	42.00

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.