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Clinical Psychology

Types of Degrees Clinical Psychology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Clinical Psychology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	8
Associate’s Degree	4
Bachelor’s Degree	285
Master’s Degree	3,324
Doctor’s Degree	2,438

What Clinical Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Clinical Psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Clinical Psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Clinical Psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query 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 Clinical Psychology graduates include:

• I/O Psychology Professor (Industrial/Organizational Psychology Professor)
• Child Development Teacher
• College Professor
• Child Psychology Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Applied Psychology Teacher
• Industrial Psychology Teacher
• Adjunct Psychology Professor
• Applied Psychology Professor
• Educational Psychology Teacher
• Psychology Lecturer
• Psychology Adjunct Instructor
• Lecturer
• Child Development Instructor
• Psychology Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	39.0%
Doctoral degree	19.9%
Post-doctoral training	12.0%
Master’s degree	10.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.7%
Postsecondary certificate	3.1%
Some college courses	2.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Clinical Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.3% of Clinical Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,926	81.3%
Men	1,133	18.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,070	50.7%
Asian	409	6.8%
Hispanic or Latino	1,193	19.7%
Black or African American	475	7.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	13	0.2%
Two or More Races	268	4.4%
Race Unknown	401	6.6%
International Students	211	3.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical Psychology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Clinical 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 Psychology Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Clinical 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
Bachelor’s	2	1
Master’s	9	8
Doctoral (Research)	3	3

^{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 Psychology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Clinical 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
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology	42.28
Applied Behavior Analysis	42.2814
Applied Psychology	42.2813
Clinical Child Psychology	42.2807
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other	42.2899
Community Psychology	42.2802
Counseling Psychology	42.2803
Educational Psychology	42.2806
Environmental Psychology	42.2808
Family Psychology	42.2811
Forensic Psychology	42.2812
Geropsychology	42.2809

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.