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Educational Psychology

Types of Degrees Educational Psychology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Educational Psychology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	128
Master’s Degree	1,516
Doctor’s Degree	335

What Educational Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 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

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 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 Educational Psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written 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 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Educational 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
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Educational Psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management 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 Educational Psychology graduates include:

• Applied Psychology Teacher
• Educational Psychology Teacher
• Educational Psychology Professor
• Professor
• College Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• I/O Psychology Professor (Industrial/Organizational Psychology Professor)
• Human Relations Professor
• Industrial Psychology Teacher
• Child Development Professor
• Psychology Adjunct Instructor
• Psychology Faculty Member
• Adjunct Psychology Faculty Member
• Faculty Member
• School Psychology Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	30.4%
Post-doctoral training	23.1%
Doctoral degree	16.1%
Master’s degree	11.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.9%
Post-master’s certificate	4.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	2.4%
Some college courses	1.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Educational Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 85.2% of Educational Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,686	85.2%
Men	293	14.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,177	59.5%
Asian	94	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino	247	12.5%
Black or African American	181	9.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	0.5%
Two or More Races	72	3.6%
Race Unknown	56	2.8%
International Students	143	7.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Educational Psychology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Educational 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	$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 Educational Psychology Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Educational 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	1	1
Master’s	18	11
Doctoral (Research)	6	5

^{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 Educational Psychology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Educational 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 Psychology	42.2801
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other	42.2899
Community Psychology	42.2802
Counseling Psychology	42.2803
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.