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Family Psychology

Types of Degrees Family Psychology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Family Psychology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	15
Master’s Degree	86

What Family Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Family Psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — 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 Family 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 4.4 / 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 Family Psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 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, Family 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	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	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
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Family Psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet 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 Family Psychology graduates include:

• Psychology Adjunct Instructor
• Psychology Professor
• Child Development Instructor
• Professor
• School Psychology Professor
• Industrial Psychology Teacher
• Child Development Professor
• College Professor
• Child Psychology Teacher
• College Faculty Member
• Abnormal Psychology Teacher
• Adjunct Psychology Professor
• Psychology Assistant Professor
• Clinical Psychology Teacher
• Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	31.8%
Post-doctoral training	26.0%
Doctoral degree	18.5%
Master’s degree	8.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.9%
Postsecondary certificate	2.5%
Some college courses	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Family Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 93.1% of Family Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	94	93.1%
Men	7	6.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	50	49.5%
Asian	4	4.0%
Hispanic or Latino	21	20.8%
Black or African American	13	12.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	2.0%
Two or More Races	4	4.0%
Race Unknown	6	5.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Family Psychology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Family Psychology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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 Family Psychology Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Family 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	0
Master’s	1	0
Doctoral (Research)	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 Family Psychology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Family 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
Educational Psychology	42.2806
Environmental Psychology	42.2808
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.