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Health/Medical Psychology

Types of Degrees Health/Medical Psychology Majors Are Earning

Those studying Health/Medical Psychology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	215
Master’s Degree	196
Doctor’s Degree	36

What Health/Medical Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Health/Medical 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 Health/Medical 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 Health/Medical 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, Health/Medical 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 Health/Medical Psychology professionals:

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

• Teacher
• Instructor
• Adjunct Psychology Professor
• Psychology Instructor
• Faculty Member
• Psychology Professor
• Mental Measurements Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Human Relations Professor
• Lecturer
• Child Development Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Child Psychology Teacher
• Abnormal Psychology Teacher
• Industrial Psychology Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health/Medical 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 Health/Medical Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 86.4% of Health/Medical Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	386	86.4%
Men	61	13.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	252	56.4%
Asian	33	7.4%
Hispanic or Latino	61	13.6%
Black or African American	43	9.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.4%
Two or More Races	38	8.5%
Race Unknown	9	2.0%
International Students	9	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health/Medical Psychology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Health/Medical 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 Health/Medical Psychology Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Health/Medical 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	3
Master’s	3	0
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{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 Health/Medical Psychology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Health/Medical 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
Family Psychology	42.2811
Forensic Psychology	42.2812

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.