---

Organizational Psychology

Types of Degrees Organizational Psychology Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	526
Master’s Degree	2,121
Doctor’s Degree	250

What Organizational Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Organizational Psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

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

Skills

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

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

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Organizational Psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Organizational Psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Organizational Psychology graduates include:

• HR Trainer (Human Resources Trainer)
• Development Coordinator
• Training Supervisor
• Development Associate
• Job Development Specialist
• HR Coordinator (Human Resources Coordinator)
• Training Specialist
• Sales Trainer
• Learning and Development Specialist (L and D Specialist)
• Courseware Developer
• Workforce Executive
• Course Developer
• Cyber Instructor
• Cyber Instructional Curriculum Developer
• Technical Training Coordinator

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	56.0%
Master’s degree	12.9%
Doctoral degree	8.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.6%
Post-doctoral training	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.8%
Some college courses	3.3%
Postsecondary certificate	2.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Organizational Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 73.7% of Organizational Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,137	73.7%
Men	761	26.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,239	42.8%
Asian	181	6.2%
Hispanic or Latino	480	16.6%
Black or African American	460	15.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.3%
Two or More Races	104	3.6%
Race Unknown	226	7.8%
International Students	192	6.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Organizational Psychology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Organizational 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 Organizational Psychology Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Organizational 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	8	4
Master’s	21	17
Doctoral (Research)	5	2

^{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 Organizational Psychology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Organizational 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.