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School Psychology

Types of Degrees School Psychology Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	3,282
Doctor’s Degree	402

What School Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 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 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

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

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by School Psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for School Psychology graduates include:

• Psychology Assistant Professor
• Clinical Psychology Teacher
• Adjunct Psychology Faculty Member
• Psychology Lecturer
• Child Development Teacher
• Psychology Professor
• Lecturer
• Applied Psychology Professor
• Educational Psychology Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Human Relations Teacher
• Applied Psychology Teacher
• Human Relations Professor
• College Professor
• Assistant Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.8%
Master’s degree	16.5%
Doctoral degree	15.3%
Post-doctoral training	8.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.6%
Post-master’s certificate	4.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Some college courses	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in School Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.5% of School Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,223	87.5%
Men	462	12.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,107	57.2%
Asian	171	4.6%
Hispanic or Latino	813	22.1%
Black or African American	252	6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	133	3.6%
Race Unknown	154	4.2%
International Students	44	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do School Psychology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of School 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 School Psychology Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for School 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	11	9
Doctoral (Research)	4	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 School Psychology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, School 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.