What you'll do in college
Psychology majors study how people think, feel, and behave. Core coursework includes intro psychology, statistics, research methods, biological psychology, cognitive psychology, social psychology, and developmental and abnormal psychology. Cognitive science adds computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience for an interdisciplinary look at the mind.
Most programs include lab work and research opportunities, and many require a senior thesis based on your own data.
What you'll do after college
With a bachelor's, grads work in research labs, schools, healthcare settings, HR departments, marketing, and social services. To work as a clinical psychologist, you need a doctorate (PhD or PsyD), which adds five to seven years of training.
Many psych grads pursue master's degrees in counseling, social work, or industrial-organizational psychology, while others go to medical school, law school, or business. The major is broadly useful because nearly every job involves understanding people.
Famous graduates
- Jamie Dimon — Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase; B.A. in Psychology and Economics from Tufts University
- Guy Kawasaki — Silicon Valley venture capitalist, marketing executive, and author; B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University
- Adam Grant — Organizational psychologist and bestselling author; B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University
- Carol Dweck — Pioneering researcher on "growth mindset" and Stanford professor; B.A. in Psychology from Barnard College
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 1,228 | 125,566 | 20% / 80% | 3% | $52,226 |
| 1,185 | 111,108 | 20% / 80% | 3% | $51,211 | |
| 59 | 2,675 | 34% / 66% | 10% | $76,027 | |
| 17 | 1,985 | 21% / 79% | 2% | $57,083 | |
| 38 | 1,267 | 18% / 82% | 2% | $50,733 | |
| 7 | 1,213 | 23% / 77% | 3% | $52,176 | |
| 21 | 1,114 | 23% / 77% | 2% | $60,221 | |
| 39 | 916 | 19% / 81% | 3% | $58,304 | |
| 4 | 845 | 24% / 76% | 6% | $62,173 | |
| 19 | 755 | 15% / 85% | 3% | $61,048 | |
| 13 | 463 | 19% / 81% | 11% | $52,701 | |
| 17 | 407 | 9% / 91% | 2% | $49,157 | |
| 1 | 351 | 24% / 76% | 9% | $50,364 | |
| 2 | 284 | 25% / 75% | 2% | $58,691 | |
| 9 | 270 | 22% / 78% | 6% | $58,384 | |
| 20 | 191 | 16% / 84% | 1% | $47,272 | |
| 10 | 161 | 18% / 82% | 6% | $50,374 | |
| 7 | 128 | 10% / 90% | 1% | $67,499 | |
| 5 | 128 | 5% / 95% | 1% | $55,791 | |
| 8 | 116 | 18% / 82% | 0% | $53,201 | |
| 4 | 105 | 17% / 83% | 1% | $54,320 | |
| 17 | 97 | 21% / 79% | 1% | $63,139 | |
| 3 | 84 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $53,366 | |
| 1 | 80 | 18% / 82% | 0% | $69,136 | |
| 2 | 74 | 20% / 80% | 3% | ||
| 2 | 63 | 29% / 71% | 6% | $74,037 | |
| 2 | 58 | 17% / 83% | 5% | $62,144 | |
| 1 | 54 | 31% / 69% | 13% | ||
| 3 | 45 | 18% / 82% | 0% | $55,433 | |
| 5 | 42 | 48% / 52% | 33% | $84,091 | |
| 1 | 38 | 24% / 76% | 0% | $74,700 | |
| 1 | 32 | 28% / 72% | 3% | ||
| 1 | 31 | 10% / 90% | 0% | $43,373 | |
| 2 | 30 | 37% / 63% | 3% | $75,033 | |
| 1 | 30 | 43% / 57% | 20% | ||
| 1 | 29 | 28% / 72% | 0% | $61,111 | |
| 1 | 29 | 21% / 79% | 10% | ||
| 1 | 28 | 11% / 89% | 0% | $76,297 | |
| 6 | 26 | 0% / 100% | 12% | $54,109 | |
| 1 | 26 | 35% / 65% | 0% | $48,474 | |
| 1 | 26 | 12% / 88% | 8% | ||
| 3 | 20 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 2 | 20 | 15% / 85% | 5% | $50,774 | |
| 2 | 19 | 32% / 68% | 0% | $68,826 | |
| 1 | 17 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 15 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 2 | 9 | 78% / 22% | 0% | ||
| 2 | 9 | 22% / 78% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 9 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $62,784 | |
| 2 | 6 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 6 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 6 | 67% / 33% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 6 | 17% / 83% | 0% | ||
| 2 | 5 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $61,819 | |
| 1 | 4 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 3 | 67% / 33% | 33% | $50,030 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | ||
| 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% |