Long-Term Prospects

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Job Satisfaction

General quality of life statement

According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, there are over 300 different manifestations of mental illnesses. You can easily find out if your Uncle Charlie suffers from Caprgras' Delusion, the feeling that someone you know has been replaced by an imposter, or if your mom's fear of George Clooney might be linked to androphobia. Hey, your mom could even be the first instance of Clooneyphobia.

Looking it up is the easy part. Where do you go from there? While the DSM may be used to diagnose patients, it doesn't tell you how to treat them. That part is up to a psychologist. Because of this responsibility, the post-grad life for psychology majors is often stressful. They deal with some pretty serious conditions while balancing a large workload and unpredictable hours. And then there's the pay.

Psychologists and psychiatrists bill their patients by the hour. Their hourly rate depends on many different things, such as the cost of living in their area or the extent of their experience. Some psychologists have a sliding scale for a patient, which means they charge whatever their patient can afford at the time. Over time, the rate goes up as the patient gets back on their feet.

What we mean to say is that the psych grad doesn't go home with loads of green. In fact, most of them make way less than the national average for college grads. Sure, there are some swanky grads who only work for the rich and famous and have it made. But the majority aren't high rollers.

Still, 57% of psych grads report loving their jobs, so it can't be all bad.

25th Percentile Salary

Median Salary

75th Percentile Salary

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