Psychology Related Careers and Their Respective Salaries

Whether it’s the pandemic, climate change, or international political issues, the challenges to our psychological wellbeing are reaching record levels. According to the American Psychological Association, adults ages 31 to 44 are experiencing the highest increases in mental health diagnoses — up 10 percent since 2019. Nearly a quarter of adults rated their average stress between 8 and 10, with 10 being the top score. 

What does this mean for the field of psychology? Psychology.org reports that “in-demand psychology jobs are projected to increase by as much as 18 percent” over the next decade, a rate 5 times that of the national average.

Are you intrigued by the workings of the human psyche? Do you wonder how the brain and emotions are connected? Or, perhaps you have a natural urge to help otters? Let’s take a look at the current field of psychology, the degrees, the many jobs, and their related salaries.

Major Areas of Psychology

According to one leading source, among the major areas of psychology you'll want to consider are these:

• Abnormal psychology: Focuses on research and treatment of mental disorders.
• Biological psychology: Studies how biological processes influence mind and behavior.
• Clinical psychology: Assesses, diagnoses and treats mental disorders.
• Cognitive psychology: Studies human thought processes, attention, memory, and language.
• Comparative psychology: Studies animal behavior.
• Developmental psychology: Looks at human development: identity, morality and social functioning.
• Forensic psychology: Uses psychology in the criminal justice system.
• Industrial-organizational psychology: Leverages psychological research to enhance work performance.
• Personality psychology: Studies what makes individuals unique.
• Social psychology: Examines group behavior and social influences on individual behavior, attitudes, prejudices, aggression and related topics.

Despite all the options, there are two main areas that the discipline of psychology addresses: 

• Research: Which seeks to heighten our knowledge and ability to be predictive.
• Practice: Where we apply our knowledge to solve problems in the real world. 

What do earnings look like in the field of psychology?

With a degree in psychology, what are some of the most prevalent jobs and their related salaries? Here are the top 11:

1. Lawyers: Specializing in areas like mental health law, they typically need a professional degree with median earnings of around $126,930.
2. Managers: A bachelor’s degree can suffice with a focus on managerial psychology. Median wages are roughly $109,760.
3. Psychologists: Including various specializations, they often need a master’s degree, with median wages typically at $82,180.
4. Postsecondary Teachers: This role generally requires a doctoral degree and has median wages of around $80,790.
5. Registered Nurses: Often, in psychiatric nursing, a bachelor’s degree is needed, and the median wage stands at about $75,330.
6. Human Resources Specialists: With a focus on organizational psychology, a bachelor’s degree is the norm, and median salary figures are near $63,490.
7. Elementary School Teachers: This role sometimes specializes in developmental psychology and needs a bachelor’s degree, with a median wage of approximately $60,940.
8. Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors: This role usually requires a master’s degree with median wages of around $58,120.
9. Social Workers: A bachelor’s degree is often sufficient to start in this field, with median wages of about $51,760.
10. Social Worker: Although not exclusively a psychology role, social workers often require psychological knowledge. Suitable for those committed to social change and community work, with an estimated salary of $50,000- $70,000 per year.
11. Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorders, and Mental Health Counselors: Assisting clients with addiction and mental health issues, the education required in these roles typically includes a bachelor’s degree, and offers a median wage of approximately $47,660.

The broad scope of the field of psychology is rife with opportunity. If you’re in high school and are looking for psychology courses for high school students, you’ll be happy to know that four of Prelum’s partner universities have online courses designed for motivated students like you.

Let’s take a look.

Prelum Partners’ Pre-College Online Psychology Courses

Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program: As part of their STEM offering, Georgetown invites you to check out Psychology: How The Brain Influences Behavior. In this dynamic course, you’ll answer questions such as: 

• Does social media cause stress? 
• What causes disorders like anxiety and depression?
• How do drugs affect the brain?
  

You’ll study brain injuries, learning disabilities, and how we process our fraught media environment. This course offers two options: one for college credit and one for a Certificate of Completion. 

Rice University's Precollege Program: Part of Rice's STEM offering, Psychology In Our Everyday Lives addresses the “why” behind the science of psychology. You’ll delve into the purpose and goals of psychological science, how physical health and cognitive psychology are connected, learn the research methods that are the pillars of this science; and discover how new advances, such as AI, are making an impact.

Wake Forest University Pre-College Online Immersion Programs: With one of the highest-rated medical schools in the nation, WFU also serves high school students with online courses. As part of their STEM offering, this Prelum-partner school offers The Mystery and Science of Human Behavior: An Insider’s Guide to Psychology. Hear from two renowned professors: one in cognitive neuroscience and one in neuroscience and adolescent addiction. Delve into memories and see how the brain forms perceptions.

William & Mary Pre-College Onine Program: Again, part of the STEM offering, Cognitive Psychology: How the Brain Works helps you explore how the brain functions. You’ll learn the history of cognitive psychology, study the frontal lobe that houses emotions and reasoning, and create a map of your own brain to better understand how it functions.

Notre Dame Pre-College Online Program: One of the nation’s top universities, the University of Notre Dame offers a psychology course to high school students as part of its pre-college online program. Psychology: Understanding the Self and Our World answers questions such as how our individual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are impacted by others? You’ll study the role of personality and the self as our understanding of the world, and you’ll analyze the connection between knowledge of self and wellness.

If you are searching for psychology opportunities for high school students, or careers that make a difference, you’ll find your fit with any of these valuable programs.