Psychology at Sweet Briar

 

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EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK AND MEDIAN SALARIES FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS WITH MASTERS AND DOCTORATES

The employment outlook for psychologists with master's and doctorates is excellent, but is also dependent upon area of specialization. A 1982 survey revealed that less than 1% of all members of APA with doctorates were unemployed, a rate significantly lower than for other similarly prepared social scientists. Opportunities in both the private (i.e., business and industry) and public sectors (i.e., federal, state, and local government agencies) should increase into the 1990s as demand for the expertise of psychologists (e.g., to increase job satisfaction and performance) and support for special groups (e.g., the aged) continues to grow. The future looks particularly promising for those with advanced degrees in clinical, counseling, health, and industrial/ organizational psychology. The probability of attaining challenging and rewarding employment with these degrees can be substantially enhanced with supporting education or experience in quantitative research methods and computer applications.

Pion and Bramblett conducted a survey for the American Psychological Association in 1985 to determine the median salaries of psychologists with masters and doctoral degrees in a variety of areas of psychological specialization. The following table summarizes their results. Please note that this data is from 1985; if the survey was performed today, the median salaries would be significantly higher.

Area of Employment/Specialization

Master's

  

Doctorate

 

Administration of Research

$46,000  

 

$52,000

 

Industrial/Organizational Psych

40,000  

 

52,000

 

Educational Administration

39,000  

 

44,000

 

Administration of Human Services

34,000  

 

40,000

 

Research

31,000  

 

40,000

 

Clinical Psychology

28,000  

 

40,000

 

Counseling

30,000  

 

33,000

 

School Psychology

28,000  

 

30,000

 
College/University Faculty 25,000     32,000

The results of a more recent study (reported in the September, 1994 issue of Salary Survey) reported that the average beginning salary offered to those with a master's degree in psychology was $23,944 and a doctorate in psychology was $43,278.