The field of psychology has numerous different subfields and concentrations. The salary of a certain type of psychologist depends on the level of specialization and school required to do that job. In this article, I will provide average salaries for the different types of psychologists and a brief description of what type of work they do.
Additionally, I will include some jobs that are related to psychology, but don’t necessarily have the word “psychologist” in the title. However, a psychology degree is usually required to be hired for any of these jobs on this list.
Career Counselor: $46,000
Career Counselors often work at universities and technical colleges helping place students in suitable careers. This can be a very rewarding line of work if you enjoy helping people what to do for a living.
Clinical Psychologist: $63,000
Clinical psychologists work in a medical setting seeing patients and helping them overcome various mental disorders. Psychologists are unable to prescribe medication, so most clinical psychologists spend most of their time conducting talk therapy and other non-medical therapeutic interventions.
Cognitive Psychologist: $55,000
Cognitive psychologists are interested in studying the processes involved with thought. They are interested in looking at the brain and figuring out how people learn and recall information. Cognitive psychologists often work for universities but sometimes can be found at government agencies, corporate businesses and private consulting.
Forensic Psychologist: $59,440
Forensic psychologists apply the knowledge of psychology to the field of criminal investigation and law. While modern entertainment such as CSI and other exciting television shows often depict forensic psychologists as predicting a killer’s next move, in reality, that is not really the job of a forensic psychologist. Instead, they are involved in custody disputes, insurance claims, and lawsuits.
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist: $97,820
An industrial-organizational psychologist is an individual concerned with the study of workplace behavior. These psychologists are most interested in increasing workplace productivity and aligning employees with jobs that best suit their talents. I-O psychologists are likely to be in high demand in the future as companies look to boost working productivity and retention rates.
School Psychologist: $59,440
School psychologists work within the educational system, in both public and private schools, providing services for students with emotional, social and academic issues. This type of psychologist works closely with school administrators, teachers, and parents to promote a healthy learning environment that meets the needs of each student. Working in a school environment, this requires school psychologists to be able to think quickly on their feet and react to various situations. In 2002 the U.S. News and World Report named school psychology as one of the top ten “hot professions.” There should be many openings in this field in the near future.
Sports Psychologist: $54,000
While many people assume that sports psychologists only work with professional athletes, that is not actually true. Many sports psychologists never interact with professional athletes and are instead more interested in studying how psychology can be applied to improve motivation and performance or how sports and athletics can improve mental health and well-being. Both of these focuses are important parts to the field of sports psychology.
Other types of psychologists and psychological careers and their salaries are as follows; substance abuse counselor ($59,460), social worker ($43,040), school counselor ($53,750), neuropsychologist ($79,570), psychiatrist ($144,020), health psychologist ($40,000-$85,000), experimental psychologist ($56,500), engineering psychologist ($79,818), developmental psychologist ($56,500), and counselor ($47,530).
In nearly every specific field of psychology, the salary that can be earned is very much tied to the level of school completed. Those with PhD or PsyD certifications will undoubtedly earn more than those with only a MA. Individuals with solely a BA in psychology will not find much available in the job market. Nearly all psychology careers require post-graduate education.
