Clinical Psychology
Students study psychological assessment, therapeutic techniques, counseling methods, and the application of psychological science to treat mental health disorders and improve wellbeing. Graduates typically pursue careers in counseling centers, mental health clinics, rehabilitation facilities, school psychology, and substance abuse treatment, typically after completing a master's or doctoral degree. The growing demand for mental health services is driving strong career prospects for clinical and counseling psychologists.
What Clinical Psychology graduates do
You'll find that understanding human motivation is a powerful asset far beyond a therapist's office. Many graduates launch careers in corporate settings, initially as human resources specialists mediating employee conflicts or as training specialists designing leadership workshops. From there, you might become a management analyst, interviewing teams and analyzing data to help companies solve complex operational problems. The path often leads to senior roles like HR manager, guiding organizational strategy and overseeing entire departments.
While roles in training and specialized counseling are seeing rapid growth, be prepared for technology to reshape your workday. AI will increasingly handle routine tasks like screening resumes or initial data analysis. This shifts your focus toward the complex human element: coaching executives, navigating sensitive workplace issues, and making strategic judgment calls that algorithms can’t. Your success will hinge less on administrative skill and more on your ability to adapt and apply psychological insight in a tech-assisted world.
You may also want to evaluate Clinical & Counseling Psychology against Psychology, Research and Experimental Psychology, and Psychology Studies on salary and long-run job outlook.
Where Clinical Psychology graduates work
Common career paths for Clinical Psychology graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 449,300 combined openings per year across these roles.
| Role | Median Pay | Annual Openings | 10-yr Growth | AI Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Human resources managers
|
$140,030
$106K–$190K
|
17,900 | +5.0% | Moderate · 48% |
|
Managers, all other
|
$136,550
$100K–$179K
|
106,700 | +4.5% | Moderate · 47% |
|
Training and development managers
|
$127,090
$96K–$169K
|
3,800 | +5.8% | High · 50% |
|
Psychologists, all other
|
$117,580
$74K–$145K
|
3,900 | +4.3% | Moderate · 44% |
|
Industrial-organizational psychologists
|
$109,840
$81K–$198K
|
400 | +6.3% | Moderate · 49% |
|
Management analysts
|
$101,190
$77K–$133K
|
98,100 | +8.8% | Moderate · 40% |
|
Clinical and counseling psychologists
|
$95,830
$67K–$132K
|
4,800 | +11.2% | Moderate · 37% |
|
School psychologists
|
$86,930
$73K–$108K
|
3,800 | +0.7% | Moderate · 39% |
|
Psychology teachers, postsecondary
|
$80,330
$62K–$107K
|
4,000 | +3.6% | Moderate · 48% |
|
Human resources specialists
|
$72,910
$56K–$97K
|
81,800 | +6.2% | High · 64% |
|
Training and development specialists
|
$65,850
$49K–$92K
|
43,900 | +10.8% | High · 55% |
|
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors
|
$65,140
$52K–$83K
|
31,000 | +3.5% | Low · 29% |
|
Counselors, all other
|
$49,830
$43K–$67K
|
7,400 | +12.6% | Low · 0% |
|
Coaches and scouts
|
$45,920
$34K–$62K
|
41,800 | +6.4% | Moderate · 30% |
Best schools for Clinical Psychology
Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 59.
| # | School | DW Score | 1-yr Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY · Public
|
58 | $35,656 | 17.5x |
| 6 |
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN · Public
|
58 | $35,159 | 15.0x |
| 7 |
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA · Public
|
56 | $40,316 | 12.1x |
| 8 |
Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global
Marion, IN · Private nonprofit
|
55 | $40,706 | 11.4x |
| 9 |
Franklin University
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit
|
55 | $39,387 | 11.7x |
| 10 |
University of Phoenix-Arizona
Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit
|
54 | $41,118 | 9.8x |
| 11 |
Albright College
Reading, PA · Private nonprofit
|
53 | $48,838 | 3.5x |
| 12 |
Los Angeles Pacific University
San Dimas, CA · Private nonprofit
|
53 | $41,803 | 7.7x |
| 13 |
SUNY College of Technology at Canton
Canton, NY · Public
|
52 | $36,254 | 12.4x |
| 14 |
University of North Texas
Denton, TX · Public
|
51 | $32,553 | 11.6x |
| 15 |
University of Phoenix-Texas
Dallas, TX · Private for-profit
|
50 | $41,118 | — |
| 16 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA · Public
|
49 | $33,192 | 9.7x |
| 17 |
University of Washington-Bothell Campus
Bothell, WA · Public
|
49 | $33,192 | 9.8x |
| 18 |
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
|
49 | $29,457 | 16.9x |
| 19 |
Clayton State University
Morrow, GA · Public
|
48 | $27,532 | 21.4x |
| 20 |
Emmanuel College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit
|
47 | $41,522 | 2.2x |
Highest Earnings Top 5
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
NY |
$57,204 |
| Albright College
PA |
$48,838 |
| Thomas Jefferson University
PA |
$43,964 |
| Saint Cloud State University
MN |
$42,406 |
| Boston College
MA |
$42,384 |
Best ROI Top 5
| Clayton State University
GA |
21.4x |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
NY |
17.5x |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
NY |
17.5x |
| California State University-Los Angeles
CA |
16.9x |
| Middle Tennessee State University
TN |
15.0x |
Related majors
Similar fields of study often offered alongside Clinical Psychology.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Clinical Psychology offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Clinical Psychology trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Clinical Psychology
What do Clinical Psychology graduates make in their first year?
Across 59 schools, Clinical Psychology graduates earn an average of $33,816 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $6,023 to $57,204 depending on the school.
How exposed is Clinical Psychology to AI disruption?
AI exposure for Clinical Psychology is rated "High." With 48% of tasks potentially affected by large language models, some career functions face meaningful automation pressure in the coming decade.
Where should I study Clinical Psychology?
Our data ranks CUNY Bernard M Baruch College first among 59 Clinical Psychology programs. Its score of 71/100 reflects strong outcomes across earnings ($57,204/yr), return on investment, and career durability.
Is a Clinical Psychology degree worth the investment?
Typical graduates earn 6.5 times what they paid in tuition within a decade. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly. Look at per-school ROI in the table above — averages can mask significant variation.