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Research and Experimental Psychology Degree

84 schools compared · Average earnings $35,198/yr

Students study scientific research methods, experimental design, statistical analysis, and the systematic investigation of psychological phenomena in laboratory and field settings. Graduates typically pursue careers in academic research, market research, data analysis, user experience research, and pharmaceutical clinical trials, or continue to doctoral programs in psychology. The strong quantitative and research design skills developed are highly transferable to data-driven careers.

What Research and Experimental Psychology Graduates Do

Your degree in research and experimental psychology opens two primary doors: one into the lab and classroom, the other into management and applied fields. In a research-focused career, you won’t just be reading studies—you’ll be designing them. As a medical scientist, your days will involve running experiments, analyzing complex data sets, and writing grant proposals to fund your next big question. As a postsecondary teacher, you’ll be in front of a classroom, mentoring graduate students, and publishing your own research.

Many graduates leverage their understanding of human behavior to become managers, where they direct research teams, manage budgets, and set strategic goals. Most of these paths require a master's or PhD, with your career often starting as a social science research assistant. Demand is growing fastest in health-related teaching and clinical psychology. AI will automate significant chunks of routine work, like data processing and literature reviews. Your value will shift to designing experiments and making complex judgments. Note that entry-level research assistant roles face high AI exposure, as software now handles tasks juniors once did, making higher-order skills critical from day one.

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$35,198/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

40/100

AI Automation Risk

High

50% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Research and Experimental Psychology graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 203,900 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Managers, all other	$136,550 $100K$179K	106,700	+4.5%	47%
Psychologists, all other	$117,580 $74K$145K	3,900	+4.3%	44%
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	$105,620 $74K$176K	27,400	+17.3%	48%
Statisticians	$103,300 $79K$138K	2,000	+8.5%	66%
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists	$100,590 $77K$134K	9,600	+8.7%	52%
Clinical and counseling psychologists	$95,830 $67K$132K	4,800	+11.2%	37%
Biological scientists, all other	$93,330 $68K$121K	4,800	+1.2%	49%
Life scientists, all other	$87,800 $66K$124K	400	+3.7%	0%
Psychology teachers, postsecondary	$80,330 $62K$107K	4,000	+3.6%	48%
Child, family, and school social workers	$58,570 $47K$74K	35,100	+3.4%	24%
Social science research assistants	$58,040 $46K$73K	5,200	+4.4%	67%

Managers, all other

$136,550

$100K $179K

106,700 openings/yr +4.5% growth 47% AI risk

Psychologists, all other

$117,580

$74K $145K

3,900 openings/yr +4.3% growth 44% AI risk

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

$105,620

$74K $176K

27,400 openings/yr +17.3% growth 48% AI risk

Statisticians

$103,300

$79K $138K

2,000 openings/yr +8.5% growth 66% AI risk

Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

$100,590

$77K $134K

9,600 openings/yr +8.7% growth 52% AI risk

Clinical and counseling psychologists

$95,830

$67K $132K

4,800 openings/yr +11.2% growth 37% AI risk

Biological scientists, all other

$93,330

$68K $121K

4,800 openings/yr +1.2% growth 49% AI risk

Life scientists, all other

$87,800

$66K $124K

400 openings/yr +3.7% growth 0% AI risk

Psychology teachers, postsecondary

$80,330

$62K $107K

4,000 openings/yr +3.6% growth 48% AI risk

Child, family, and school social workers

$58,570

$47K $74K

35,100 openings/yr +3.4% growth 24% AI risk

Social science research assistants

$58,040

$46K $73K

5,200 openings/yr +4.4% growth 67% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Research and Experimental Psychology

Top 20 of 84 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Harvard University Cambridge, MA	55 53–56	$41,501/yr	3.3x
2	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY	53 48–53	$53,156/yr	1.9x
3	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO	51 51–52	$35,155/yr	13.0x
4	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	50 50–51	$34,431/yr	10.1x
5	Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA	50 50–50	$33,455/yr	14.8x
6	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	50 51–50	$27,748/yr	13.3x
7	Tufts University Medford, MA	49 44–49	$56,504/yr	1.1x
8	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT	49 47–49	$39,661/yr	9.6x
9	Trinity Washington University Washington, DC	48 46–49	$40,432/yr	4.7x
10	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO	48 46–48	$39,955/yr	9.5x
11	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX	47 46–48	$35,982/yr	8.6x
12	Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO	47 47–48	$35,556/yr	11.1x
13	University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA	47 48–47	$30,389/yr	21.8x
14	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA	47 48–48	$26,697/yr	17.6x
15	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	46 42–47	$49,035/yr	0.9x
16	Yale University New Haven, CT	46 42–46	$47,874/yr	0.8x
17	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	46 47–47	$32,301/yr	9.2x
18	Bates College Lewiston, ME	45 41–46	$47,376/yr	0.9x
19	Princeton University Princeton, NJ	45 41–46	$47,050/yr	1.0x
20	Amherst College Amherst, MA	45 41–45	$45,786/yr	0.7x
21	Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN	45 44–45	$36,600/yr	8.4x
22	Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA	45 46–46	$32,149/yr	12.6x
23	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	45 45–45	$31,568/yr	8.2x
24	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA	45 46–46	$29,830/yr	10.0x
25	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	44 40–44	$44,542/yr	0.7x
26	Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA	44 42–44	$38,463/yr	—
27	University of Delaware Newark, DE	44 45–45	$31,532/yr	8.6x
28	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL	44 44–45	$23,981/yr	23.6x
29	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA	44 44–44	$23,420/yr	10.5x
30	Barnard College New York, NY	43 40–44	$44,055/yr	0.7x
31	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	43 40–43	$42,947/yr	0.6x
32	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS	43 43–44	$36,257/yr	7.3x
33	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	43 44–44	$31,172/yr	11.4x
34	Smith College Northampton, MA	42 38–42	$43,717/yr	1.5x
35	Colgate University Hamilton, NY	42 39–42	$41,883/yr	0.6x
36	Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA	42 39–42	$41,599/yr	0.6x
37	Park University Parkville, MO	42 40–43	$40,313/yr	5.1x
38	University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO	42 42–43	$34,822/yr	7.9x
39	Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK	42 42–42	$32,440/yr	9.8x
40	University of Rochester Rochester, NY	41 39–41	$39,732/yr	1.6x
41	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	41 41–42	$34,715/yr	5.9x
42	University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL	41 42–42	$30,816/yr	11.1x
43	Hamilton College Clinton, NY	40 38–41	$39,880/yr	0.5x
44	Brown University Providence, RI	40 38–40	$39,493/yr	0.4x
45	Duke University Durham, NC	40 38–40	$39,359/yr	0.5x
46	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA	40 40–41	$34,450/yr	4.8x
47	University of Chicago Chicago, IL	40 41–41	$31,986/yr	2.2x
48	Savannah State University Savannah, GA	40 41–41	$27,763/yr	16.8x
49	Carleton College Northfield, MN	39 38–40	$39,238/yr	0.5x
50	Villanova University Villanova, PA	39 38–40	$39,218/yr	0.5x
51	Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN	39 40–40	$32,031/yr	7.7x
52	Northeastern University Boston, MA	38 36–38	$38,463/yr	1.5x
53	Macalester College Saint Paul, MN	38 37–39	$38,027/yr	0.5x
54	George Washington University Washington, DC	38 37–39	$37,906/yr	0.5x
55	New York University New York, NY	38 37–39	$37,512/yr	0.6x
56	Brandeis University Waltham, MA	38 37–38	$37,494/yr	0.4x
57	Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO	38 37–38	$37,377/yr	0.5x
58	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	38 39–39	$33,384/yr	4.2x
59	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	38 39–39	$31,027/yr	6.9x
60	Denison University Granville, OH	37 36–38	$36,909/yr	0.4x
61	Emmanuel College Boston, MA	37 36–38	$36,603/yr	1.0x
62	Wellesley College Wellesley, MA	37 36–37	$36,283/yr	0.4x
63	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN	37 38–38	$31,129/yr	5.6x
64	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	37 38–38	$29,350/yr	8.5x
65	Westminster University Salt Lake City, UT	36 36–37	$35,127/yr	1.1x
66	Truman State University Kirksville, MO	36 37–36	$28,801/yr	6.6x
67	St Olaf College Northfield, MN	35 35–36	$35,070/yr	0.5x
68	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY	34 35–35	$34,361/yr	0.3x
69	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ	34 35–35	$28,494/yr	4.2x
70	Utica University Utica, NY	33 33–33	$31,695/yr	3.5x
71	Murray State University Murray, KY	33 33–34	$23,674/yr	9.7x
72	Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, MD	32 32–32	$34,454/yr	1.6x
73	Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA	32 33–33	$32,439/yr	0.3x
74	Canisius University Buffalo, NY	32 34–33	$29,333/yr	3.2x
75	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA	31 32–32	$25,654/yr	3.5x
76	Colorado Christian University Lakewood, CO	30 31–31	$33,134/yr	1.8x
77	Union College Schenectady, NY	30 31–31	$30,061/yr	0.1x
78	University of North Alabama Florence, AL	30 29–30	$20,182/yr	3.2x
79	Grinnell College Grinnell, IA	29 30–30	$28,507/yr	0.1x
80	Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ	29 30–30	$27,933/yr	0.9x
81	Creighton University Omaha, NE	28 29–29	$26,845/yr	0.4x
82	Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL	27 28–28	$31,596/yr	1.2x
83	Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA	27 27–27	$23,898/yr	0.6x
84	Albion College Albion, MI	26 27–27	$23,906/yr	0.1x

Highest Earning Research and Experimental Psychology Programs

Schools where Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
Tufts University	$56,504/yr	49
Columbia University in the City of New York	$53,156/yr	53
Johns Hopkins University	$49,035/yr	46
Yale University	$47,874/yr	46
Bates College	$47,376/yr	45
Princeton University	$47,050/yr	45
Amherst College	$45,786/yr	45
University of Pennsylvania	$44,542/yr	44
Barnard College	$44,055/yr	43
Smith College	$43,717/yr	42

Best ROI for Research and Experimental Psychology

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Research and Experimental Psychology.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Florida Atlantic University	23.6x	$23,981/yr	44
University of North Georgia	21.8x	$30,389/yr	47
California State University-San Bernardino	17.6x	$26,697/yr	47
Savannah State University	16.8x	$27,763/yr	40
Eastern Washington University	14.8x	$33,455/yr	50
University of California-Los Angeles	13.3x	$27,748/yr	50
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus	13.0x	$35,155/yr	51
Georgia College & State University	12.6x	$32,149/yr	45
Purdue University-Main Campus	11.4x	$31,172/yr	43
Northwest Missouri State University	11.1x	$35,556/yr	47

Want to compare two Research and Experimental Psychology programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn?

Across 84 schools, Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn an average of $35,198 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $20,182 to $56,504 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Research and Experimental Psychology?

Research and Experimental Psychology is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 50% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Research and Experimental Psychology program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Harvard University ranks #1 for Research and Experimental Psychology with a score of 55/100 and graduate earnings of $41,501/yr.

What's the outlook for a Research and Experimental Psychology degree?

On average, Research and Experimental Psychology graduates earn 4.9x their in-state tuition over 10 years. ROI varies significantly by school — choose carefully.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →