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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Psychology, General worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 124 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$170,610 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−160%Estimated return after 10 years
$38,612Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$38,612 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$38,612Typical earnings four years after completion
$36,139Average earnings five years after completion
$11,198Typical federal student debt
20thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
117College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Psychology, General

How much do Psychology, General associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $38,612 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $11,198. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Psychology, General?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $35,527 to $42,174 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Psychology, General?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 6 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$47,847
Federal debt
$22,255
Programs in the comparison
4
3 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$38,612
Federal debt
$11,198
Programs in the comparison
124
117 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$49,960
Federal debt
$25,716
Programs in the comparison
1,139
1,062 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$67,973
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
92
92 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$96,534
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
39
39 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$65,990
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$55,763
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$35,527National median$38,61275th percentile$42,174
117 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$42,17475th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$11,198Median federal debt across programs that report it
8Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Cañada College

$67,015 four years after completionRedwood City, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Foothill College

$5,500 among completer borrowersLos Altos Hills, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

College of the Canyons

222 reported awards in 2024–25Santa Clarita, CA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$54,585Observed year-4 earnings$42,197
$1,947Annual college-wide average net price$16,508
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Cañada College$67,0152Foothill College$55,6943Nelson University$54,7504Gavilan College$54,5855City College of San Francisco$52,2146University of Cincinnati-Main Campus$49,8537University of Cincinnati-Clermont College$49,8538University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College$49,8539College of San Mateo$49,70810Reedley College$49,535

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$193,950 median wage790 jobs nationwide+6.5% projected growth through 2035 · 300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$79,010–$247,220 typical wage rangeManagers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangePsychologists, All Other$110,840 median wage18,820 jobs nationwide+2.3% projected growth through 2035 · 3,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$54,990–$168,520 typical wage rangeClinical and Counseling Psychologists$100,580 median wage75,990 jobs nationwide+11.7% projected growth through 2035 · 4,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$55,170–$180,960 typical wage rangePsychology Teachers, Postsecondary$80,340 median wage41,530 jobs nationwide+4.0% projected growth through 2035 · 3,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,050–$153,600 typical wage rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA51 programs$41,828 average earningsTX12 programs$38,845 average earningsPA8 programs$38,138 average earningsOH5 programs$42,693 average earningsNY5 programs$43,741 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.