DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a doctoral degree in Psychology, Other worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 5 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$108,825 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$108,825Median year-4 earnings
$19,161Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$108,825Typical earnings four years after completion
$75,335Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
60thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
89Degrees awarded in 2024–25
5College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 5 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Psychology, Other

How much do Psychology, Other doctoral degree graduates earn?

The national median is $108,825 four years after completion across reportable doctoral degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Psychology, Other?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $106,003 to $108,825 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Psychology, Other?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 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

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$35,481
Federal debt
$18,949
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
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Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$50,430
Federal debt
$16,473
Programs in the comparison
13
11 report earnings →
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Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$67,985
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
14
14 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$108,825
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
5
5 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$56,601
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 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$106,003National median$108,82575th percentile$108,825
5 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$108,82575th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs 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

Azusa Pacific University

$109,439 four years after completionAzusa, CA · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Pacifica Graduate Institute

35 reported awards in 2024–25Santa Barbara CA, CA · inspect the full program →
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Choose colleges offering this exact degree

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

5 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 5 shown
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WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Azusa Pacific University$109,4392The Chicago School at Los Angeles$108,8253The Chicago School at Washington DC$108,8254University of California, Santa Barbara$106,0035Pacifica Graduate Institute$67,625

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.

Managers, 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 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 range

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

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.