DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a doctoral degree in Research and Experimental Psychology worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 6 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$104,386 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.
$104,386Median year-4 earnings
$14,775Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$104,386Typical earnings four years after completion
$105,165Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
53thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
100Degrees awarded in 2024–25
6College 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.
Four useful answers about Research and Experimental Psychology
How much do Research and Experimental Psychology doctoral degree graduates earn?
The national median is $104,386 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 Research and Experimental Psychology?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $99,311 to $106,855 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Research and Experimental Psychology?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 11 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
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
- $49,186
- Federal debt
- $21,320
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $56,830
- Federal debt
- $21,814
- Programs in the comparison
- 111
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $62,661
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 13
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $104,386
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 6
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $53,677
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
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$99,311National median$104,38675th percentile$106,855
6 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
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.
$119,816Observed year-4 earnings$99,311
Ohio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $120,917 earningsUniversity of California, Riverside$14,304 price · $119,816 earningsUniversity of California, Davis$14,741 price · $106,855 earningsUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $101,916 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $99,311 earnings
$13,138Annual college-wide average net price$14,741
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
6 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 6 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Ohio State University-Main Campus$120,9172University of California, Riverside$119,8163University of California, Davis$106,8554University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$101,9165University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$99,3116CUNY Graduate School and University Center$99,149Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →20%
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 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 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 rangeChild, Family, and School Social Workers$59,550 median wage392,550 jobs nationwide+4.4% projected growth through 2035 · 33,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$42,280–$95,530 typical wage rangeHealth Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$107,310 median wage221,270 jobs nationwide+17.9% projected growth through 2035 · 24,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$59,270–$322,020 typical wage rangeStatisticians$105,650 median wage29,030 jobs nationwide+11.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$64,000–$174,050 typical wage rangeMedical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$103,410 median wage172,340 jobs nationwide+12.6% projected growth through 2035 · 10,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$64,800–$177,780 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 rangeBiological Scientists, All Other$98,920 median wage55,850 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 4,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$60,430–$168,010 typical wage rangeLife Scientists, All Other$93,750 median wage7,460 jobs nationwide+6.3% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$58,670–$186,260 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.
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.