Applied Psychology Degrees (2026 stats)

Applied Psychology: what the data shows

Common questions about applied psychology degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a applied psychology degree?

A Applied Psychology program is classified under NCES CIP 42.2813 in the Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology field family (42.28).

A program that focuses on the application of psychological theories and methods to real-world settings and problems, such as business and industry, government, education, military, and community settings. Includes instruction in applications of psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, counseling, human factors, research methods and statistics, and program evaluation

IPEDS counted 1,536 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of applied psychology degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 42.28 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

• Applied Behavior Analysis (CIP 42.2814)
• Clinical Child Psychology (CIP 42.2807)
• Clinical Psychology (CIP 42.2801)
• Community Psychology (CIP 42.2802)
• Counseling Psychology (CIP 42.2803)
• Educational Psychology (CIP 42.2806)
• Environmental Psychology (CIP 42.2808)
• Family Psychology (CIP 42.2811)
• Forensic Psychology (CIP 42.2812)
• Geropsychology (CIP 42.2809)
• Health/Medical Psychology (CIP 42.2810)
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology (CIP 42.2804)
• Performance and Sport Psychology (CIP 42.2815)
• School Psychology (CIP 42.2805)
• Somatic Psychology (CIP 42.2816)
• Transpersonal/Spiritual Psychology (CIP 42.2817)

How long does it take to get a applied psychology degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 42.2813 in our file:

• 52 Associate (1.8% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
• 1,536 Bachelor's (54.0% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
• 1,258 Master's (44.2% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What degree do you need?

For Teachers and Instructors, All Other (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 42.2813, but occupation data show multiple pathways.

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a applied psychology degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Applied Psychology to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a applied psychology degree worth it?

College Scorecard national medians for the Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology bachelor's program family: median debt $40,066, median earnings $50,523 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.16.

About 5.6% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,934 and median net price is $19,058.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.