North Carolina·Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-1066

Best Psychology Teacher, Postsecondary programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment

Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling.

51 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,790 people a year. The job pays a median of $75,260 in North Carolina across about 1,100 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledProfessorInstructorPsychology ProfessorPsychology InstructorTeacherLecturerFaculty MemberAdjunct Professor
Graduates / yr
4,790
in North Carolina
Median pay · North Carolina
$75,260
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,100
people employed
Schools
51
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
52%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,259
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

14 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own North Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
13,779
78.9%
47$31,426$25,250
2471
9.8%
3$36,206$29,240
3230
4.8%
4$34,454$21,878
465
1.4%
5$37,335$22,861
553
1.1%
2$33,805$27,000
641
0.9%
3$33,805$27,000
739
0.8%
2$33,805$27,000
831
0.6%
4$33,805$27,000
924
0.5%
2$33,805$27,000
1019
0.4%
1$33,805$27,000
1112
0.3%
1$34,454$21,878
1211
0.2%
1$36,890$18,200
1310
0.2%
2$33,805$27,000
145
0.1%
1$34,454$21,878

Top 25 schools in North Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 24 of the 51 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
506Psychology, General$30,35969%80%
2Appalachian State University
Boone, NC Public · 4 feeder programs
456Psychology, General$27,48475%90%
3University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
450Behavioral Sciences91%15%
4East Carolina University
Greenville, NC Public · 5 feeder programs
370Psychology, General$30,08663%89%
5North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
327Psychology, General$29,73885%42%
6University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
317Psychology, General$29,41871%64%
7University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
257Psychology, General$28,48556%89%
8North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
233Psychology, General$27,65357%50%
9Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
197Psychology, General$31,21738%82%
10Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
162Psychology, General$27,50560%82%
11Duke University
Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
157Research and Experimental Psychology, Other$39,35997%$16,2606%
12Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
140Psychology, General$34,82389%$20,91422%
13North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
109Psychology, General$29,40042%87%
14Elon University
Elon, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
97Psychology, General$36,66884%$33,68866%
15University of North Carolina Asheville
Asheville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
88Psychology, General$24,66654%92%
16Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
81Psychology, General$33,89261%$23,33187%
17Davidson College
Davidson, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
69Research and Experimental Psychology, Other91%$16,62813%
18University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, NC Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
69Counseling Psychology52%$16,47376%
19Winston - Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
67Psychology, General$25,63747%78%
20Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
58Community Psychology$34,49155%$22,86377%
21Wingate University
Wingate, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
55Psychology, General$26,98846%$21,58591%
22High Point University
High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
53Psychology, General74%$37,07275%
23University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
52Psychology, General$28,20944%93%
24Meredith College
Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
45Psychology, General$28,50170%$19,55274%
25Montreat College
Montreat, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
35Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling50%$25,76369%

All 51 schools in North Carolina

Every school in North Carolina with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in North Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlottePublic5063
Appalachian State UniversityBoonePublic4564
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillPublic4502
East Carolina UniversityGreenvillePublic3705
North Carolina State University at RaleighRaleighPublic3271
University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmingtonPublic3171
University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboroPublic2571
North Carolina A & T State UniversityGreensboroPublic2333
Fayetteville State UniversityFayettevillePublic1972
Western Carolina UniversityCullowheePublic1623
Duke UniversityDurhamPrivate not-for-profit1573
Wake Forest UniversityWinston-SalemPrivate not-for-profit1401
North Carolina Central UniversityDurhamPublic1091
Elon UniversityElonPrivate not-for-profit971
University of North Carolina AshevilleAshevillePublic881

What psychology teachers, postsecondary earn in North Carolina

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in North Carolina
$75,260
Mean annual
$80,900
Jobs in state
1,100
What the range looks like
10th pct$49,820Median$75,26090th pct$109,840
Versus the national median
-6.3%

U.S. median $80,340. North Carolina pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.83×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in North Carolina

Wilmington, NC
$105,420median
80 jobs
Raleigh-Cary, NC
$80,190median
90 jobs
Greenville, NC
$86,110median
40 jobs
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$78,210median
210 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$78,950median
90 jobs
Asheville, NC
$63,560median
40 jobs
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
avg
80 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+3.6%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
4,000
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
1,900
52,500 → 54,400
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary page.

How to become a Psychology Teacher, Postsecondary

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

Learning StrategiesSpeakingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningWritingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in North Carolina

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 25 majors mapped to Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.1335Psychology Teacher Education
  • 30.1001Biopsychology
  • 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
  • 30.5301Thanatology
  • 42.0101Psychology, General
  • 42.2701Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics
  • 42.2702Comparative Psychology
  • 42.2703Developmental and Child Psychology
  • 42.2704Experimental Psychology
  • 42.2705Personality Psychology
  • 42.2706Behavioral Neuroscience
  • 42.2707Social Psychology
  • 42.2708Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology
  • 42.2710Developmental and Adolescent Psychology(no graduates reported)
  • 42.2799Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
  • 42.2801Clinical Psychology
  • 42.2802Community Psychology
  • 42.2803Counseling Psychology
  • 42.2804Industrial and Organizational Psychology
  • 42.2805School Psychology
  • 42.2806Educational Psychology
  • 42.2807Clinical Child Psychology
  • 42.2808Environmental Psychology
  • 42.2809Geropsychology
  • 42.2810Health/Medical Psychology

Common questions

Answers for people weighing psychology teachers, postsecondary programs in North Carolina.

What degree do you need to become a Psychology Teacher, Postsecondary?+

Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Psychology, General, which awarded 3,779 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 78.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Psychology Teacher, Postsecondary?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 14 programs to this occupation. The largest are Psychology, Behavioral Sciences, Research and Experimental Psychology, Clinical, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 4,790 people a year in North Carolina.

How much do psychology teachers, postsecondary earn in North Carolina?+

The median is $75,260 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 6.3% below the U.S. median of $80,340. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for psychology teachers, postsecondary growing?+

BLS projects a +3.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 4,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in North Carolina?+

51 institutions in North Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 14 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do psychology teachers, postsecondary work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Instructor, Psychology Professor, Psychology Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1066.

Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary in other statesCaliforniaNew YorkTexasFloridaArizonaVirginiaPennsylvaniaMinnesota

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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