Best institutions to study Applied Psychology
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.
96 U.S. institutions graduated 2,999 Applied Psychology students in 2024–25 (IPEDS). It is CIP 42.2813, a specialization of Clinical (CIP 42.28), and leads most directly to the Psychologists, All Other occupation (BLS SOC 19-3039).
About Applied Psychology programs
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.
See also: 30.3101 - Human Computer Interaction.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020).
The Applied Psychology (Clinical) program focuses on the practical application of psychological theories and methods to address real-world challenges across various settings, including business, education, and community services. This program is designed for students interested in understanding human behavior and applying psychological principles to improve individual and organizational outcomes. Students in this program will engage with diverse psychological concepts and practices, preparing them for roles that require both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. It is ideal for those looking to make a positive impact in fields such as counseling, organizational management, and education.
Core coursework in the Applied Psychology (Clinical) program includes industrial/organizational psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, and research methods. Students will gain skills in program evaluation and human factors, equipping them to apply psychological insights in various professional contexts.
Credentials awarded
What Applied Psychology graduates earned in 2024–25, by award level (IPEDS completions).
- Bachelor's degree1,663 graduates / yr · 50 institutions56%
- Master's degree1,143 graduates / yr · 34 institutions38%
- Doctor's degree - research/scholarship58 graduates / yr · 8 institutions1.9%
- Award of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year55 graduates / yr · 2 institutions1.8%
- Associate's degree45 graduates / yr · 6 institutions1.5%
- Postbaccalaureate certificate35 graduates / yr · 6 institutions1.2%
Graduates over time
Applied Psychology completions reported to IPEDS each year, all award levels combined.
| Year | Graduates |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 896 |
| 2013 | 965 |
| 2014 | 1,149 |
| 2015 | 870 |
| 2016 | 1,051 |
| 2017 | 1,234 |
| 2018 | 1,360 |
| 2019 | 1,481 |
| 2020 | 1,674 |
| 2021 | 2,029 |
| 2022 | 2,433 |
| 2023 | 2,629 |
| 2024 | 2,993 |
| 2025 | 2,999 |
Top 50 institutions for Applied Psychology, ranked by graduates
Graduates (IPEDS completions), 2024–25. Award levels show which credentials each institution confers in this specialization.
| # | Institution | Graduates / yr | Grad rate | Net price | Field earnings* (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZPrivate for-profitBachelor's | 397 | 21% | $15,478 | $41,118 |
| 2 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VAPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 255 | 65% | $28,911 | — |
| 3 | California Institute of Integral Studies San Francisco, CAPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 216 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZPublicBachelor'sMaster's | 188 | 0% | — | — |
| 5 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, ILPublicBachelor's | 167 | 62% | — | — |
| 6 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MAPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 116 | 91% | $21,126 | $42,384 |
| 7 | Colorado Christian University Lakewood, COPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 102 | 64% | $23,447 | — |
| 8 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CAPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 96 | 92% | $26,873 | — |
| 9 | Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, FLPrivate not-for-profitBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral | 69 | 67% | $38,899 | $41,456 |
| 10 | Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide Daytona Beach, FLPrivate not-for-profitMaster'sPost-degree cert. | 66 | 21% | $21,266 | $41,456 |
| 11 | Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NYPublicBachelor's | 65 | 53% | — | $28,904 |
| 12 | Capella University Minneapolis, MNPrivate for-profitMaster's | 60 | 20% | $19,369 | — |
| 13 | SUNY College of Technology at Canton Canton, NYPublicBachelor's | 58 | 38% | — | $36,254 |
| 14 | SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NYPublicBachelor's | 54 | 33% | — | — |
| 15 | Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FLPrivate not-for-profitBachelor'sAssociate's | 51 | 64% | $33,585 | $34,506 |
| 16 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PAPrivate not-for-profitAward of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year | 51 | 97% | $22,055 | — |
| 17 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJPublicMaster's | 46 | 84% | — | — |
| 18 | Ottawa University - Ottawa Ottawa, KSPrivate not-for-profitBachelor'sMaster's | 44 | 28% | $26,935 | — |
| 19 | Fielding Graduate University Santa Barbara, CAPrivate not-for-profitMaster'sDoctoral | 40 | — | — | — |
| 20 | Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, INPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 40 | 35% | $18,316 | $40,706 |
| 21 | Pacific University Forest Grove, ORPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 39 | 67% | $30,571 | — |
| 22 | Los Angeles Pacific University San Dimas, CAPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 38 | 21% | $21,273 | $41,803 |
| 23 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZPublicBachelor's | 35 | 68% | — | — |
| 24 | Pace University New York, NYPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 35 | 60% | $29,994 | $40,671 |
| 25 | Adler University Chicago, ILPrivate not-for-profitMaster'sBachelor's | 29 | — | — | — |
| 26 | Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls, ORPublicBachelor's | 29 | 54% | — | $26,591 |
| 27 | United States Military Academy West Point, NYPublicBachelor's | 28 | 87% | — | — |
| 28 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PAPublicMaster'sPost-degree cert. | 28 | 56% | — | — |
| 29 | Touro University Worldwide Los Alamitos, CAPrivate not-for-profitDoctoral | 28 | 29% | $17,026 | — |
| 30 | SUNY Morrisville Morrisville, NYPublicBachelor's | 26 | 28% | — | $31,903 |
| 31 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 22 | 61% | $23,844 | — |
| 32 | Northeastern University Boston, MAPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 21 | 91% | $18,925 | — |
| 33 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PAPublicMaster'sDoctoral | 21 | 85% | — | — |
| 34 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TXPublicMaster's | 21 | 44% | — | — |
| 35 | University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, NCPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 19 | 52% | $16,473 | — |
| 36 | Albright College Reading, PAPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 19 | 51% | $21,906 | $48,838 |
| 37 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TXPublicMaster's | 18 | 48% | — | — |
| 38 | Colorado State University Global Denver, COPublicMaster's | 18 | — | — | — |
| 39 | Warner Pacific University Professional and Graduate Studies Portland, ORPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 17 | — | — | — |
| 40 | Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FLPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 16 | 61% | $35,483 | — |
| 41 | Francis Marion University Florence, SCPublicMaster's | 15 | 43% | — | — |
| 42 | Biola University La Mirada, CAPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 14 | 68% | $26,727 | — |
| 43 | Southeastern University Lakeland, FLPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 14 | 43% | $29,915 | — |
| 44 | University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online Manchester, NHPublicBachelor's | 13 | 30% | — | — |
| 45 | Northampton County Area Community College Bethlehem, PAPublicAssociate's | 12 | 24% | — | — |
| 46 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, ILPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 11 | 73% | $33,454 | — |
| 47 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NYPublicBachelor's | 11 | 42% | — | — |
| 48 | Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Philadelphia, PAPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 11 | — | — | — |
| 49 | Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, CAPrivate not-for-profitBachelor's | 10 | 53% | $25,892 | $21,473 |
| 50 | Loras College Dubuque, IAPrivate not-for-profitMaster's | 10 | 68% | $19,227 | — |
* Median earnings 1 year after graduation for the broader Clinical field (CIP 42.28) at these institutions; College Scorecard does not publish earnings at the 6-digit level.
Offered in 33 states
Where Applied Psychology graduates come from. Each state links to all Clinical programs offered there.
Careers & outlook
The payoff after graduation: occupation 19-3039, Psychologists, All Other, and its national outlook.
Graduates of the Applied Psychology (Clinical) program can pursue careers as psychologists, managers, or psychology teachers. With an annual growth rate of 4.3% and approximately 3,900 job openings each year, the field offers a promising outlook. The median wage for professionals in this area is $117,580, typically requiring a master's degree for entry-level positions.
Top-paying metros
Career pathways for CIP 42.2813
The occupations the NCES crosswalk maps this 6-digit code to, with BLS pay and 10-year outlook.
| Occupation | US median pay | Growth | Openings / yr | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Psychologists, All Otherprimary SOC 19-3039 | $110,840 | +4.3% About as fast as average | ~3,900 | Master's degree |
Managers, All Other SOC 11-9199 | $141,900 | +4.5% About as fast as average | ~106,700 | Bachelor's degree |
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary SOC 25-1066 | $80,340 | +3.6% About as fast as average | ~4,000 | Doctoral or professional degree |
Related careers
Other Clinical specializations
The 17 other 6-digit CIP codes under Clinical (CIP 42.28).
- Counseling PsychologyCIP 42.280312,264 graduates / yr277 institutions
- Applied Behavior AnalysisCIP 42.28147,215 graduates / yr143 institutions
- Clinical PsychologyCIP 42.28016,396 graduates / yr205 institutions
- School PsychologyCIP 42.28053,734 graduates / yr205 institutions
- Industrial and Organizational PsychologyCIP 42.28043,169 graduates / yr127 institutions
- Forensic PsychologyCIP 42.28122,718 graduates / yr59 institutions
- Educational PsychologyCIP 42.28061,874 graduates / yr84 institutions
- ClinicalCIP 42.2899711 graduates / yr46 institutions
- Family PsychologyCIP 42.2811partial data630 graduates / yr6 institutions
- Community PsychologyCIP 42.2802464 graduates / yr34 institutions
- Health/CIP 42.2810
Medical Psychology 428 graduates / yr25 institutions - Performance and Sport PsychologyCIP 42.2815318 graduates / yr18 institutions
- Clinical Child PsychologyCIP 42.2807partial data101 graduates / yr9 institutions
- Transpersonal/CIP 42.2817
Spiritual Psychology limited data40 graduates / yr1 institutions - Environmental PsychologyCIP 42.2808partial data22 graduates / yr3 institutions
- GeropsychologyCIP 42.2809limited data2 graduates / yr1 institutions
Show 1 more CIP codes with no U.S. programs reported+
- Somatic Psychology42.2816
No institution reported completions for these codes in the latest IPEDS year, so they have no page.
Common questions
What degrees can I earn in this program?+
You can earn a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctor's degree in Applied Psychology.
What types of jobs can I get with this degree?+
Graduates can work as psychologists, managers, or psychology teachers.
What is the job outlook for this field?+
The job outlook is about as fast as average, with a growth rate of 4.3%.
What is the average salary for graduates?+
The median wage for professionals in this field is $117,580.
What is the CIP code for Applied Psychology?+
Applied Psychology is CIP 42.2813 in the NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020), a 6-digit specialization within Clinical (CIP 42.28). NCES defines it as: 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.
How many institutions offer Applied Psychology programs?+
96 U.S. institutions reported Applied Psychology graduates in IPEDS 2024–25, across 33 states, awarding 2,999 credentials in the year. That is 7.0% of all Clinical graduates.
How much do Applied Psychology graduates earn?+
Earnings are not published at the 6-digit CIP level by any federal source. The Psychologists, All Other occupation, which Applied Psychology most directly leads to, pays a median of $110,840 a year nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025), and graduates of the broader Clinical field report median earnings of $39,258 one year after graduation (College Scorecard).
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
Program definitions are from the NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020). Skills, knowledge, abilities, work activities, tools, and job zones are from the O*NET database by the U.S. Department of Labor, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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