Forensic Psychology

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2019

1,814

growing 6.96%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,070

growing 3.97%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$30,800

growing 2.87%

Average Wage

$68,322

growing 1.61%

People in Workforce

2.74M

growing 3.72%

Average Employee Age

41.1

declining 0.2%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Forensic Psychology degree recipients are New York, NY, Minneapolis, MN, and Carolina, PR. The locations with a relatively high number of Forensic Psychology degree recipients are Tiffin, OH, Carolina, PR, and Waterville, ME. The most common degree awarded to students studying Forensic Psychology is a masters degree.

Psychology Clinical, Counseling, & Applied Psychology

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Forensic Psychology and the types of students that study this field. CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice awards the most degrees in Forensic Psychology in the US, but The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC and University of Puerto Rico-Carolina have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Forensic Psychology.

Tuition costs for Forensic Psychology majors are, on average, $7,070 for in-state public colleges, and $30,800 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Forensic Psychology programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (40 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (852 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Forensic Psychology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Forensic Psychology, is Public, 4-year or above (852 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Forensic Psychology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,070

Median In-State Public

$30,800

Median Out of State Private

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice has the most Forensic Psychology degree recipients, with 551 degrees awarded in 2019.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Forensic Psychology.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Forensic Psychology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC and University of Puerto Rico-Carolina have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Forensic Psychology, with 24% and 19.3%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Forensic Psychology

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Forensic Psychology by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Forensic Psychology.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Psychology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Psychology majors is $68,322 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Social workers, all other, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Psychology majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Petroleum refining.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

$68,322

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,081

1.61%

1 Year Growth

± 2.24%

The average salary for Psychology majors is $68,322 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Social workers, all other, and Other managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Psychology majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Psychology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Psychology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

The most common occupations Psychology majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers, Social workers, all other, and Other managers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Psychology majors working as School psychologists, Clinical and counseling psychologists, and Other psychologists.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Psychology majors are Surgeons, Computer hardware engineers, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

2.74M

2019 Workforce

± 40,253

3.72%

1 Year Growth

± 2.02%

The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.72%, from 2.64M in 2018 to 2.74M in 2019.

The largest single share of Psychology graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (3.98%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Psychology by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

The most common industries that employ Psychology majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Outpatient care centers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

The highest paying industries of Psychology majors, by average wage, are Petroleum refining, Other information services, except libraries & archives, & internet publishing & broadcasting & web search portals, and Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

2.74M

2019 Workforce

± 40,253

3.72%

1 Year Growth

± 2.02%

The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.72%, from 2.64M in 2018 to 2.74M in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Psychology graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Psychology.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Psychology majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Psychology majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Psychology in the United States. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Psychology is 41.1, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Psychology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Psychology (741 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

41.1

Average Age in 2019

± 0.192 Years

0.2%

1 Year Change

± 0.669%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Psychology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 28 and 30 years old, which represent 3.24% and 3.2% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Forensic Psychology are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Professional Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Psychology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (84.1%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Forensic Psychology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
741 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
561 degrees awarded
Black or African American
262 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Forensic Psychology for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

Hispanic or Latino Female
338 degrees awarded
White Female
153 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Male
97 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Forensic Psychology. Hispanic or Latino Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Psychology is from the 2 Digit Course Psychology.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
26,735 degree recipients
India
21,975 degree recipients
Philippines
15,761 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Greece
3.8 times more than expected
Antigua & Barbuda
3.28 times more than expected
Belarus
3.26 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Greece that hold Psychology degrees (3.8 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (26,735 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Forensic Psychology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Forensic Psychology majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Forensic Psychology majors need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Operation and Control, and Operation Monitoring.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Forensic Psychology majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Management of Financial Resources is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.