undergradly.
Major · Psychology

Psychology through a research lens — but the credential has limits without graduate school

Research and Experimental Psychology, Other groups specialized undergraduate programs in psychological research that sit outside the named sub-disciplines. Coursework centers on empirical methodology, data collection, and the scientific study of behavior. About 11,877 degrees have been awarded across 112 colleges, exclusively at the bachelor's level.

Schools offering
112
Annual completions
11,877
Typical degree level
Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$59k

About this major

Research and Experimental Psychology, Other is a CIP catchall for undergraduate programs in psychological science that emphasize empirical research but don't fit neatly into a named sub-discipline. In practice, that means degrees concentrated on topics like cognitive processes, behavioral measurement, neuropsychology, or quantitative methods in psychology — programs where the research design sequence carries as much weight as the introductory survey courses. Coursework typically covers statistics and research methods early, then builds toward lab work, data collection, and analysis within whatever focal area the program emphasizes. The broad CIP definition — "any instructional program in research and experimental psychology not listed above" — signals that specific program content varies considerably by institution.

Students drawn to this major tend to be oriented toward understanding how psychological knowledge is actually built, not just what the textbooks say. If you find yourself more interested in the methodology behind a study than in its headline finding, you're in the right neighborhood. Comfort with quantitative reasoning is useful; some programs lean significantly on statistics and data analysis as core competencies.

The career picture requires honest framing. The three occupations most associated with this major — psychologists, psychology postsecondary teachers, and general managers — list master's and doctoral degrees as their typical entry credentials. Bachelor's completers report median five-year earnings around $58,998 across 112 colleges that award this degree. That figure is consistent with research assistant roles, behavioral data positions, or — importantly — graduate school enrollment, which is where a meaningful share of research-track psychology undergraduates end up. UC Davis, UIUC, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and NYU lead in completions, and the concentration at research-intensive institutions underscores that this program type is fundamentally a graduate-school launching pad.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Managers, all other $137k +4.5% Bachelor's degree
Psychologists, all other $118k +4.3% Master's degree
Psychology teachers, postsecondary $80k +3.6% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$59k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$49k

Bachelor's

$59k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you're drawn to the mechanics of how psychological research actually works — running studies, coding data, finding patterns in behavioral measurements rather than just learning about findings. You may also fit well here if your plan includes graduate school and you want undergraduate training that explicitly builds research skills: the top-completing schools (UC Davis, UIUC, UC Riverside) are research universities where faculty lab access and mentorship are realistic options for motivated students. If you're genuinely interested in a specific research area — cognitive science, behavioral neuroscience, quantitative psychology — and your school offers a specialized track under this umbrella, the focused preparation can be valuable for a PhD application in ways that a general psychology degree might not be.

Think twice if you're expecting the bachelor's to translate directly into psychology-specific professional roles — the occupations most tied to this major require graduate or doctoral credentials, and five-year median earnings near $59,000 reflect that reality. Think twice also if you haven't yet compared this option to Psychology, General (133,179 completions per year) at the same school: the career overlap is substantial, and the larger program typically offers more alumni connections, more schedule flexibility, and equivalent graduate school access. And think twice if your interest is applied work with clients or communities — clinical psychology, counseling, or social work programs build a more direct pipeline to those outcomes than a research-track bachelor's does.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Research and Experimental Psychology, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-Davis Davis, CA 0 875 875
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 0 601 601
University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA 0 586 586
University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 0 510 510
New York University New York, NY 0 508 508
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 0 484 484
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA 0 471 471
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 462 462
American Public University System Charles Town, WV 0 359 359
University of Oregon Eugene, OR 0 351 351
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Psychology, General

133,179 completions/yr

Criminology

8,556 completions/yr

Experimental Psychology

3,493 completions/yr

Behavioral Sciences

2,603 completions/yr

Applied Psychology

1,583 completions/yr

Behavioral Neuroscience

1,302 completions/yr

Forensic Psychology

877 completions/yr

Industrial and Organizational Psychology

520 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do students in Research and Experimental Psychology programs actually study?
The curriculum is organized around scientific method applied to human and animal behavior. Expect statistics, research design, and laboratory or data-collection work — the kind of coursework that prepares you to run studies, not just read them. Depending on the specific program, specializations might emphasize cognitive, social, developmental, or biological approaches to psychological research. The CIP definition is deliberately broad: it covers any research-oriented psychology program that doesn't fit neatly into a named sub-discipline like experimental psychology or behavioral neuroscience.
What jobs can I realistically get with a bachelor's in this field?
The careers associated with this major — psychologists ($117,580 median wage), psychology postsecondary teachers ($80,330 median), and general managers ($136,550 median) — all require graduate or doctoral degrees as their typical entry credential. That means a bachelor's alone will not put you directly into the professional psychology roles listed here. At the bachelor's level, realistic early-career paths include research assistant, behavioral data analyst, human resources coordinator, or social services case worker. The five-year median earnings for this major sit around $58,998 for bachelor's completers — a signal that most graduates either work in support-level research roles or are pursuing advanced degrees during that window.
Do I need a graduate degree to make this major worthwhile?
For the occupations most directly associated with this major, yes. Psychologists (all other) require a master's degree as the typical entry credential, and psychology postsecondary teachers require a doctoral or professional degree. If your goal is to work as a practicing or research psychologist, the bachelor's is the foundation, not the finish line. If you plan to work in adjacent fields — behavioral analysis, UX research, data analysis, human resources, or policy — the bachelor's can support those paths, but so would Psychology, General (133,179 completions annually), which is a much larger and more flexible program.
How does this compare to Psychology, General or Experimental Psychology?
Psychology, General is the dominant choice in this family with over 133,000 completions per year across many more schools — it offers maximum flexibility and is the most portable credential for both employment and graduate school applications. Experimental Psychology (3,493 completions) is a named sub-discipline that is more explicitly research-focused. Research and Experimental Psychology, Other sits in between: it signals research orientation without the specificity of Experimental Psychology. If your school offers a named track under this CIP code, compare its curriculum carefully to the General Psychology option — the career destinations overlap substantially, and the scale difference matters for alumni networks and employer recognition.
What's a realistic earnings picture after this degree?
Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers in this field run about $58,998. That figure is consistent with early-career research or behavioral roles, or reflects that a significant portion of completers are still in graduate school at the five-year mark. The ceiling for the occupations tied to this major is much higher — general managers reach $136,550 and psychologists reach $117,580 — but those roles require additional credentials or years of experience. Do not expect the graduate-level wages from a bachelor's alone.
Which schools award the most degrees in this program?
The top completers are large research universities: UC Davis (875 completions), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (601), UC Riverside (586), UC Irvine (510), and NYU (508). The pattern is notable — research-intensive institutions dominate, which makes sense given the research focus of these programs. If strong faculty research mentorship, lab access, and preparation for PhD programs are your goals, the institutional profile matters as much as the program name.