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Careers in Experimental Psychology

Learn about human behavior with a degree in experimental psychology.

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What Is an Experimental Psychologist?

Experimental psychologists are researchers who employ scientific methods to gather data and conduct studies. Their work typically involves incremental contributions to larger findings or conclusions over time. Many researchers dedicate their careers to exploring complex research questions and uncovering insights in their respective fields.

What Do They Do?

Specialists who work in experimental psychology use a methodological approach to conduct experiments in controlled situations in order to examine human behavior.

They take nothing for granted as they scrutinize human responses to sensation, perception, motivation, memory, learning and physiological psychology.

Experimental Psychologists may perform the following duties:

  • Run experiments to study human behaviorism and mental phenomena
  • Study behavior processes in animals
  • Use findings to inform diagnoses and treatments for various social, behavioral and emotional disorders

Salaries

Experimental psychologists are part of the larger field of psychologists. Take a look at median annual salaries for psychologists, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2022 Occupational Employment Statistics, below.

Psychologists, All Other

National data

Median Salary: $106,420

Projected job growth: 5.1%

10th Percentile: $40,000

25th Percentile: $68,410

75th Percentile: $124,020

90th Percentile: $138,860

Projected job growth: 5.1%

State data

State Median Salary Bottom 10% Top 10%
Alabama $110,090 $27,480 $127,150
Arizona $111,220 $47,990 $127,570
Arkansas $99,900 $26,290 $122,680
California $122,970 $52,890 $173,850
Colorado $107,490 $61,200 $130,650
Connecticut $116,310 $37,710 $143,370
District of Columbia $106,810 $52,120 $138,860
Florida $105,760 $49,250 $126,900
Georgia $99,590 $46,320 $125,630
Hawaii $120,600 $51,080 $149,950
Idaho $97,510 $46,320 $116,380
Illinois $106,420 $51,380 $136,390
Indiana $103,790 $49,600 $123,800
Iowa $106,950 $42,200 $123,010
Kansas $103,790 $30,400 $133,830
Kentucky $110,090 $75,030 $122,680
Louisiana $39,310 $36,770 $122,680
Maine $80,010 $52,430 $135,110
Maryland $106,810 $35,360 $159,330
Massachusetts $116,210 $51,480 $137,340
Michigan $66,210 $36,850 $122,680
Minnesota $80,870 $40,730 $129,080
Mississippi $66,650 $26,290 $119,520
Missouri $106,950 $41,600 $124,950
Montana $79,350 $26,290 $122,680
Nebraska $104,690 $26,290 $122,680
Nevada $124,840 $47,430 $150,970
New Hampshire $123,260 $46,140 $142,770
New Jersey $120,640 $39,090 $135,260
New Mexico $106,430 $46,610 $135,610
New York $106,020 $39,260 $142,580
North Carolina $103,790 $45,380 $124,900
Ohio $111,070 $48,280 $140,110
Oklahoma $106,390 $26,290 $128,710
Oregon $112,440 $60,200 $160,920
Pennsylvania $97,930 $50,360 $130,580
Rhode Island $104,000 $30,410 $139,980
South Carolina $114,730 $46,320 $140,630
South Dakota $103,790 $26,730 $142,520
Texas $112,280 $48,820 $141,420
Utah $106,950 $47,650 $130,560
Vermont $83,690 $54,860 $120,990
Virginia $109,640 $78,680 $138,530
Washington $111,110 $53,500 $135,430
West Virginia $39,670 $26,400 $117,500
Wisconsin $106,500 $45,660 $142,620
Wyoming $104,730 $26,290 $167,380

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2022 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

Work Environment

Experimental psychologists often work in private research centers and universities (where they are employed as professors), as well as nonprofit, business and government organizations. Their work is primarily focused on statistics, research and experimentation.

Training and Education

Becoming an experimental psychologist should begin with an undergraduate degree in psychology. From there, individuals are free to pursue a Master of Arts or Master of Science degree (MA or MS) in experimental psychology, or simply psychology MA and MS programs in psychology are more plentiful than programs in experimental psychology).

These programs, which generally take two years to complete, will further expose students to the wide and fascinating field of psychology. However, this degree alone is not enough to enter the fiercely competitive field of experimental psychology.

Most doctorate programs (PhD) in experimental psychology require individuals to have obtained their MA or MS degree in one of the psychological fields. PhD programs can take three years or more years to complete, depending on the individual’s time frame. These programs provide students with the nuanced training and knowledge to perform their own empirical research, read data and conduct experiments.