What Does it Take to Be a Psychology Professor?
Position Description Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
What Do Psychology Professors Do On a Daily Basis?
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Provide clinical services to clients, such as assessing psychological problems and conducting psychotherapy.
- Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Supervise students’ laboratory work.
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Psychology Professor Needed Skills
Below is a list of the skills most Psychology Professors say are important on the job.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Instructor
- Psychology Professor
- Abnormal Psychology Teacher
- Counseling Center Director
- Assistant Professor
Is There Going to be Demand for Psychology Professors?
In the United States, there were 46,900 jobs for Psychology Professor in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 15.1% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 7,100 new jobs for Psychology Professor by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 4,500 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Psychology Professor are Utah, Colorado, and Missouri. Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, North Dakota, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Psychology Professors Salary
Psychology Professors make between $39,350 and $155,710 a year.
Psychology Professors who work in California, District of Columbia, or Connecticut, make the highest salaries.
How much do Psychology Professors make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $68,660 |
Alaska | $59,200 |
Arkansas | $64,360 |
California | $117,990 |
Colorado | $68,010 |
Connecticut | $88,070 |
District of Columbia | $109,060 |
Florida | $77,810 |
Georgia | $75,850 |
Hawaii | $65,850 |
Idaho | $88,970 |
Illinois | $87,880 |
Indiana | $85,580 |
Iowa | $92,430 |
Kansas | $81,530 |
Kentucky | $67,960 |
Maine | $73,000 |
Maryland | $87,850 |
Massachusetts | $97,690 |
Michigan | $92,000 |
Minnesota | $86,380 |
Mississippi | $71,880 |
Missouri | $83,520 |
Nebraska | $81,300 |
Nevada | $60,880 |
New Hampshire | $89,780 |
New Jersey | $99,670 |
New Mexico | $87,010 |
New York | $99,690 |
North Carolina | $77,700 |
North Dakota | $82,580 |
Ohio | $83,230 |
Oklahoma | $60,140 |
Oregon | $76,580 |
Pennsylvania | $89,300 |
Rhode Island | $93,080 |
South Carolina | $82,630 |
South Dakota | $75,910 |
Tennessee | $74,260 |
Texas | $78,270 |
Utah | $76,470 |
Virginia | $75,770 |
Washington | $68,420 |
West Virginia | $68,470 |
Wisconsin | $77,150 |
Wyoming | $68,110 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Psychology Professors
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Psychology Professors:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Word processing software
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- SAS
- Google Docs
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- R
- Minitab
- Blackboard
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Blackboard Learn
- Learning management system LMS
- Sakai CLE
Becoming a Psychology Professor
What education is needed to be a Psychology Professor?
How Long Does it Take to Become a Psychology Professor?
Who Employs Psychology Professors?
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Career changers with experience as a Psychology Professor sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: BruceBlaus via Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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