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Organizational psychologist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an organizational psychologist. Organizational psychologists usually study psychology, business, or counseling psychology. 68% of organizational psychologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 48 real organizational psychologist resumes to see exactly what organizational psychologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for organizational psychologists are the Northern Michigan University and the Northern Michigan University.

There are also many online organizational psychologist courses to help get the education required to be an organizational psychologist.

What education do you need to become an organizational psychologist?

What degree do you need to be an organizational psychologist?

The most common degree for organizational psychologists is bachelor's degree, with 68% of organizational psychologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 21%
  • Doctorate, 8%
  • Associate, 3%

What should I major in to become an organizational psychologist?

You should major in psychology to become an organizational psychologist. 42% of organizational psychologists major in psychology. Other common majors for an organizational psychologist include business and counseling psychology.

Most common colleges for organizational psychologists

Organizational psychologists often get their degrees at Northern Michigan University, Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico, and Capella University. Here are the most common colleges for organizational psychologists in the US based on their resumes.
Organizational psychologist common collegePercentages
Northern Michigan University14.29%
Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico9.52%
Capella University4.76%
Central Michigan University4.76%
Bradley University4.76%

Best majors for organizational psychologists

Best colleges for organizational psychologists

The best colleges for organizational psychologists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University.

An organizational psychologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for organizational psychologists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become organizational psychologists.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

2. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

20 best online courses for organizational psychologists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for organizational psychologists

The most affordable schools for organizational psychologists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for organizational psychologists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for organizational psychologists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for organizational psychologists

The hardest universities for organizational psychologists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for organizational psychologists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for organizational psychologists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for organizational psychologists

The easiest schools for organizational psychologists to get into are Barry University, felician university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an organizational psychologist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for organizational psychologists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average organizational psychologist salary by education level

According to our data, organizational psychologists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $95,055 annually. Organizational psychologists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $74,860.
Organizational psychologist education levelOrganizational psychologist salary
Master's Degree$74,860
Doctorate Degree$95,055

Organizational psychologist education FAQs

Search for organizational psychologist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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