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Psychology department chairperson education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a psychology department chairperson. Psychology department chairpeople usually study psychology, counseling psychology, or athletic training. 61% of psychology department chairpeople hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 60 real psychology department chairperson resumes to see exactly what psychology department chairperson education sections show.

The most common colleges for psychology department chairpeople are the Walden University and the Walden University.

There are also many online psychology department chairperson courses to help get the education required to be a psychology department chairperson.

What education do you need to become a psychology department chairperson?

What degree do you need to be a psychology department chairperson?

The most common degree for psychology department chairpeople is bachelor's degree, with 61% of psychology department chairpeople earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 18% and doctoral degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Doctorate, 18%
  • Master's, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a psychology department chairperson?

You should major in psychology to become a psychology department chairperson. 54% of psychology department chairpeople major in psychology. Other common majors for a psychology department chairperson include counseling psychology and athletic training.

Most common colleges for psychology department chairpeople

Psychology department chairpeople often get their degrees at Walden University, Weber State University, and Meredith College. Here are the most common colleges for psychology department chairpeople in the US based on their resumes.
Psychology department chairperson common collegePercentages
Walden University9.09%
Weber State University9.09%
Meredith College4.55%
Sarah Lawrence College4.55%
Adelphi University4.55%

Best majors for psychology department chairpeople

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology53.8%
2Counseling Psychology5.8%
3Athletic Training3.8%
4Management3.8%
5Education3.8%

Best colleges for psychology department chairpeople

The best colleges for psychology department chairpeople are Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University.

A psychology department chairperson with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for psychology department chairpeople. 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 psychology department chairpeople.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

20 best online courses for psychology department chairpeople

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Top 10 most affordable universities for psychology department chairpeople

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

If the best universities for psychology department chairpeople 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 psychology department chairpeople.

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. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for psychology department chairpeople

The hardest universities for psychology department chairpeople to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for psychology department chairpeople 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 psychology department chairpeople 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for psychology department chairpeople

The easiest schools for psychology department chairpeople to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, felician university, and life university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a psychology department chairperson 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 psychology department chairpeople.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average psychology department chairperson salary by education level

According to our data, psychology department chairpeople with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $128,827 annually. Psychology department chairpeople with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $100,891.
Psychology department chairperson education levelPsychology department chairperson salary
Master's Degree$100,891
Doctorate Degree$128,827

Psychology department chairperson education FAQs

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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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