Frequently Asked Questions

I.                   Information about psychology’s workforce

1.    What data does CPWAR collect and report on APA members?

2.      How do I find information regarding salaries in psychology?

3.      How do I find employment data for psychologists?

4.      Do you have any information on medical school psychologists?

5.      How many clinically trained psychologists are there in the United States ?

6.      How many psychologists are there worldwide?

II.                Information about education and the psychology educational pipeline

1.      How long does it take to complete a doctoral degree in psychology?

2.      How many undergraduates in the United States enroll in a psychology course each year?

3.      What percentage of undergraduate psychology majors continue on to earn graduate degrees in psychology?

4.      What percentage of psychology doctorates has baccalaureate degrees in psychology?

5.      What is the typical amount of debt for a doctorate recipient?

6.      How many ethnic minorities are enrolled in graduate psychology programs?

7.      What information is available on gender and ethnic diversity within graduate psychology programs?

8.      What do I need to know about debt, salary, and career trends in psychology?

9.      Where can I find information about psychology internships and the APPIC Internship Matching Program?

III.             Other FAQ

1.      What are the policies for obtaining mailing labels and how do I order labels?

2.      I have a legal question.

IV.              Commonly requested APA resources

1.      What are APA’s positions on particular issues?

2.      Where can I find information on becoming a psychologist?

3.      How do I find a psychologist in my area?

4.      Where can I find information on a particular mental health issue?

5.     How do I find a journal, book, or publication?

6.      What is APA style and how do I obtain guidance on its use?

7.      Does APA have a position on the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment during interrogations?

8.      How do I access APA archival materials?

9.      I need resources and information on building my professional practice.

10.      I have a question about becoming licensed.

11.      I need help with doing library research.

12.      How do I contact my state/provincial psychological association?

13.      Where do I find information about APA Divisions?

14.      I have questions regarding continuing education in psychology.

15.      What is APA accreditation?

V.              For Further Information  

1.     National Science Foundation (NSF)

2.      National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

3.      Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

4.      Council of Graduate Schools

5.     Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

6.      National Institutes of Health (NIH)

7.      State Governments

8.      Institute of International Education (IIE)

I.                   Information about psychology’s workforce

1.                  What data does CPWAR collect and report on APA members?

CPWAR reports demographic, education, employment, and membership characteristics (APA division affiliation) by APA membership status: Associate, Member, or Fellow. Current major fields are also reported by membership status. Estimates of how many psychologists are APA members are also provided.

http://research.apa.org/members.html

2.                  How do I find information regarding salaries in psychology?

CPWAR surveys randomly selected APA members to gather data on salaries of psychologists across numerous positions and work settings in academic and non-academic careers. Median full-time salaries and starting salaries for doctoral-level psychologists and starting salaries for masters degree recipients by employment positions are reported biennially. Faculty salaries in graduate departments of psychology are reported annually.

http://research.apa.org/salarydataall.html

3.                  How do I find employment data for psychologists?

General employment data are reported by degree level: baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral. These data are gathered from numerous sources so viewers are cautioned to incorporate all caveats and notes from tables and graphs into their analyses. CPWAR research includes PhD, PsyD, and EdD degree recipients unless noted otherwise.

http://research.apa.org/employmentdata.html

Employment data for psychology degree recipients of all levels are also reported by the National Science Foundation: www.nsf.gov/statistics

4.                  Do you have any information on medical school psychologists?

The 2003 Medical School / Academic Medical Center Psychologists Employment Survey was a collaborative effort between The American Psychological Association’s (APA) Research Office and the Association of Medical School Psychologists’ (AMSP) Executive Committee. http://research.apa.org/amsp/2003/index.html

5.                  How many clinically trained psychologists are there in the United States?

CPWAR estimates that there are 93,000 clinically trained psychologists in the United States. Licensed psychologists totaled approximately 85,000 in 2004. Graduations average 4,000-5,000 per year and approximately 2,700 of those are in health service provider fields, resulting in an additional 8,100 clinically trained. 

6.                  How many psychologists are their worldwide?

Please contact the APA International Affairs Office, http://www.apa.org/international/

II.                Information about education and the psychology educational pipeline

1.                  How long does it take to complete a doctoral degree in psychology?

CPWAR collects data pertaining to time to degree through the biennial Doctoral Employment Survey. http://research.apa.org/des05.html Also, the National Science Foundation reports time to degree for PhDs in psychology.Some measurements take into account the time from initial enrollment in graduate study to degree completion; others measure time from receipt of baccalaureate degree to completion of the graduate degree.

2.                  How many undergraduates in the United States enroll in a psychology course each year?

It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million undergraduate students complete an introductory or general psychology course each year. (See Cush, D. T., & Buskist, W. (1997). Future of introductory psychology textbook: A survey. Teaching of Psychology, 24, 119–122).

3.                  What percentage of undergraduate psychology majors continue on to earn graduate degrees in psychology?

CPWAR estimates that 25% of psychology baccalaureate recipients continue into graduate study in psychology (approximately 4-6% doctoral; 20-22% masters).  This estimate accounts for field switching and is based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/

4.                  What percentage of psychology doctorates has baccalaureate degrees in psychology?

The most recent statistics, from 1995-1999, indicate that 70% of students who receive doctorates in psychology obtained baccalaureate degrees in the same field. These data come from the National Science Foundation’s U.S. Doctorates in the 20th Century. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf06319/tables/tt04-01.htm.

5.                  What is the typical amount of debt for a doctorate recipient?

The biennial Doctorate Employment Survey addresses indebtedness for recently graduated doctorate recipients. http://research.apa.org/des05.html#debt In general, 69% of 2005 doctorate recipients reported some debt upon graduation. Levels of debt varied by subfield and type of doctorate degree.

6.                  How many ethnic minorities are enrolled in graduate psychology programs?

Please view tables from the 2008 Graduate Study in Psychology series. For newly enrolled students: http://research.apa.org/doctoraled15.html

For all enrolled students: http://research.apa.org/doctoraled16.html

 

7.                  What information is available on gender and ethnic diversity within graduate psychology programs?

The National Science Foundation’s Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering series offers detailed statistical tables and reports for download. Tables and figures are updated regularly. A comprehensive report is released every two years. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/

8.                  What do I need to know about debt, salary, and career trends in psychology?

CPWAR presents information relevant to psychology’s workforce and educational pipeline at annual conferences of regional psychological associations as well as the APA Annual Convention. Participants at these sessions are provided a detailed overview of how debt and salary impact career opportunities. Please view CPWAR’s current presentations: http://research.apa.org/presentations.html

9.                  Where can I find information about psychology internships and the APPIC Internship Matching Program?

http://www.appic.org/

III.             Other FAQ

1.                  What are the policies for obtaining mailing labels and how do I order labels?

CPWAR reviews and approves all proposals to conduct research using APA members, as well as all requests for mailing labels of undergraduate and graduate departments of psychology. The link below describes the policies and procedures for mailing labels in greater detail:

http://research.apa.org/orderlabels.html

2.                  I have a legal question.

CPWAR staff is not licensed to practice law and cannot provide legal advice. Those seeking legal advice are advised to consult with a private attorney in your state.

IV.              Commonly requested APA resources

CPWAR collects, analyzes, and disseminates information relevant to psychology's workforce and education pipeline. For your convenience, links to other commonly requested APA resources are provided below:

1.                  What are APA’s positions on particular issues?

http://www.apa.org/releases/

2.                  Where can I find information on becoming a psychologist?

http://www.apa.org/topics/psychologycareer.html

3.                  How do I find a psychologist in my area?

http://locator.apa.org/ or call 1-800-964-2000

4.                  Where can I find information on a particular mental health issue?

http://www.apa.org/topics/

5.                  How do I find a journal, book, or publication?

http://www.apa.org/publications/

6.                  What is APA style and how do I obtain guidance on its use?

http://www.apa.org/publications/

7.                  Does APA have a position on the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment during interrogations?

http://www.apa.org/releases/faqinterrogation.html

8.                  How do I access APA archival materials?

http://www.apa.org/archives/

9.                  I need resources and information on building my professional practice.

http://www.apa.org/practice/prof.html

10.              I have a question about becoming licensed.

www.asppb.org
or contact the state psychology licensing board(s) directly.

11.              I need help with doing library research.

http://www.apa.org/science/lib.html

12.              How do I contact my state/provincial psychological association?

http://www.apa.org/practice/refer.html or www.asppb.org

13.              Where do I find information about APA Divisions?

http://www.apa.org/about/division.html

14.              I have questions regarding continuing education in psychology.

http://www.apa.org/ce/

15.              What is APA accreditation?

http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/accrfaq.html

V.              For Further Information

The resources listed below provide additional information pertaining to psychology’s workforce and educational pipeline. CPWAR relies on these sources to complement and enhance workforce analyses and survey research.

1.                  National Science Foundation (NSF): www.nsf.gov/statistics

Data gathered from individuals and institutions and high response rates ensure high quality of data for baccalaureate, masters, and PhD recipients. Generally, NSF is not a good source of data for PsyDs but research EdD recipients are included in some analyses.

2.                  National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): www.nces.ed.gov

NCES data are gathered from institutions and are useful for understanding general degree fields in psychology.

3.                  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): www.bls.gov

BLS data are self-reported by employers and useful for understanding overall employment/labor force trends. However, data do not accurately reflect the complexities of Psychology as a field and do no classify respondents by degree level. (APA considers the doctoral degree the minimum requirement necessary for professional practice).

4.                  Council of Graduate Schools: www.cgsnet.org

Data are gathered from institutions and four regional graduate school associations and are useful for understanding trends in graduate education. However, information is not broken down specifically for psychology.

5.                  Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): www.samhsa.gov

SAMHSA counts psychologists working in organized health care settings.

6.                  National Institutes of Health (NIH): www.nih.gov

NIH tracks psychologists involved in research including types of federal grants received by scientists.

7.                  State Governments

Most state governments count psychologists and psychological technicians or assistants working in state/county/municipal/public school facilities. For a complete understanding of the qualifications needed to practice in a particular state as a psychologist or as a psychological technician or assistant in public facilities, please visit the state psychology board websites directly.

8.                  Institute of International Education (IIE)

The IIE has conducted an annual census of international students in the United States since 1919. With support from Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, Open Doors Report 2007 http://opendoors.iienetwork.org contains detailed statistical tables and analyses of international students in the United States .