Career
Industrial-organizational psychologists
Apply psychology to hiring, teams and the workplace.
$193,950
Median pay
+6.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
300
Openings a year
Master's degree
Typical education
6 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection.
- Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.
- Analyze data, using statistical methods and applications, to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of workplace programs.
- Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion.
- Observe and interview workers to obtain information about the physical, mental, and educational requirements of jobs, as well as information about aspects such as job satisfaction.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then persuasion & leadership?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
6 years of education after high school (master's degree), for a median of $193,950 a year and 300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- PsychologySee the degree →
- Psychology, GeneralCIP 42.0101
- Industrial and Organizational PsychologyCIP 42.2804
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Training and Development Managers$133,000 · +6.4%
- Training and Development Specialists$69,280 · +10.8%
- Management Analysts$101,860 · +10.1%
- Human Resources Managers$149,280 · +5.5%
- Human Resources Specialists$75,940 · +6.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.