What is the salary for Research in Psychology

[lightthecandle]

I've searched online, and EVERYWHERE, and I couldn't find a website or a stat that states how much money is given to people who do Psychological Research per year. If anyone would be able to tell me, that'd be great.

Also, how difficult is it to get a Ph.D. in Psychology, as in how many hours a day would I have to put in.

thanks so much!!

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[KillerDiller]

I attended a session at the APA conference last week on starting salaries in psychology and I think (someone please refresh my memory if I am wrong) that the median starting salary for psychological researchers was somewhere around 60K for the first few years, going up after that commensurate with experience. Note, however, that these are researchers in private and medical settings, not in academia. If you're looking at working in a university setting as a professor, the numbers are different.

Earning a Ph.D in psychology is incredibly difficult. Most schools do not allow students to go part-time, so most students spend around 8-10 hours a day on their duties on average. I seem to have booked myself pretty solidly this semester during the week from about 8am to 7pm each night and that doesn't include any work I do outside of school or outside of my practicum.

 

[erg923]

I've searched online, and EVERYWHERE, and I couldn't find a website or a stat that states how much money is given to people who do Psychological Research per year. If anyone would be able to tell me, that'd be great.

Also, how difficult is it to get a Ph.D. in Psychology, as in how many hours a day would I have to put in.

thanks so much!!

Well, first, define what you measn by "people doing psychological research" Who do you mean? Ph.D. level researchers/scientists or bachelor level RAs? PIs or study cordinators? What type of research; basic lab and experimental type research or clinical research? Pay will vary wildly depending on the setting (psychology department, medical school, independent labs, other) and your academic appointment/tenure status (i.e., associate, assistant, full professor), and the size and type of university. Starting may be around 50-70k. Might pull in more if you have R-01s or other large grants and external funding.

Ph.D programs in clinical psych are ENORMOUSLY competitive, with the average clinical program receiving 150+ applicantions per year for 10 spots. So its usually a 5-10 percent acceptance rate. Experimental branches (i.e., social, cognitive, etc) tend to be less competitive than clinical. Hours are largely up to you, but if you wanna hack it and be competitive, expect 8-12 hour days through the week, some reading every night, and at least one weekend dedicated to things as well.

 

[Ollie123]

I've searched online, and EVERYWHERE, and I couldn't find a website or a stat that states how much money is given to people who do Psychological Research per year. If anyone would be able to tell me, that'd be great.

Also, how difficult is it to get a Ph.D. in Psychology, as in how many hours a day would I have to put in.

thanks so much!!

Going to have to be wayyyyy more specific than "People who do psychological research". Are you talking about professors? In what area of psychology? In what department? Are you talking about post-BA research assistants? Independent investigators, or PhD level research support staff (Project directors and the like).

"How difficult" is also tough to answer. Depends on the program, your advisor, and yourself.

I don't know anyone doing less than 40 hours a week. That's usually a very hectic 40 hours. Some people get a ton done in those 40 hours. I've seen others work 60+ and get very little done. Some work 60+ and get several tons done

There's no equation to figure out how much you'll have to work. We don't know how efficient you are, we don't know if you are the type to take on extra work or do the bare minimum, etc.

Of course, the two questions are somewhat related. Generally speaking, loftier career goals = better pay, but require you work more hours.