Research and Experimental Psychology at Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins produces exceptional earnings outcomes for experimental psychology graduates—nearly $50,000 in the first year places this program in the 95th percentile nationally. That's $15,000 above the national median and roughly $7,000 above Maryland's state median for the field. The debt picture is equally impressive: at $14,500, graduates carry about one-third less debt than typical psychology research majors.

The caveat matters here: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual career paths can skew the numbers significantly at an elite institution like Hopkins. Still, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.30 suggests graduates manage their loans comfortably, paying less than four months' salary in total debt. For context, Maryland has only three programs in this specialty, and Hopkins handily outperforms the state's other option with reported data.

For families who can navigate Hopkins' competitive admissions (8% acceptance rate), this represents a solid investment in a niche psychology track. The combination of manageable debt and strong early earnings suggests graduates either leverage Hopkins' research prestige effectively or pivot into adjacent careers that value the analytical training. Just recognize that with such a small sample, your student's outcome could vary considerably from these medians.