Psychology at North Carolina A & T State University

North Carolina A&T's psychology program produces starting salaries around $27,650—landing at the 40th percentile among North Carolina programs but just the 20th percentile nationally. To put that in perspective, graduates here earn about $4,000 less annually than the typical NC psychology graduate and nearly $6,000 below the top programs in the state. That gap widens by year four, when A&T grads reach $33,439 while peers at Elon or Wake Forest started higher than that and have pulled further ahead.

The debt burden of $27,000 roughly equals first-year earnings, creating a challenging financial start for graduates. While that's slightly above the national median for psychology programs, it's fairly typical for NC schools. The 21% earnings growth over four years shows graduates are gaining ground, but they're climbing from a lower baseline. For a family where the student receives financial aid (and half of students here do through Pell grants), this program provides access to a state university degree, though the earnings may require careful budgeting in those early years.

This program makes sense for students committed to psychology who value A&T's community and resources, but parents should expect their graduate to need either additional credentials or patience as earnings catch up to debt. Graduate school in counseling or related fields—where psychology degrees gain more earning power—might be part of the plan.