What makes a person tick? Psycholgy professionals improve lives by understanding people.
A Bachelor’s degree in Psychology can start you on numerous tracks to work in counseling, research, sales, marketing, or continue your education and perhaps even earn a doctorate in Psychology. If you continue your education in Psychology, you’ll likely be rewarded both in job satisfaction and financially. Demand for psychologists has been predicted to grow 19% between 2014-2024, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2016, the median pay for psychologists was $75,230 for Psychologists, and in 2014 BLS reported there were 173,900 people working in these roles.
If you’re interested, this list will give you a overview of what some fully online B.A. programs in Psychology entail, cost, plus their reputation in rankings. In the following programs, you’ll combine theoretical knowledge with applicable skills, and become versed in using the scientific method to analyze many aspects of human behavior and mental processes. Going back to school while dealing with adult responsibilities can seem prohibitive, but the following programs were chosen because they were designed to fit the schedules of working professionals.
The following schools were ranked based on affordability, flexibility, national rankings, special features, and their ability to deliver high quality undergraduate Psychology programs entirely online.
1) Oregon State University
OSU is a co-ed, public research university founded in 1868. It offers students access to 200 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees, and its approximately 30,000 students are the most of any school in Oregon, and the university maintains a 18:1 student to faculty ratio. OSU is a land grant school, and among its other prestigious qualifiers, OSU has been recognized as a sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant research school, making it one of only two American schools to qualify for all four criteria, and the only public university that has done so (Cornell is the only other school with all four designations). Its rankings reflect its rarity, and it placed between 151 to 200 in universities worldwide and 62-71 nationally in the 2016 edition of Academic Ranking of World Universities. U.S. News & World Report ranked Oregon State University tied for 143rd nationally and as the 71st public university in 2017.
OSU’s online B.A./B.S. in Psychology focuses on the why and how of human thought, behavior and emotion. It’s offered through OSU’s College of Liberal Arts, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation for best online liberal arts colleges. This program has attained accolades in its own right, and was labeled the sixth best online psychology bachelor degree in 2015 by “The Best Schools” and “Open Education Database.” It required 180 credits to graduate, and the cost is $288 per credit hour. 85% of OSU students receive financial aid. Topics covered include abnormal psychology, cognition, consciousness, behavior modification, health psychology and much more.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 280
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:N/A
2) Northeastern University
Northeastern University is a private research university that was founded in 1898 in Boston. Its motto is “Lux, Veritas, Virtus” (Light, Truth, Courage). It serves over 20,000 students, 73% of which receive financial aid. Northeastern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio. NU offers undergraduate and graduate programming at a sprawling campus in the Fenway-Kenmore, Roxbury, South End, and Back Bay neighborhoods of Boston, and exclusively offers graduate degrees at satellite campuses in Charlotte, North Carolina, Seattle, Washington and Silicon Valley, California. It’s been labeled a R1 institution for its doctoral research by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. In USNR’s 2018 rankings, NU was tied for 40th among National Universities.
Northeastern’s Bachelor of Science in Psychology covers topics including including social and abnormal psychology, sensory function, learning, memory, human development, emotion, motivation, and much more. This program is tailored to allow students to focus on areas of emphasis they hope to specialize in. Graduates will be prepared to continue their education in psychology, or perhaps begin careers in sales, teaching, research, advertising, public relations, or administration. Electives include Human Sexuality and Love, Learning, Personality, Motivation, and Physiological Psychology, among others. This program costs $378 per credit hour.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 378
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:N/A
3) Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays is one of the biggest state schools in Kansas. Over 14,500 students attend the school, with more than half doing so online. It has a 16:1 student-to-faculty ration. FHSU was founded in 1902, starting as an agricultural school. FHSU now is made up of four colleges: Business and Entrepreneurship, Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Education and Technology, and Health and Life Sciences. In total, Fort Hays’ has 30 departments, 60 undergraduate majors and 19 graduate programs. Students at FHSU receive great flexibility while earning certificates, Associates, Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees. There are 30 degrees offered completely online, serving students in over 27 countries. Its known for the affordability of its online programs.
FHSU offers a completely online B.A. and B.S. in Psychology. The two have slightly different curriculum requirements, and the B.S. is recommended for students looking to go to grad school after earning this degree. The B.A. requires 10 hours of foreign language. Tuition is $194 per credit hour. Interesting electives include Drugs & Behavior, Forensic Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Adolescence, and Psychology of Aging. GetEducated.com recently named this degree a “Best Buy.”
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 194
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:BA and BS Programs
4) Arizona State University
Arizona State University is one of the largest public higher education institutions in the country. It served approximately 72,000 students in fall 2016, with almost 59,000 undergraduates and over 13,000 graduate students (18:1 student-to-faculty ratio). It was established in 1885. USNR’s 2018 rankings named ASU No. 1 among the Most Innovative Schools in America. It was the third year in a row that they received the distinction. Some of ASU Online bachelor’s degrees include art history, business, film, and justice studies. It also offers master’s degrees in legal studies, nutrition, English, electrical engineering, as well as doctoral degrees in behavioral health and leadership and innovation. Its online resources include enrollment counselors, academic advisers, and success coaches. ASU Online gives students six start dates each year.
ASU’s online B.A. in Psychology will build students critical thinking, quantitative and qualitative research skills, as well as their ability to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Classes run at the accelerated rate of 7.5 weeks each, and the program requires 40 total classes. The cost of this program is $490 per credit hour. 96% of ASU students receive financial aid. Featured courses include Memory and Cognition, Psychology of Gender and Health Psychology. Topics covered include clinical psychology, cognitive systems, behavioral neuroscience, cross-cultural, developmental, organizational, and social psychology, and law psychology. The next start for this program is in January 2018.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 490
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:Accelerated courses
5) University College, Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university headquartered near Los Angeles in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899. APU offers more than 100 associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs on campus, online, and at seven California locations. University College, the San Dimas campus, has just over 1,600 students, and a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. In 2017, USNR ranked Azusa at 183 on their Best National Universities list. APU has had excellent success with Fulbright, especially considering the size of the school. In 2016-17, three students and one faculty member were named Fulbright scholars in 2016-17. Since 2003, 12 APU faculty members and 35 students have received the distinction.
APU’s B.A. in Psychology online promises to give students practical skills and approaches coupled with a Christian worldview. The cost per credit hour is $400 for the 1-200 levels, and $450 at the 3-400 levels. APU estimates the total cost for the program at $51,000. 43% of APU students receive financial aid. Students can focus on an area of emphasis within this program, and options include Applied Pastoral Counseling, Business Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Criminal Behavior, Cultural Psychology, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, Health Care Management, Human Resource Management, and Human Services, an unusual amount of emphasis choices. Students will take 60 general studies credits, and 60 credits in their major.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 425
- Flexibility-enhancing Features: Number of emphasis areas
6) UMass Lowell, Division of Online and Continuing Education
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public research university with just under 18,000 students, with a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. It offers 122 bachelor’s, 43 master’s and 36 doctoral degree programs. U.S. News & World Report ranks UMass Lowell at 152 among top-tier National Universities list in 2016. It’s one of only six schools to rank higher on that list each year since 2010. It gained 27-spots in the past five years, second-fastest in the nation. USNR also ranked UMass Lowell 78th among top public universities and second in the state. Forbes rated UMass Lowell the 10th best value among all universities and colleges nationwide in 2013, and fourth in value among non-military academies.
UMass Lowell’s Bachelor of Arts in Psychology gives students a theoretical education in experimental, developmental, social, personality, and clinical psychology, complimented by its application and tangible skills dealing with human functioning. There are 120 total credits required for this degree. The cost is $375 per credit hour. 89% of UMass Lowell students receive financial aid. Standout electives include Brain, Mind & Behavior, Sensation and Perception, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Psychology and Women, Intro to Disability Studies, among many others. This program is built in a delivery method ideal for working professionals. This program was ranked as a Top Online Bachelor’s Program by USNR, and was ranked 11th by thebestschools.org on their Top 20 Online Psychology Degrees list.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 375
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:N/A
7) Florida International University
FIU is a public research university headquartered in Miami. The school serves just over 55,000 students, just over 39,000 of which in its undergraduate programs. It has a 27:1 student-to-faculty ratio. FIU’s large catalog includes 191 programs of study with more than 280 majors in 23 colleges and schools. Florida International University was named the #7 college in the United States by the Social Mobility Index college rankings in 2015. In 2010, FIU was listed as one of 16 universities with the toughest grading system nationally. U.S. News & World Report found that FIU students are among the least indebted college students in the nation, and called it a “best buy” in higher education. It also has a unique honors program for online students.
Florida International University offers a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology that can be fully completed online.This program requires 120 credits, and costs $212.71 for in-state students and $329.77 for out-of-state students per credit. Programs start three times a year (Fall, Spring and Summer). FIU serves approximately 2,400 undergraduate psychology majors. Graduates will be prepared for a variety of careers, including social services, human resources, statistical analysis, or continue their education at the graduate level. Students can select an elective in 5 distinct specialty areas including Cognitive & Neuroscience (standouts include Animal Cognition and Memory & Memory Improvement), Social (Attitudes & Social Behavior, Social & Personality Development), Applied (Intro to Community Psychology, Introduction to the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Legal Psychology), Clinical/Personality (Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Health & Illness), Developmental (Psychology of Adulthood, Adolescence and Aging).
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 329
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:N/A
8) Penn State World Campus
Penn State World Campus was founded in 1998, as the longstanding state school’s online division. Over 13,000 students attend the World Campus, which offers a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio, which is uncommonly low for a school of its size. The World Campus offers 120 online undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs in partnership with Penn State academic programming. Penn State has a long history of delivering distance education. In 1892 Penn State began offering farmers access to its classes through correspondence. Then, over a hundred years later, it created the World Campus following a decade of experimentation in which Professor Michael G Moore created and taught some of the world’s first online courses, educating students in Mexico, Europe and America. Upon graduation from the World Campus, students can attend the Penn State graduation ceremony, and receive the exact same degree as on campus students. Some World Campus programs require students to take proctored exams at predetermined locations, and others require live video chat participation.
The World Campus offers undergraduate Psychology aimed at refining students analytical skills. Students can choose between a B.A. or B.S. format. The B.S. has two options, Life Sciences or Business. Life Sciences relates more to anthropology, biology, and biobehavioral health, and is for people looking to continue on to grad school. Business is for students looking to work in corporate or organizational spaces in psychology, or leadership. The B.A. program is more a general education in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Students in this program have more flexibility to either work in caregiving, social work, education, or other careers, or to study further in grad school. Tuition is $555-596 per credit hour. 85% of students receive financial aid.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 596
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:BA and BS Programs
9) University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota is the state’s oldest school. In fact it predates the state it self. UND was founded in 1883, six years before the state was founded. It has over 14,600 students, and a 21:1 student-to-faculty ratio. UND offers students access to 224 fields of study, with 90 undergraduate majors, 73 undergraduate minors, 54 master’s programs, 27 doctoral programs, two professional programs (medicine and law), and a specialist diploma program in educational leadership. It also has an interdisciplinary program allowing students to earn a degree in a customized course of study. Its online program has received consistent high marks from USNR, has ranked highly as a military-friendly online school.
UND’s B.A. in Psychology requires 125 credits, and takes 4+ years to complete. It includes a virtual classroom with “live” web discussions, and in-state tuition no matter where students are located. Tuition is $332 per credit hour. 90% of UND students receive financial aid. Topics covered include include a basis in human and animal behavior, the science of Psychology, motivation, physiological bases of behavior, learning and cognition, personality, deviant behavior and human development. Students will leave with a greater ability to study, explain, critique or adapt behavior, and a basis of understanding on how psychology is applied to society and everyday life.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 332
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:N/A
10) Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public, land-granted University. It was founded in 1870 and has been thriving at delivering high quality, accessible education to Colorado residents and now, the world. By 2020 CSU predicts they will serve 35,000 students, and currently enroll nearly 32,000. CSU has an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The school gives students access to 13 bachelor’s degree programs and 19 bachelor’s degree specializations, which allow students to easily combine credits earned from other sources to complete their degree. Additionally, Colorado State University offers 11 master’s degrees with 20 specializations. In the 2015 edition, U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” put CSU at #121 among public and private national universities and 58th among public universities.
CSU offers a B.S. in Psychology online. No matter what their goals, graduates of this program will expand their abilities in written communication, oral communication, analytical thinking, critical thinking, cooperation and teamwork. This program serves as a strong basis in scientific and liberal arts education, leaving career or educational tracks This program shouldn’t be confused with programs offered by CSU Global. This program requires 120 credits, and costs $462 per credit hour. 78% of students receive financial aid. This program encourages peer interaction. The average class size is 21 students, and the program includes discussion forums, chat, and video conferencing.
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- Out-of-State Tuition Per Credit: 419
- Flexibility-enhancing Features:N/A