Bachelor of Science in Psychology

A BS in Psychology is a Bachelor's in Sciences Degree with a major in Psychology. For a BS, emphasis is generally on General Education and the Sciences, in addition to Psychology. There are many human service jobs that require a BS, or a BA, in Psychology or a related field. The BS in Psychology is considered a paraprofessional degree. Yet, there are some professional positions filled by people with BS in Psychology Degrees. For example, you may choose to work in a setting where the BS, or a BA, is the highest degree required. There are also organizations where BS level personnel are supervised by people with masters or doctoral degrees. In the latter, there are often pay, role and autonomy differences in the workplace between employees with undergraduate degrees -- like the AS, BS, AA and BA -- and graduate degrees.

Since the BS requires greater emphasis on the sciences, it will better prepare you for an entry-level research job than will a BA. It also transfers more easily than a BA to a higher science degree. This doesn’t mean you can’t transfer to an arts degree to a higher degree in the sciences, but you would very likely need to take additional science courses before admission to a science program.

Accredited Online Associate’s Degree in Psychology

An Associate’s Degree in Psychology may also be earned through an accredited online education program, some of which are through colleges and universities.

The other questions to answer, follow:


• Is the program offered through a known community college, four-year college, university or well-recognized online education institution? (If it is, that's some assurance that the quality of the program will be good.)
• What are the faculty qualifications listed on the web site or in materials you order from the web site or by phone? (Look for at least Master's level educated instructors, where their degrees were earned and years of teaching experience. You might also want to see if any of the faculty specialize, or have experience in, a particular aspect of Psychology that interests you.)
• Does the curriculum look similar to other programs' curricula and make sense to you?
• Does the program require a high school degree or equivalency? (Credible Associate degree programs require a high school degree or equivalency, unless it's a special program designed for earning the high school equivalency or otherwise gaining the knowledge and skills of high school equivalency while completing the Associate program.)
• Is there a trial version of a course on the web site so that you can test the ease of online participation or are you already familiar with the program they use for online participation? (If you aren't familiar with it, then test the trial version. If there is no trial version, email or call them and ask for a trial version.)
• Is the cost of the program comparable to other programs you're considering, and if not, does the quality appear to be less or better than those of of other programs enough to justify the cost difference? (You might also want to think about how credible your degree will look on your resume if it's from one institution as compared to another.)
Some colleges and universities offer a combination, or choices, of on-campus and online courses that can be applied towards an Associate Degree in Psychology. There are pros and cons to taking both online and on-campus courses. These include the possible rewards and enhanced learning through development of strong relationships with faculty and other students when taking courses on campus, and the convenience of not having to appear on campus for classes when taking courses online.

How Long Does It Take to Complete An Associate’s Degree?

An Associate’s Degree usually requires four semesters or six quarters of full-time study; approximately two school years. Programs vary in how long they allow a part-time student to earn the degree. An Associate’s Degree in Psychology may be earned at a community college, four- year college or university, depending on the institution. Some colleges and universities offer Psychology Degree programs and some don't.

Combing Psychology Degrees

As mentioned, there are many kinds of Psychology too, including; Sports, Abnormal, Biological, Forensic, School, Human Factors, Physiological, Art, Educational Psychology and more. Luckily, students don’t have to choose a discipline until they’ve become familiar with what each kind entails. At the Associate’s, Bachelor’s and even somewhat at the Master’s level in many programs, a cross-section of courses are required and offered. These provide students with an orientation to the kinds of Psychology from which they can choose and the chance to explore the kinds of Psychology they’re interested in before making a commitment to one or two. As students progress to the Master’s and Doctorate’s levels in Psychology and choose the kind they’ll major in, the focus narrows to provide more in-depth study. Only a person with a doctorate in Psychology is called a Psychologist.

Completing Your Bachelor's Degree in Psychology

Most courses you take for an AA or AS will transfer towards a Bachelor's Degree. Whether you choose a Bachelor's Degree in Arts (BA) or a Bachelor's Degree in Science (BS) should depend on three primary factors: 1) your career goals; 2) whether you're more oriented towards the arts or the sciences; and 3) any plan you may have for a certain Master's or Doctoral Degree.

If you've already earned an AA or AS and then want to change from Arts to Sciences, or Sciences to Arts, for your Bachelor's, you may need to consider the time and effort you'll need to invest in taking extra courses before and after acceptance into your preferred BA or BS program. In the long run, though, a few extra courses should never mean the difference between choosing your ideal education and career goals or not. What may seem like a frustrating delay to you now is likely to seem inconsequential in hindsight, especially after you've taken dozens of more courses for your Bachelor's and/or Master's Degrees. Remember that the point of education is really to gain as much knowledge and as many skills as you can.

Working with a Psychology Associate's Degree

There are human service jobs where you can use an Associate's Degree in Psychology, depending on the job market where you will live and hope to work. Some of these might be; teacher's aide, case management aide, family support aide, residential case manager, government benefits case worker, teen mentor, childcare worker and other possibilities. These are usually entry-level positions, although with experience there might be opportunity to advance in some organizations. This will depend on the organization and the work.

Some people with Associate's Degrees work in resource referral positions, in human resources, in development (fund raising and grant writing, as examples) and in grass roots campaigning, political action and organizing capacities. Some people with Associate's Degrees work in hospital, human services and education reception and admissions positions. They may also work as testing assistants, training assistants, psychiatric hospital technicians and in any number of other capacities where psychology can be put to practical use.

Again, check with a college-based or other career counselor, do your own job market survey, as described under, "Degrees for Counseling and Therapy," and look at job market projections for health, education and human services sectors. You may want and need to work in one of these jobs while you continue your education towards another degree, perhaps a Bachelor's, a Master's and even a Doctorate in Psychology. Many professionals start out with an Associate's Degree in Psychology.

The Master’s in Arts (MA) in Psychology

A Master’s in Arts (MA) in Psychology is a Master’s Degree in Arts with a major in Psychology. This is considered a professional level degree and usually takes one or two full-time school years to complete; two to four semesters or three to six quarters, depending on the program. A prior Bachelor’s Degree is normally required as a prerequisite to a Master’s Degree program. If the Bachelor’s Degree wasn’t in Psychology, then at least certain courses in Psychology are required for admission to a Psychology Masters program.

BA vs. BS in Psychology

It depends on what higher degree program you choose. A Bachelor’s in Arts Degree in Psychology can be applied towards a Master’s of Arts Degree in Psychology, and also to some other related Arts Degree programs. A BA in Psychology is most likely to transfer without taking any or many further courses before admission to a Master’s in Arts Degree in Psychology, or maybe a Master's in Psychology (MPsy) program. Other courses will probably be required before admission to a Masters in Arts program in a related or different field. Applying a BA in Psychology towards an MS in Psychology or another sciences program would require, most likely and at least, more science coursework.

Jobs in Research Psychology

Consider private and public organizations, such as government departments responsible for meeting human needs, hospitals, large human service agencies and policy-making entities to discover the kinds of positions that exist in Research Psychology. Also check with a college-based or other professional career counselors for this information. Professors who teach Research Psychology are a good source of this information too.

AA in Psychology

An AA in Psychology is an Associate in Arts Degree with a major in Psychology. Students working towards an AA in Psychology must usually take the basic courses required for any Associate's Degree, such as one or more English courses and perhaps one or more Science, Math, History or Foreign Language courses. They are also required to complete certain Humanities and Psychology courses, some of which may be taken as electives.

The Master’s in Science (MS) in Psychology

A Master’s in Sciences (MS) in Psychology is a Master’s Degree in Sciences with a major in Psychology. This is also considered a professional level degree and usually takes one or two full-time school years to complete; two to four semesters or three to six quarters, depending on the program. Again, a Bachelor’s Degree is normally required as a prerequisite to a Master’s Degree program. If the Bachelor’s Degree wasn’t in Psychology, then at least certain courses in Psychology are required before admission to a Psychology Masters program.

Choosing Your Psychology College

Where you go to school for your first Psychology Degree will probably depend on several factors. Where you go to school for a graduate or doctoral degree will matter more, though. You may decide to get an Associates Degree and go to a community college for it, or go to a community college before going on to a four-year college or university for a Bachelor's Degree. You can also choose to go into a four-year college or university without attending a community college if you meet the admissions criteria. There may be some potential pros and cons of attending a community college first and we'll discuss some of those in the next section. You may choose a private or state college or university. At this beginning level, and if you plan to or think you might continue on with your psychology education, you needn't consider whether the courses fit exactly what you think you'll need for your career. However, you might need to look at; financial aid options, your costs, campus housing, location, the range and types of Psychology courses offered, the quality and reputation of the school if you think you might want to continue on into graduate school, classroom sizes, availability and quality of instructors, internship opportunities, job placement services, the size of the school, whether you can meet the admissions criteria and other considerations.These may all be important variables in choosing a graduate school or doctoral program too, but by the time you're ready for either of those, you'll know more clearly what you want to do in the field, where and with whom. At these levels, you'll have more of such choices to make from more specific options.