The Most Affordable Online Bachelor’s In Psychology
Psychology careers span a wide variety of sectors and fields. Students who have earned an online Bachelor’s in Psychology degree can find rewarding careers in criminal justice, mental health, business, and education, among others. The Bureau of Labor Statistics statisticians reports that the job growth outlook for those who have earned a psychology degree online is about 3% through 2029, which is as fast as all other occupations combined.
What Are Some Online Degrees In Psychology That Prepare Graduates?
- Community Service Managers – a psychology degree online can prepare you for a career organizing and coordinating community service programs.
- Human Resources Specialists – earning one of the many online degrees for psychology can prepare grads for work assisting in a company’s recruiting processes.
- Market Research Analysts – market research analysts seek to understand human behavior and how it influences the bottom-line of any business, which is an ideal fit for those who have a degree online in psychology.
- Sales Managers – Sales managers are tasked with managing (hiring, training, & motivating) sales representatives, which requires an understanding of human behavior.
- School Guidance Counselors/Career Advisors – earning an online Bachelor’s in Psychology degree prepares students to work with young adults in school settings, often advising career and education decisions.
- Teachers – a degree online in psychology can prepare graduates to work as a teacher in a private school or public school after obtaining a teaching license.
- Substance Abuse/Behavioral Counselors – providing treatment and advice to those who suffer from an addiction or mental/behavior issue is an excellent fit for those with a degree online in psychology.
Methodology
This ranking list of the most affordable online bachelors in psychology is a consensus ranking, which combines information from IPEDS and Niche. The ranking data for each program was averaged and placed on a 100-point scale to reveal each degree’s Consensus Score. To break any ties, the base tuition of each degree was used.
1. Brescia University
Brescia University (BU Online) offers a Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Psychology that is ranked among the most affordable online degrees for psychology in Kentucky by Best Online in Psychology Degrees. Brescia University’s online bachelor’s in psychology degree requires degree candidates to complete 128-semester credits. Brescia’s psychology degree online includes coursework in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, introduction to counseling, abnormal psychology, biopsychology, and research methods, among others. Students graduate to find rewarding careers as counselors, therapists, mental health specialists, human resource specialists, and social service workers, to name a few.
Brescia University was established in 1925 as a women’s junior college by the Sisters of Mt. Saint Joseph. The junior college became Brescia College in 1955. The school reached university status four decades later, in 1998. The school’s Owensboro campus and online platform serve about 1,300 undergraduate & graduate students. Brescia University’s athletes compete as Bearcats in the NAIA league. Highlight – Brescia University’s name is derived from a city in Italy where Saint Angela Merici founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
2. Wilmington University
Wilmington University’s (WU Online) College of Social & Behavioral Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Psychology that provides an academic concentration in Children & Families. Additionally, this degree online from Wilmington University requires classes in social psychology, theories of personality, applying psychology in professional contexts, the biological basis of behavior, and seminars in psychology, among others. Wilmington University’s affordable online bachelor’s in psychology degree program also offers students an optional internship. Additionally, these online degrees for psychology can be completed as a completion program for transfer students.
Wilmington University (WilmU) is a space-grant institution of higher education that was established in the late 1960s as Wilmington College. This private school’s online and various campuses (in Delaware, Maryland & New Jersey) serve nearly 21,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Wilmington University offers about 100 academic degree and diploma programs across more than one dozen campuses in three states. Highlight – Wilmington University is organized into seven colleges/schools, offering programs in education, business health, arts/sciences, technology, social/behavioral science & experiential/online learning.
3. The University of Florida
According to US News, the University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Psychology, which ranks among the most affordable and best online degrees for psychology in the nation. This online bachelor’s in psychology degree program requires students to complete 30 undergraduate credits from the psychology curriculum. Classes for UF’s degree online in psychology include general psychology, applied behavioral analysis, abnormal psychology, behavioral psychology, positive psychology, and cognitive psychology, plus an internship, to name a few.
The University of Florida (Florida) was founded in the 1850s as a public research institution of higher education. UF is a land, space, and sea-grant school and a senior member school in the state’s university system. The University of Florida consistently ranks among the top public universities in the country by US News & World Report. Highlight – The University of Florida’s student population exceeds 56,500 students, making it the Sunshine State’s third-largest school. Its Campus covers about 2,000 acres in suburban Gainesville.
4. Eastern Oregon University
Eastern Oregon University (Online EOU) offers two of Oregon’s most affordable online degrees for psychology with its Bachelor of Science degree and its Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Additionally, Eastern Oregon University’s online bachelor’s in psychology degree program allows up to 135 credits to be transferred, if eligible. This psychology degree online from EOU offers two academic tracks – Experimental ‘Psychology or Applied Psychology. The Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) includes a foreign language requirement, while the Bachelor of Science degree requires a dozen more credits than the BA program.
Eastern Oregon University was first established as a normal school for teacher training in the late 1920s. EOU’s La Grande campus is in Oregon’s Blue Mountain range, near Portland and Boise, Idaho. The online platform and campus serve about 3,600 students each year. Highlight – Eastern Oregon University’s oldest graduate (at 99 years old) earned his degree in 2011, after dropping out of school in 1932, one semester short of a degree.
5. UMASS Lowell
The Lowell campus @ the University of Massachusetts (UMASS Online) offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology that consistently ranks among the country’s best and most affordable online degrees for psychology. UMASS Online’s online bachelor’s in psychology degree allows for the transfer of up to 90-semester credits, if eligible. UMASS’s degree online in psychology provides students with multiple start dates throughout the year. Classes for this undergraduate degree in psychology include social psychology, psychology of personality, child & adolescent development, cognitive psychology, theories of learning, human sexuality, plus a practicum, to name a few.
UMASS Lowell is a dual campus public institution of higher education that was established as a teacher’s training school in the mid-1890s. The Haverhill and Lowell campuses are the northernmost UMASS campuses with the largest student enrollment numbers in Merrimack Valley. In addition, UMASS Lowell serves more than 18,100 students and operates as a space-grant school. Highlight – The Lowell campus of the University of Massachusetts offers more than 150 undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs.
6. The University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida’s Sciences College (UCF Sciences Online) offers a degree online, its Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Psychology that US News ranks among the best and most affordable online degrees for psychology in the country. UCF’s online bachelor’s in psychology degree requires degree candidates to complete 120 bachelor’s level semester credits. Students graduating from the University of Central Florida’s bachelor’s psychology degree enter the workforce as psychiatric technicians, career counselors, human resources administrators, mental health care providers, or counselors, to name a few. Students have six academic tracks – clinical, general, experimental, industrial/organizations, human factors, or neuroscience.
The University of Central Florida was established during the 1960s and is a member school of Florida’s state university system. UCF was established to provide support personnel for the nearby locations of Cape Canaveral, the Kennedy Space Center, and Florida’s space coast. Its student enrollment exceeds 71,000, which makes it the largest student enrollment of any Highlight – The University of Central Florida’s ten campuses & thirteen colleges/schools offer more than 225 academic programs.
7. The University of Houston
The University of Houston (Houston Online) offers a Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Psychology degree online that is ranked among the top ten online degrees for psychology in the nation. This 120-semester credit UH online bachelor’s in psychology degree permits up to 90 credits to be transferred, if eligible. UH’s minimum Grade Point Average for all coursework is 2.0. The University of Houston’s affordable baccalaureate psychology degree focuses on the integration of psychology (with classes that explore the influences of genetics, society, culture, and biology on human behavior) & computer tech.
The University of Houston is a public school that was established as a junior college in 1927, which reached university status a few years later in 1933. UH’s fourteen colleges/schools offer nearly 300 academic degrees and programs that serve approximately 46,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The school’s economic impact on the Lone Star State’s economy is estimated at $3 billion per year. Highlight – The first classes for the University of Houston were held in a local high school in 1934.
8. The University of Minnesota-Duluth
The University of Minnesota’s (UMD Online) College of Education & Human Service Professions/Department of Psychology offers a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Psychology degree online that is designed for students who hold an associate degree or have completed Minnesota’s preset transfer curriculum. UMD’s online degrees for psychology are ranked among the most innovative in Minnesota. Students graduating from UMD’s online bachelor’s in psychology degree enter the workforce in the areas of human resources, social services, behavioral health, and case management, to name a few.
The University of Minnesota (UMD) was established as a normal school in the early 1900s. UMD became a state teacher’s college two decades later, in 1921. The Duluth campus @ the University of Minnesota is also a space grant institution of higher education with a student enrollment that exceeds 10,150 undergraduate and graduate students each year. Highlight – The University of Minnesota’s 200+ acre property has more than 59 buildings, with views overlooking Lake Superior. The school is home to a performing arts center, a music hall, an art museum, and a planetarium.
9. Penn State Greater Allegheny
Penn State Greater Allegheny’s (PSGA Online) University College offers two of Pennsylvania’s best online degrees for psychology with its Bachelor of Arts degree or Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Students interested in PSGA’s online bachelor’s in psychology degree (BA or BS) will be required to finish a minimum of 124 credits. Classes for this psychology degree online include developmental psychology, learning/cognition, applied & clinical psychology, basic research methods in psychology, biological bases of behavior, and basic research methods in psychology, among others.
Penn State Greater Allegheny is a member campus of the Penn State University System that was established in the 1950s. Penn State Greater Allegheny was developed to serve the educational needs of those living in and around the greater Pittsburg area. The school’s White Oak campus serves more than 750 students and covers more than 50 suburban acres. Highlight – PSGA offers one-year certificates, associate, and baccalaureate degree programs.
10. Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU E-campus) offers a 120 semester Bachelor’s degree online in Psychology that is ranked by US News among the top two online degrees for psychology in the nation. Classes for Oregon State University’s online bachelor’s in psychology degree include cognitive psychology, brain and behavior, social psychology, human lifespan development, consciousness, motivation, theories of personality, behavioral modification, and health psychology, to name a few. Students enrolled in Oregon State University’s undergraduate psychology degree program must complete 45 of the last 56 quarter credits at OSU.
Founded in the 1860s, Oregon State University is one of only a few institutions with four designations – sea, space, land, and sun grants. OSU generally leads the education in the state in terms of research funding. The college-town of Corvallis (and online platform) serves more than 31,550 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Highlight -OSU maintains two primary campuses in Bend and Corvallis, plus an online platform that offers more than 1,500 courses online.
How Much Can I Make If I Earn a Psychology Degree?
According to the federal government’s statisticians, the nearly 200,000 professional psychologists working during 2020 had a median yearly salary of $82,180.
More specifically, graduates who hold online degrees for psychology at the baccalaureate level will find these psychology-related fields offer similar salary levels for 2020 –
The median annual salary for the 735,000+ market research analysts working in 2020 was $65,810, which translates to $31.64 per hour. The job growth outlook for social workers through 2029 is 18%.
The median annual salary for the 1,329,000+ postsecondary teachers working in 2020 was $80,790. The job growth outlook for social workers through 2029 is 9%.
The median annual salary for the 333,000+ school/career counselors or advisors in 2020 was $58,120, which translates to $27.94 per hour. The job growth outlook for social workers through 2029 is 8%.
The median annual salary for the 318,000+ substance abuse or behavioral/mental health counselors working in 2020 was $47,660, which translates to $22.91 per hour. The job growth outlook for social workers through 2029 is 25%.
The median annual salary for the 325,000+ training & development specialists working in 2020 was $62,700, which translates to $30.14 per hour. The job growth outlook for social workers through 2029 is 9%.
The median annual salary for the 710,000+ training & development specialists working in 2020 was $51,760, which translates to $24.88 per hour. The job growth outlook for social workers through 2029 is 13%.
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