Want to take a deep dive into the psyche of human experience? Make it a career by earning a degree from one of the best online bachelor’s programs in psychology.
The field of psychology is on the rise. That’s no surprise, though. Psychology answers the essential questions of humanity: What do humans want? Why do humans act the way they do? What emotions are elicited from humans under certain scenarios?
By setting down the path of psychology, you’re opening up the possibility of a career that will take you inside the human brain. Psychology straddles a fascinating balance between the hard sciences and fields like social work and communication. You can use your online psychology degree in any number of ways, from counseling to human resources to sales.
What is an online psychology degree?
An online bachelor’s in psychology is the first step in a long, rewarding career. If your end goal is to become the traditional psychotherapist, you can anticipate going on to graduate school for your master’s degree or PhD. So an undergraduate degree is a great way to start!
There are some huge benefits in opting for an online degree in psychology rather than a traditional on-campus degree. First, no one will know the difference! Your diploma will look identical to that of your on-campus peer. Second, an online degree simplifies everything. You can hold down a full-time or part-time job while still taking classes.
The field of psychology can take a number of different forms. Psychologists aren’t just people with smart-looking glasses who sit in high-backed chairs and give you Rorschach tests. You can apply psychology to way more arenas. Here are just a few:
- Forensic Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology
- School Psychology
How much can you earn with a psychology degree?
First, just keep in mind that there are a ton of jobs that you can find with a background in psychology. But if you’re hoping to become a psychologist (in one of the many forms listed above), you can expect to make a median annual salary of around $77,000.
The job market is looking mighty strong for folks going into this field. Overall, employment of psychologists is expected to increase by 14 percent between now and 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You’ve picked the right time to get your degree!
What is required for an online bachelor’s in psychology?
In general, the benchmark credit hour requirement for most bachelor’s programs is 120 hours. If you’re a transfer student who already has some general education credits completed, you’ll be happy to know that many schools have a generous transfer credit policy.
Psychology is all about observation. So your degree will involve a good amount of research-based coursework. The core classes also commonly include a biology course (to understand the human body) and a statistics course (to know how to interpret data). From there, you’ll be able to customize your degree with fun electives.
What are the best online psychology degrees?
OSR uses six data points: three school-wide and three program specific. For school-wide, OSR uses Student Satisfaction, Admission Rates, and the number of programs the school offers online. For program specific, OSR checks the Median Debt of graduates from that program, how many degrees are offered within that program’s umbrella department, and what percentage of students at that school graduated from that department.
The six statistics are displayed by each school. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other US institutions. “Not reported” means a school did not release that information to the US Department of Education. A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on the methodology page.
