Best Online Psychology Degree Programs

The bachelor’s degree provides a comprehensive and well-rounded education, plus the opportunity to gain a solid fundamental understanding of a chosen subject. A bachelor’s degree in psychology is no different.

With approximately 120 credits worth of coursework needed to obtain a bachelor’s degree, undergraduate students can expect to complete a significant amount of general education courses and electives. Depending on the program, students take about 40 to 55 credits in psychology. These core curriculum courses accomplish the following goals.

Major Topics Covered

The majority of bachelor’s-level curriculums cover the same major topics. These include:

Several other general education requirements are essential for a complete education in psychology, such as writing, public speaking, and critical thinking.

Key Learning Objectives

The majority of online psychology courses at the bachelor’s level serve as a foundational basis for the principles of how the mind works. Students learn how to think critically and analytically, which is useful when working with clients, making observations, and interpreting data. Should a student choose to gain further training, they will possess the basic concepts upon which more advanced theories and practical skills are based.

Skills Gained

After completing a bachelor’s degree program, students will have a wide range of skills. These include the ability to:

Schools design their curriculum to follow their academic philosophies and standards. Students will have ample opportunity to pick between optional courses and electives. Here are some of the online courses students can expect to take:

Introduction to Psychology

This is one of the few online psychology courses that all psychology students take. It provides a broad overview of the basic theories and principles in modern psychology, as well as a historical background concerning its development as a science. The material is completely knowledge based and can easily be understood through reading and lecture.

Statistical Methods

This introductory course explains the basic concepts of statistical analysis. Students learn about correlation, standard deviation, confidence intervals, histograms, and regression. Classroom instruction combined with exercises effectively conveys these concepts to students.

Psychology Research Methods

This course explains how psychological research takes place, including how to design, conduct, and analyze a scientific question and results from an experiment. Students will learn how to apply the scientific method to answer a question about human psychology. The bulk of the instruction is easily conveyed via recorded lectures and textbook materials.

The Basis for Human Learning and Behavior

The primary objective of this class is to teach the basic tenets and theories of behaviorism. Students also become familiar with the history and development of operant and classical conditioning. Course material is delivered through videos, lectures, and reading assignments.

Industrial Psychology

This course is sometimes paired with a lab class. Students receive training concerning the application of psychological principles to the workplace, including improving worker morale, productivity, and overall worker well-being. Despite including a lab, this course can still be completed fully online though special exercises and assignments.

Abnormal Psychology

As the course title implies, students will examine the causes, symptoms, and treatments for behavioral disorders often found in the human population. They are then able to read and watch assessments and treatments of patients by psychologists to gain an insight into mental health challenges commonly seen in the clinical setting.

Substance Abuse Addiction

Addiction is a common struggle among individuals seeking help from psychologists, counselors, and therapists. This course delves into the psychological underpinnings of addiction, including why they occur and why they’re so difficult to treat. Students will also review treatment methods and their efficacy with the help of lectures, available textbooks, and course materials.

Capstone Project

This project provides an opportunity to apply what a student has learned to a specific question or area of interest. Students design and conduct research, then present findings through an oral presentation that can be delivered through remote learning technology.

Each school has their own admissions requirements. Some schools are easier to get into because they require fewer elements to submit a completed application. For example, some schools will require applicants to submit their SAT or ACT test scores and pay an application fee, while other schools do not require either.

If you’re flexible about the school you’re willing to attend, your odds of acceptance into a bachelor’s program in psychology are better. For those wanting to attend a school with nationwide name recognition or obtain a financial aid award along with an acceptance letter admission may become more competitive.

Most schools require the following:

Some schools may also require students to submit proof they have completed a specific amount of mathematics coursework, such as college level algebra. This is due to the importance of statistics and research data analysis in studying psychology.

There are many factors beyond tuition that determine the total cost for a bachelor’s degree. One such factor is the type of school, such as non-profit, private, public and for-profit. After tuition, the biggest additional cost is added fees. To give you a rough idea of what to expect in terms of tuition, check out the following table. To see the lowest-cost quality programs, view our list of the most affordable online psychology bachelor’s degrees.

* Note: Tuition data up-to-date as of June 2024.

Read our financial aid and scholarship guides for helpful ways to pay for college.

For the typical full-time student with no prior college credits, an online bachelor’s degree in psychology takes about eight semesters, or four years to complete. With the differences in programs, the amount of academic credit a student can get from prior academic coursework or professional experience, as well as the pacing chosen, it can take as little as two years or as long as six or seven to earn this degree online.