Top 10 Affordable Online Psychology Degree Programs

By majoring in psychology, you are choosing one degree that will open up a multitude of career options, and by choosing an online psychology degree program, you are able to receive a convenient at-home education, which, with our help, will also help you with saving money. Repeatedly, psychology has made it into the list of the top 10 most popular majors among college students, and that’s because psychology majors often find themselves in many different kinds of psychology jobs, such as education, research, advertising or marketing, public health, politics, business and more.

To simplify your search for the perfect online college that offers an enriching psychology degree program, we’ve created the following list, which outlines, ranks and prices 30 different online psychology degree programs. Let us help you obtain this versatile degree without ever having to leave your home or break your bank.

Methodology

The following list of schools was compiled using information from the National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator Database as well as the individual schools’ websites. To start, we compiled a long list of online colleges in the U.S., which we then narrowed down to the most affordable schools that offer a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While choosing and ranking these schools, the net cost, devised by College Navigator; the national program ranking by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report; the national university ranking by the same sites; other program rankings by various websites like Best College Reviews; and whether the school offers a master’s degree in psychology were considered when awarding each school a number of points. Each school’s position on this list is ranked by the number of points we’ve given it for being affordable and highly recognized so that our No. 1 school has the most points and No. 30 has the least.

The point system works as follows:

Net Price Below $11,000: 3 points
Net Price Below $13,000: 2 points
National Online Program Ranking (Princeton Review and/or U.S. News): 3 points
National University Ranking (Princeton Review and/or U.S. News): 2 points
Other Program Ranking (Best College Reviews,): 1 point
School Offers Master’s Degree in Psychology: 1 point

Best Affordable Online Psychology Degree Programs

1. Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.
Psychology (B.A.) Online

Points Awarded: 9
Net Price: $12,380

At Arizona State University, ASU Online offers a BA in psychology online degree that equips students with skills in critical thinking, quantitative and qualitative research, and the ability to interact effectively with groups of people from diverse backgrounds. This program comes as a part of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, through which courses are presented in the context of cultural, socio-historical and transnational issues. A few online graduate-level degree programs offered at ASU relate to this BA degree program.

Not only did ASU make it among The Princeton Review’s “Best 379 Colleges,” but it also ranked 129 among U.S. News & World Report’s top national universities and made the No. 4 spot for psychology degree programs on Best College Reviews’ list of top 25 schools. Among the many other rankings this school has received on U.S. News, the online bachelor’s programs are ranked the eighth best in the country. Finally, all ASU academic programs are fully accredited by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission.

2. Utah State University in Logan, Utah

B.S. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 8
Net Price: $11,379

Utah State University’s online undergraduate psychology degree program offers students a broad range of courses that provide a strong foundation for psychology jobs, business, education, law, medicine and more. According to the department’s website, “the department of psychology at Utah State University is internationally known for its innovative research, teaching and scholarship.” USU also offers two online areas of graduate study that are related to psychology.

U.S. News & World Report named Utah State among tops schools for “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs” and “National Universities.” The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accredits this school.

3. Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches, La.
B.S. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 7
Net Price: $7,950

Northwestern State University is the most affordable school on our list, staying under $8,000 for a net cost! This fully-online psychology degree program allows students to gain an overall understanding of the field or specialize in certain areas. NSULA’s psychology department consists of a diverse faculty with backgrounds in clinical and counseling psychology.

This school has been recognized as one of the “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs” by U.S. News & World Report and as No. 24 out of the top 35 schools for online psychology degrees on GetEducated.com. Also, NSULA is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and a member of the Association of American Colleges and also of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

4. Troy University in Troy, Ala.
B.S. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 7
Net Price: $10,112

At Troy University, students have two options to choose between for this low-cost online psychology degree: A 36-hour major with an 18-hour minor or a 54-hour major with no minor. In the former option, students have the opportunity to choose one of three major areas of psychology—natural science, social science or applied psychology—to meet professional and personal objectives. The non-minor option is a more structured major that emphasizes the core areas of psychology and methods of scientific investigation. As for graduate programs, this school offers more than seven opportunities for students to further their education in this and related fields.

Troy made it to the No. 25 spot on GetEducated.com’s list of top online psychology degree programs, as well as the No. 35 spot for “Top Public Schools” by U.S. News & World Report. Troy University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degrees.

5. Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky.
B.A. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 7
Net Price: $10,297

According to Brescia University’s online psychology degree program page, this program “provides students with advanced training in Psychology and provides a foundation for multiple career paths including business, law school, social science, behavioral sciences and more.” Students of this program will learn how psychology is applied, and they will obtain a solid undergraduate foundation for further study in related fields.

Brescia University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees. This school also made it among U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs.”

6. Bellevue University in Bellevue, Neb.
B.A. or B.S. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 7
Net Price: $11,786

At Bellevue University, students can choose between an online BA degree program in psychology or an online BS degree program in psychology. Both degrees focus on psychology as a science, and students will develop skills to become an effective communicator and presenter. They will also develop the ability to apply research and evaluate psychological concepts and applications. The BS requires college algebra and a lab science course, while the BA requires either a culture course or Spanish in addition to either nutrition or human genetics. At least one graduate level degree program that relates to psychology is available online.

Bellevue University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission through the U.S. Department of Education. Best College Reviews ranked Bellevue No. 5 out of their top 25 schools for online psychology degrees, and U.S. News & World Report ranked them among the top online bachelor’s programs.

7. Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan.
B.A./B.S. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 6
Net Price: $11,207

The Psychology Department at Fort Hays State University offers students flexibility by allowing them to choose between the BA and BS route in this online psychology degree program. While the core coursework is the same for both program options, the BS degree option has a stronger focus and more credit requirements in natural sciences and/or mathematics. Both programs’ required courses are aligned with the American Psychological Association’s standards and outcomes for the major.

The Virtual College at FHSU is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This program has also ranked No. 11 out of the 25 colleges on Best College Reviews’ list of top online psychology degrees and No. 4 out of the 35 on GetEducated.com’s similar list. Finally, FHSU made it to the No. 16 spot of U.S. News & World Report’s list of best online bachelor’s programs.

8. Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas
B.S. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 6
Net Price: $11,635

Sam Houston State University has designed their online BS in psychology degree program specifically to prepare students to progress toward a graduate-level education. Within this curriculum, students are required to take particular course related to all aspects of psychology, as well as at least two courses each from various subjects like social development, clinical counseling and experimental. Unlike most other programs on this list, only 75 percent of this program is online, and it requires some on-campus attention.

SHSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This school also has two online graduate programs that are related to the field of psychology. Finally, U.S. News & World Report included SHSU’s online bachelor’s programs and two graduate-level psychology programs among their top rankings.

9. Columbia College in Columbia, Mo.
B.A. in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 6
Net Price: $11,759

At Columbia College in Missouri, the online psychology degree program will cover all areas of the field, including theoretical perspectives like neuroscience, cognitive science, behavioral and social learning theories and humanist-existential. Students can choose between the applied program, which is designed to prepare them for careers in community agencies immediately following graduation, or the academic studies program, which prepares students to further pursue their studies at the graduate school level.

Columbia College has been accredited by The Higher Learning Commission since 1918. This school ranked No. 12 out of 35 on GetEducated.com’s list of top online psychology degree programs, and it made it within the top 100 schools for online bachelor’s programs on U.S. News & World Report.

10. Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
B.S. Completion in Psychology Online

Points Awarded: 6
Net Price: $12,753

Old Dominion University offers an online BS degree completion program in psychology, which begins with a general psychology course and includes courses in quantitative methods and experimental design. Students are given the freedom to select additional coursework from a broad range of topics, and ODU will encourage students to pursue a broad range of psychology study, especially if they’re planning for advanced study in the field.

Old Dominion University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, masters, education specialist and doctoral degrees. The American Psychological Association also accredits Old Dominion’s clinical psychology PhD program. U.S. News & World Report ranked this school the No. 31 best online bachelor’s program, and GetEducated.com ranked them for having the No. 20 best online psychology degree program.

source:

Wikipedia’s list of accredited online colleges
College Navigator
U.S. News & World Report
The Princeton Review
Best College Reviews
Best College Reviews
GetEducated.com
Best Psychology Degrees

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Top 10 Affordable Online Psychology Degree Programs