Understand human behavior with a bachelor of arts in psychology
Immerse yourself in a rigorous, challenging and fully online psychology degree program from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. This research-focused bachelor of arts introduces you to the theories and principles behind human behavior while preparing you to gather data and make evidence-based decisions.
This online program is offered in collaboration with the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou). It introduces you to multiple psychology subdisciplines, trains you to go beyond opinion and speculation, and rests on a complex liberal arts foundation. Get ready to pursue several paths post graduation — from entering a behavior-centric field to applying to an applied psychology or human services graduate program.
About the collaborative online bachelor’s in psychology
Research influences the field of psychology, from treating patients and clients to understanding the factors shaping human behavior. This collaborative online bachelor’s in psychology centers around critical thinking, applied statistics, and quantitative and qualitative methods, and exposes students to diverse related career paths.
Those taking this track prepare to design research, analyze data and interpret their findings while structuring their degree around offerings from Mizzou’s and UMSL’s highly regarded psychology departments.
Challenge yourself, and explore psychology’s applications to ignite your career:
- Transform what you know about the human mind, behavior and mental health
- Strengthen your foundation in research, critical thinking and the scientific method
- Familiarize yourself with psychological theories and trends to write and speak about complex behavioral concerns
- Prepare to use data analysis and research to evaluate human behavior
- Get introduced to psychology’s many applications and subfields, including mental health/trauma, child/lifespan development, and biological psychology
- Gain a more nuanced understanding of human relationships and development
- Deepen your commitment to supporting diverse clients and groups
- Start to develop an understanding of the field’s professional ethics, including how power and privilege may influence research, community relationships and client interactions
Program type:
Major, BA
Format:
Online
Take the next step
Earn your degree in Psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
The collaborative online bachelor’s in psychology involves 30 credit hours. Students learn entirely online, selecting subjects from both Mizzou and UMSL, and complete a capstone course. Students must take both parts of the research sequence at the same campus.
For the 30 credit hours of psychology requirements, distribution courses split across two areas make up 12 credit hours. These areas include:
Clinical/social/development: Delve into the processes and outside factors behind individual thoughts, feelings and behaviors, including cultural, biological and lifespan influences. Understand how these aspects shape mental health evaluations and diagnostic procedures.
Cognitive/neuroscience: Envision the mechanisms of the mind in more detail and the role experiences play in behavior patterns.
Outcomes and Career Outlook
Psychology majors acquire a range of broadly applicable skills, including critical thinking, statistical analysis, scientific methodology and written communication. Based on the credential they seek to attain, students often start their careers in social services, management, business, communications, human resources, education, law enforcement or research, or pursue graduate studies in applied psychology, social work, counseling or a related area.
Employment of social and community service managers is projected to grow up to 9% through 2030, with a median annual salary of $77,030, according to wage and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
77,030
9
Career Opportunities
- Admissions Evaluator/Advisor
- Career/Employment/Student Advisor
- Community/Social Services Staff
- Corrections/Probation/Parole Officer
- Employee Health Maintenance Program Specialist
- Human Resources Advisor
- Patient Resources/Claims Agent
- Program Evaluator/Administrator
- Psychiatric Aide/Attendant/Technician
- Public Relations Representative
- Victims’ Advocate
Plan of study
| REQUIRED CORE COURSES (12 CREDIT HOURS) | |
|---|---|
| UMSL | MU |
| PSYCH 1003 General Psychology | PSYCH 1000 General Psychology |
| PSYCH 1000 Choosing a Career in Psychology (1 credit hour) | Psych 1030 Exploring Psychology Careers (1 credit hour) |
| Statistics and Research Methods Sequence (You must complete both courses in the sequence at the same campus.) | |
| PSYCH 2106 Introduction to Psychological Statistics AND PSYCH 2219 Research Methods in Psychological Science |
PSYCH 3010 Research Methods in Psychology I AND PSYCH 3020 Research Methods in Psychology II |
| PSYCH 4999 Capstone: Integrated Psychology (2 credit hours) | |
| Distribution – Cognitive/Neuroscience (6 credit hours from:) | |
| UMSL | MU |
| PSYCH 2211 Introduction to Biological Psychology | PSYCH 2210 Mind, Brain, & Behavior |
| PSYCH 2200 Drugs & Behavior | PSYCH 2220 Drugs & Behavior |
| PSYCH 4210 Physiological Psychology | |
| PSYCH 3870 Sleep & Sleep Disorders | |
| Distribution – Clinical/Social/Developmental (6 credit hours from:) | |
| UMSL | MU |
| PSYCH 2250 Social Psychological Science | PSYCH 2310 Social Psychology |
| PSYCH 2520 Introduction to Addiction Science | |
| PSYCH 3003 Positive Motivation | |
| PSYCH 2230: Psychology of Gender | PSYCH 3003 Psychology of Gender |
| PSYCH 4830 Psychology of Women | |
| PSYCH 2268 Lifespan Development Psychology | PSYCH 2410 Developmental Psychology |
| PSYCH 2270 Developmental Psychology | |
| PSYCH 2245 Psychological Disorders | PSYCH 2510 Survey of Abnormal Psychology |
| PSYCH 3232 Psychology of Trauma | |
| PSYCH 3280 Psychology of Death & Dying | |
| PSYCH 3346 Introduction to Clinical Psychology | PSYCH 3510 Introduction to Clinical Psychology |
| PSYCH 4275: Drug Use and Addiction: People, Policy, & Practice | |
| PSYCH 4365 Psychological Testing & Assessment | |
| PSYCH 4376 Mental Health & Aging | |
| PSYCH 2511 Military and Veteran Psychology | |
| PSYCH 3370 The Science of Mindfulness | |
| PSYCH 3815 Cross-Cultural Psychology | |
| PSYCH 3830 Health Psychology | |
| PSYCH 4563 Behavioral and Technology Addictions | |
Review Full Degree Requirements
Non-Missouri Residents: Prospective students are responsible for reviewing the UMSL state authorizations page to see if this program is offered in their state throughout their program and to review the licensure or certification requirements for the state in which they reside.
Student organizations
Make new friends and learn new skills by joining one of our Recognized Student Organizations. Here are several opportunities you may be interested in as a psychology major:
- Student Government Association
- Students of the University of Missouri
Honors College
The UMSL Honors College is a certificate program that can be paired with any major without adding extra classes or extending time to graduate. Classes in the Honors College are seminar-style, meaning that they are based in reading, writing, discussion, and critical thinking. This unique class format fosters an intellectual climate centered around democracy, diversity, civility and academic excellence.
Undergraduate research
We encourage and support students as they engage in exciting activities in and outside of the classroom that enrich their academic and professional understanding of their chosen area of study. All majors are encouraged to participate in Undergraduate Research and Scholarship to produce discipline-specific intellectual or creative innovations to their field.
