An increasing number of colleges and universities offering excellent opportunities for students interested in a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology are available in Massachusetts. More students that ever before have the opportunity to earn a degree that will lead to an exciting new career. Like most countries throughout the United States, Massachusetts has seen a steady rise in the number of jobs in the field of psychology. Students obtaining these degrees can pursue a career in psychology, a graduate degree in psychology or a related field or even pursue a career in fields like law, government, healthcare, social services and many others.
Becker College
Psychology Department
Located in central Massachusetts with campus locations in Worcester and Leicester, Becker College is a private institution that was founded in 1784. The Becker College history dates back to the combination of two Massachusetts educational institutions founded in 1784 and 1887. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate degree programs including nursing programs, a veterinary science program, and video game design and development programs. The 2014 fall semester enrollment was 2,021 students. The 2015 edition of US News and World Reports Best Colleges ranked Becker College as a tier 2 Northern Regional College. The Becker College mission is to “deliver to each student a transformational learning experience to prepare them to thrive, contribute to, and lead in a global society”. The college is proud to boast a 95 percent placement rate for its graduates for employment or further study. They are an NCAA Division III Varsity Sports school with nine intramural sports.
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology degree program prepares students for entry-level positions as well as entrance into a graduate degree program in education, health and human services, social work, counseling, criminal justice, and law. With an increased demand for psychological services in schools, healthcare, hospitals, substance abuse clinics and mental health facilities, the employment of those with one or more degrees in psychology is expected to grow through 2018. Curriculum for the psychology program provides students with a base understanding of how to successfully work with patients with mental and emotional problems. Broad-based coursework includes applied behavior analysis, counseling theory, forensic psychology, child development, and drug and alcohol addiction. Students in the bachelor’s program learn to understand how people relate to each other and how to help improve those relationships. Students have the option to complete their degree with a focus concentration area to meet their particular area of future career interests including:
- Applied behavior analysis
- Forensic psychology
- Drug and alcohol counseling
Career options for graduates of the program include: ABA specialist, family planning agencies, early intervention counselor, social worker, residential counselor, family services, program coordinator, conflict resolution counselor. Students are provided with the option to pursue multiple internships. Placements for psychology students can include residential counselor, serving adolescents diagnosed with mental health issues, providing aid to families with family members with severe special needs, co-facilitator in treatment center for therapy groups in an adolescent substance abuse, leading case management activities in mental health clinics, aiding the activities coordinator in assisted living centers and providing applied behavior analysis services to children with autism.
Accreditations
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Contact
Becker College
Weller Academic Center
Suite 300
61 Sever Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01609
(508) 373-9500
Email: accel@becker.edu
Program Website
Boston College
Woods College of Advancing Studies
Boston College is a private Jesuit Catholic research university located in Chestnut Hill just north of Boston. Boston College awards bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees through nine schools. Enrollment includes 9,100 full-time undergraduates and over 5,000 graduate students. Boston’s main campus is in a historic district and has some of the earliest collegiate gothic architecture in North America. The 2015 edition of US News and World Reports Best Colleges ranked Boston Colleges as the 31st best National University.
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
The BA in Psychology degree program exposes students to a broad range of topics in the psychology field. This includes an in depth understanding of human behavior and mental functioning at the behavioral level psychology. Students can also choose an individualized course of study to focus on an aspect of psychology in greater depth. Students enrolled in the BA program are equipped with the skills and knowledge applicable to social, developmental, and cognitive psychology.
The broad-based liberal arts curriculum, including core requirements, permits students to choose courses and majors of their specific area of interest to meet their career objectives. Bachelor’s degree candidates must fulfill all program requirements in addition to earning a minimum of 120 credits. Students are also can gain research experience by working in one or more of the psychology labs.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
The BS in Psychology degree program allows students to explore the brain mechanisms of human and animal behavior and mental functioning. Curriculum for the BS program includes courses in:
- psychology
- Biology
- chemistry
Additional studies are available relevant to:
- evolution
- physiology
- genetics
- neurobiology
- the neural basis of higher cognitive and emotional processes in humans
The innovative coursework helps students gain a strong foundation in the neurobiological processes that underlie behavior, motivation, and cognition. The program is also applicable for those pre-medicine students interested in majoring in Psychology. Goals for the program include:
- Students will acquire knowledge in the subfields of psychology in a manner that reflects both breadth and depth of understanding.
- Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to read research reports critically and to carry out their own independent research
- Students will acquire critical, scientific thinking skills.
- Students will acquire skills to succeed in their professional, personal, and community lives after graduation.
Accreditations
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Contact
Boston College
Woods College of Advancing Studies
Department of Psychology
McGuinn 300
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
(617) 552-3900
E-mail: psychoffice@bc.edu
Program Website
Boston University
College of Arts and Sciences
Boston University is a private research university that is historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It’s located in Boston. Founded in 1839, Boston University awards bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees through 18 schools and colleges on two campuses. Boston University also has 75 study abroad programs in over 20 countries. The 135 acre campus is located in a beautiful urban district of the historic city.
It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. The 2015 edition of US News and World Reports Best Colleges ranked Boston University as the 42nd best National University. The College of Arts and Science mission is “advancing human understanding through exceptional research and teaching, preparing our students to live and work in a world that will continue to change throughout their lives”. The university is one of the largest independent, nonprofit universities in the country with an undergraduate enrollment of 18,165 students. The BU Terriers have more than 20 NCAA Division I varsity sports .The school’s hockey team has won multiple NCAA national championships.
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
The Department of Psychology approaches the field as the science of human behavior and mental processes, with the application of the scientific method to describe, predict and understand human behavior. The Psychology major provides students with skills and knowledge to pursue graduate programs in psychology, medicine, law, and other careers. The BA also provides a broad, basic liberal arts background for a wide range of other career paths. Students enrolled in the BA program can join the Undergraduate Psychology Association. It’s an independent, student-run organization sponsoring academic, career oriented and social events.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
The BS in Psychology major is for students interested in understanding the brain mechanisms of human and animal behavior and mental functioning. Curriculum for psychology majors includes courses from the psychology, biology, and chemistry departments.
The courses that make up the curriculum provide a strong core foundation in the neuro-biological processes underlying behavior, motivation, and cognition. The program is also applicable to pre-med students interested in majoring in Psychology. The coursework helps psychology students understand how and why people think, feel, and behave as they do. It focuses on basic, normal psychological functions including:
- memory
- emotion
- visual perception
- social interaction
- development and learning
- problem solving and creativity
Students will also study abnormal processes such as:
- psychopathology
- dementia
- retardation
The curriculum for the program provides students with a deep understanding of the scientific method as it applies to the human condition. The BS in Psychology also prepares students for graduate training.
Accreditations
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Contact
Boston University
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
David Somers, Chair
64 Cummington Mall
Room 110
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
(617) 353 -2583
E-Mail: somers@bu.edu
Program Website
Brandeis University
College of Arts and Sciences
Brandeis University is a private coed university Located in Waltham, nine miles west of Boston. Brandeis was founded in 1948 as a non-sectarian Jewish community-sponsored school. Brandeis has a total undergraduate enrollment of nearly 4,000 students on the 235 acres campus. The 2015 edition of US News and World Reports Best Colleges ranked Brandeis University as the 35th best National University.
The College of Arts and Sciences awards 43 majors and 46 minors including disciplines in:
- the sciences
- social sciences
- humanities
- the creative arts
Other minors include:
- business
- education
- journalism
- legal studies
- film
- television and interactive media
- religious studies
- social justice and social policy
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Curriculum for the BA in Psychology degree program provides students with a strong scientific and research foundation in psychology. It examines current and comprehensive psychological research and theory. The program provides numerous opportunities for internships for direct involvement in clinical, mental-health, business, educational, and other settings. These internships prepare students for careers in Psychology as problem solvers with excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Coursework combines essential aspects of basic and applied psychology with scientific and research foundation in psychology. Faculty lead research in areas of psychology including:
- cognitive science
- normal and abnormal development
- health
- culture
- social interaction
- spatial orientation
- life-span development and aging
- effects of brain damage
Many psychology majors write honors theses. Others choose conducting independent studies, participating in research or reading projects. A clinical psychology practicum is available for students to spend time working in a mental-health facility. Graduates of the Psychology program can choose to pursue graduate work in clinical, applied, and scientific research areas of the field. Others choose to enter graduate school in:
- law
- business
- medicine
- social work
- psychology
Accreditations
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Contact
Brandeis University
Department of Psychology
415 South Street
Waltham, Massachusetts 02453
(781) 736-3500
E-Mail: admissions@brandeis.edu
Program Website
Bridgewater State University
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Bridgewater State University is a public liberal arts university founded in 1840. It’s located in Bridgewater. It also has two satellite campuses in Attleboro and Cape Cod. Bridgewater is the largest of the nine Massachusetts state universities and the third largest of the 29 public college and university campuses in Massachusetts. The university has 108 majors in 23 areas of study including its most popular:
- education
- aviation
- psychology
- accounting
- criminal justice
The 2015 edition of US News and World Reports Best Colleges ranked Bridgewater State University as a Tier 2 Northern University. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences awards undergraduate programs leading to a BA or a BS degree. Bridgewater State University has over 160 clubs and organizations and a total undergraduate enrollment of over is 9,600 students.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
The BS in Psychology degree program provides students with an introduction to a science-oriented curriculum. Graduates can pursue continued study in graduate programs in:
- psychology
- medical school
- other health related graduate programs
Objectives for the BS in Psychology program are:
- Provide students with an understanding of psychology and what psychologists do
- Provide students in Psychology with a background in psychology to enhance their careers
- Allow terminal majors sufficient training to enhance their opportunities for vocational placement in psychology-related occupations
- Educate majors intending to pursue careers as professional psychologists with sufficient preparation to pursue graduate education
A minimum of 120 earned credit hours is required for completion of the Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
Accreditations
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
Contact
Bridgewater State College
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Department of Psychology
Hart Hall – Room 315
10 Shaw Road
Bridgewater, Massachusetts 02325
(508) 531-1385
E-Mail: ksandstrum@bridgew.edu
Program Website
Students hoping to pursue their bachelor’s degree in psychology have more and more educational opportunities in Massachusetts. With colleges and universities offering course work online, in the classroom and a combination of both, students can find the ideal learning style to work for their individual needs. Highly acclaimed and accredited schools throughout the state offer specializations in almost every focus area of psychology. Regardless of the areas of psychology you hope to pursue, you can find a program that will work for you.
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – A-B
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – C
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – D-F
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – F-H
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – L-M
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – M-N
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – N-S
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – S-T
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – U-W
For More Bachelor’s Degrees in Massachusetts – W