Now’s the time to finish our long trek through bachelor’s in psychology degree programs in North Carolina. Listed below are the SACS-accredited colleges and universities landing at the end of the alphabet (W-Z) that confer psychology majors for studying human mentality.
Wake Forest University
Social & Behavioral Sciences Division
Initially opened in 1834 as a manual labor institute for Baptist ministers, Wake Forest University has developed into a premier private, non-sectarian university with “higher research activity” and more than 7,500 students enrolled on its 340-acre suburban campus in the Innovation Quarter of downtown Winston-Salem. Given a Forbes financial grade of A for America’s 41st most grateful grads, WFU is ranked the 27th best university, 21st most innovative school, and 30th top value by the U.S. News. The Princeton Review also placed Wake Forest at #8 for the “Most Accessible Professors” nationwide. The Social & Behavioral Sciences Division houses seven bachelor’s degrees, including history, anthropology, and communication.
Psychology Major (B.A.)
Based in the newly renovated Greene Hall, the Psychology Major (B.A.) gives undergraduates the valuable opportunity to capitalize on WFU’s commitment to research scholarship by investigating human and animal behavior. Students are immersed in modern psychological theories to gain knowledge that supports endeavors to better our world. Ranging from 32 to 50 credits, the major can be tailor-made with faculty mentors to suit every post-graduation goal. Diverse electives will survey prejudice, pharmacology, sexuality, personality, neuroscience, industrial/organizational psychology, gender studies, and more. More courses are Web-enhanced to blend face-to-face instruction with Blackboard resources. Students can laboratory experience working with the program’s 19 full-time faculty on topics from self-regulation to visual perception. Juniors with a major GPA of 3.5 or higher would qualify for the Honors Program.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
Greene Hall Room 415
P.O. Box 7778 Reynolda Station
Winston-Salem, NC 27109
(336) 758-5424
estone@wfu.edu
Program Link
Warren Wilson College
Psychology Department
Belonging to the Work Colleges Consortium, Warren Wilson College is a private, co-educational liberal arts institution focused on the Triad of “Academics, Work, and Service” to educate around 850 undergraduates from a beautiful 1,135-acre suburban campus surrounded by the Swannanoa Valley in Asheville. Named among the Fiske Guide’s best buys, WWC requires students to work 15 hours per week with 100+ work crews to partially cover tuition. Placed #13 by the Princeton Review for “Most Engaged in Community Service,” Warren Wilson is ranked the 164th best national liberal arts college by the U.S. News. The Psychology Department features a student-faculty ratio of 11:1 for the ideal environment to contribute to brain and social science.
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Undergraduates at Warren Wilson could pursue the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program full-time during daytime hours to broaden their understanding of behavioral and mental processes from several empirical-based perspectives. Experiential learning is emphasized, so PhD-level faculty build meaningful connections between textbook theory and real-life through role-playing, community service, virtual rat experiments, and more. The 40-credit major achieves breadth by surveying branches from ecopsychology to health psychology. Upperclassmen must complete a two-course capstone sequence with field practicum or thesis research. WWC has received more research grants from the North Carolina Academy of Science than any other college. Students often combine the major with minors in biology, social work, Spanish, or neuroscience. Many participate in faculty-led study abroad programs from Northern Ireland to South Korea.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
P.O. Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815
(828) 771-2073
mknight@warren-wilson.edu
Program Link
Western Carolina University
College of Education and Allied Professions
Tucked within the lofty peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains on a 589-acre campus in Cullowhee Valley, Western Carolina University is the fifth oldest public, co-educational constituent within the UNC system that utilizes its 127 years of higher education experience to serve over 10,200 students. Classified as a master’s institution in Carnegie’s elective “Community Engagement” category, WCU is ranked the South’s 32nd best college, 13th top public school, and 27th best university for military by the U.S. News. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine also lauded Western Carolina for having America’s 73rd best public value. The College of Education and Allied Professions has received the prestigious Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence with 14 top-notch bachelor’s programs.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology
Attracting over 325 majors, the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology program satisfies WCU students’ intriguing fascination with the human mind by delving into modern, leading-edge theories. Over eight semesters full-time, undergraduates develop the first level of education for specialized careers in behavioral health. Tackling this 39-credit major will require studying general psychology, statistics, research design, developmental psychology, social psychology, neuropsychology, cognition, and learning theory. For the applications course, B.S. students could concentrate in areas like behavioral analysis and forensic psychology. Completing an internship for 10 hours per week is highly suggested. Some may be placed at the on-campus Psychological Services Clinic to assess learning disabled persons. Graduates qualify for entry-level employment, but they could also continue for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
91 Killian Building Lane
Cullowhee NC 28723
(828) 227-7361
mabeck@wcu.edu
William Peace University
School of Professional Studies
Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 1872, William Peace University is a small private, nonprofit Christian liberal arts institution that’s become co-educational to educate over 1,000 baccalaureate students from its 21-acre urban campus among Raleigh’s oak trees just blocks from the State Capitol. Honored among the top 10 percent of colleges on the National Survey of Student Engagement, WPU is ranked the 203rd best liberal arts school by high school counselors on the U.S. News website. In The Root magazine, the White House Initiative recognized Peace among the most successful universities for “Graduating Low-Income Black Students.” The School of Professional Studies offers five flexible bachelor’s programs from business to criminal justice for working adults to catapult their career.
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Right within the Research Triangle, the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program at WPU teaches students the inquiry skills to examine the behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and relationships of humans for greater socio-cultural awareness. Undergraduates can finish the 34-credit major from a generalist approach or add the Clinical Counseling concentration. Courses are conveniently available through traditional, online, or Saturdays@Peace formats. Tuition is competitively priced at $250 per hour for developing requisite knowledge on cognition, human development, personality, abnormal psychology, and research methods affordably. The outcome-focused curriculum allows for a senior internship. Former interns have worked with Ligon Middle School, Planned Parenthood, Cary Family YMCA, and Urban Ministries. The B.A. has a 90 percent graduate placement rate at universities like Case Western Reserve and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
15 East Peace Street
Raleigh, NC 27604
(919) 508-2214
gps@peace.edu
Program Link
Wingate University
Psychology Department
Endowed for $48 million, Wingate University is a private, nonprofit residential liberal arts institution founded in 1896 upon the values of “Faith, Knowledge, Service” with a quaint 390-acre suburban campus in Union County just 30 miles east of Charlotte to educate around 3,100 students in 35+ majors. Noted as North Carolina’s ninth most conservative college on Niche, Wingate is ranked the 37th best regional college and eighth top value in the South by the U.S. News. Wingate University was also mentioned within Jay Mathews’ book “Harvard Schmarvard: Getting Beyond the Ivy League to the College That’s Best for You.” The Psychology Department builds upon the “A” core curriculum to equip human services practitioners with crucial interaction skills for society betterment.
Psychology Major
With an acceptance rate of 75 percent, the Psychology Major at Wingate enrolls freshmen who are psyched to learn about human behavior and emotion from a hands-on approach. The 32-credit major’s curriculum was designed with input from experts at the American Psychological Association (APA). Small class sizes allow undergraduates to fully engage with faculty mentors in courses like cognitive psychology, counseling, lifespan development, social psychology, experimental methods, and even media psychology. Up to nine credits are reserved for clinical courses and research projects to expand training outside the classroom. Students are encouraged to take a three-credit internship at settings like RHA Behavioral Health, Daymark Recovery Services, Salvation Army Center of Hope Shelter, and Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center. The Wingate Pledge guarantees that students will graduate in four years.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
Burris Hall Room 022-C
220 North Camden Road
Wingate, NC 28174
(704) 233-8058
jwilder@wingate.edu
Program Link
Winston-Salem State University
Department of Psychological Sciences
Within the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Winston-Salem State University is a public, historically black state-funded constituent of the UNC system that’s carrying a $34 million endowment to educate more than 6,400 Rams from its 117-acre urban campus within the “Twin City” of Forsyth County. Landing in the country’s top 10 for closing economic gaps on the Social Mobility Index, WSSU is ranked the South’s 84th best regional university, 40th top public school, and America’s 30th best HBCU by the U.S. News. Winston-Salem State also has North Carolina’s #1 in-state job placement rate at 79 percent with a $37,844 average starting salary. The Department of Psychological Sciences equips diverse students to apply behavioral theories for supporting individual and community improvements.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology
WSSU’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology program benefits undergraduates seeking careers where an in-depth liberal arts background and interpersonal skills are useful. Through 120 credits, students enhance their perception of concepts central to behavioral and mental processes while gaining added appreciation for diversity. Students are required to take two semesters of foreign language, but the remainder of the curriculum is flexible. Those applying to graduate school can fill electives in science and mathematics. Independent research projects are lead by faculty mentors. State-of-the-art labs are located in the Center for Community Safety and NSF-funded Animal Behavior Center. Outside the classroom, students could pledge Sigma Phi Omega or Pi Gamma Mu. There’s also an 18-credit Psychology Minor for accompanying other programs like education or sport studies.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Rehabilitation and Human Service
Prospective psychology students at Winston-Salem State should also consider the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Rehabilitation and Human Service program. Consisting of 120 credits, this traditional, full-time curriculum is designed to produce applied practitioners who empower individuals, families, and communities with multicultural counseling. Students gather the behavioral science theories required to enhance the quality of life as paraprofessionals. Required courses include crisis intervention, mental health, vocational rehabilitation, interviewing, case management, abnormal psychology, physiology, and lifespan development. B.S. majors could add the Minor in Deaf Studies to learn American sign language. Students may join the Rehabilitation Studies Club for community activities. Internship placements with agencies like the Enrichment Center and the Adaptables are also available.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
Coltrane Hall Suite 203
601 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Winston-Salem, NC 27110
(336) 750-8650
lewismi@wssu.edu
Program Link
Getting a glimpse into the complex human brain doesn’t always require a CAT scan. Psychology majors are available at the baccalaureate level to essentially study the neural as well as cultural, social, and spiritual factors that influence how people think. Knowing the mind’s inner workings can be applicable to many careers besides clinical psychology. Psychological theories can aid in advertising, product design, human resources, healthcare, teaching, management, and even athletics. According to USA Today, general psychology is America’s second most popular major with a mid-career salary potential of $60,200. Earning an undergraduate degree is the first step towards advanced specialties like cognitive neuroscience, mental health counseling, engineering psychology, and psychometrics too. Maximize your employability in the “Tar Heel State” by searching through our several lists for bachelor’s in psychology degree programs in North Carolina.
Related resource:
Top 20 Graduate Programs in Forensic Psychology