Bachelor of Arts (BA): Psychology Degree Overview

Obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology provides the student with a comprehensive introduction to the discipline of psychology. At the BA level, a psychology program is designed to provide a well-rounded education either for immediate employment in areas such as research, and business, or for graduate schooling in psychology or related fields.  A Bachelor of Arts program in psychology educates students in the discipline of psychology while providing them exposure to courses in the humanities and social sciences. A Bachelor in Psychology prepares students for a variety of career choices, many of which are not specifically related to psychology. Some of the possible career directions a graduate might take are social work, human resources, marketing, business management, and sales. The BA in Psychology is also an ideal undergraduate degree for students who intend to pursue graduate training in psychology or enter professional schools such as medicine or law. Students take courses focusing on liberal arts, psychology, and foreign language. A course load of general education classes and a minor is some field other than psychology is usually required. Courses in a Bachelor of Arts Psychology Degree program may include: Introduction to Psychology History of Psychology Developmental Psychology Social Psychology Cognitive Psychology Psychology of Personality Physiological Psychology Research Methods in Psychology Statistics Skills Acquired A Bachelor of Arts program in psychology focuses on learning how to frame the right questions and discover answers regarding human behavior, cognition and emotion. Skills acquired in this program include a knowledge of physiological, neurological, and biological bases of behavior, an understanding of cognitive and developmental psychology, a mastery of theory and research of personality, knowledge of social influences on behavior, ability to utilize basic data analysis techniques, and critical evaluation and understanding of psychological science. Why Earn a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology? An undergraduate education in psychology is learning about psychology, rather than learning how to do psychology. It's important to realize that with a Bachelor's Degree in psychology, you are not yet qualified to be a psychologist when you finish your undergraduate study. While many students do continue their education at the graduate level and become a certified psychologist/therapist, the majority of students who earn a BA in Psychology find satisfying careers without attending graduate school. Even though the Bachelor's Degree in Psychology isn't a professional degree, it's still a good way to become a well-rounded, well-educated individual who is marketable for a number of different employment options. Economic Outlook and Salary Information JobWeb reported that the average salary offer to psychology bachelor's degree holders was between $24,000 to $35,000 (2005 NACE Salary Survey data). A Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology is a good degree for obtaining work in business management, sales, human resource, insurance, finance, and marketing -- to name but a few. For those who plan to complete the advanced schooling required to work as a certified psychologist, the job outlook is good. Employment of psychologists is expected to grow faster than average through 2014. The median earnings of educational, vocational and school counselors in May 2004 were $45,570 annually and the median annual earnings of marriage and family therapists were $38,980. Self-employed therapists may earn much more. Source: http://education-portal.com/articles/Bachelor_of_Arts_BA_Psychology_Degree_Overview.html