Can I work while studying for my bachelors degree?

Holding a job or an internship while pursuing your online bachelors degree in psychology can be difficult since many internship programs, hospitals and mental health centers require substantial time commitments. Despite this, psychology-related work opportunities will give you a sense for the occupational duties of those who have already gained a bachelors degree.

The undergraduate job pool for psychology-related work isn’t as deep as it is for graduate students, but you will have numerous opportunities to conduct research for nationally funded psychological studies and initiatives. Outside of offering hybrid online bachelor degree programs in psychology, many of the top collegiate psychology departments offer summer programs and internships where you can gain real laboratory and research experience.

In addition to these opportunities, Hanover College’s psychology student handbook details positions that students can apply for while earning their bachelors degree. Psychology majors can work as public statisticians that compile and analyze data about diseases and community health, or they can become laboratory assistants that conduct research pertaining to the mental health of both animals and humans.

If you are pursuing a psychology bachelor degree online, you have a more freedom to pursue work opportunities because many online courses are flexible and do not have established meeting times. But because many online psychology programs do not offer hands-on experience in the field, it is more vital that you look for as many work opportunities as possible to fully supplement your online education.

Are there any brick-and-mortar colleges that offer an online bachelors degree?

Many prestigious traditional universities are branching out and creating online schools for psychology to give you more access to the best programs if you cannot be on campus 3 or 4 days a week.

Pennsylvania State University Online offers a bachelors degree in psychology at a flat tuition rate of approximately $6,000 per semester if you are taking 12 credits or more. The program offers diverse courses in social work, educational psychology and forensic psychology, which details counseling strategies for probation and correctional offices.

A big part of attending a traditional college is the prospect of visiting long-standing campuses and interacting with tenured, well-versed instructors. Most traditional campuses realize this and provide you with opportunities to take classes both online and on-campus through a hybrid curriculum.

Harvard University’s blended degree programs can offer you both an online bachelor degree in psychology or a masters. However, you should note that some blended programs only offer part-time degrees even if you have full-time availability. If this fits your schedule, you will find that many blended degree programs are less expensive than on-campus tuition. Harvard’s blended psychology program has 1 of the lowest tuition rates in the Boston area, and still carries a lot of academic prestige.

Are there any scholarships for traditional or online students?

If you are worried about the cost of earning your psychology bachelors online, rest assured that there are many organizations and honor societies that fund higher education both online and on-campus.

As an online student, you can peruse the various undergraduate grants and research awards provided by the Psi Chi International Honor Society. Founded in 1929, the Psi Chi Honor Society is an organization committed to advancing the study of psychology by promoting networking and scholarship opportunities for psychology students.

Among their expansive scholarship directory, Psi Chi offers the Allyn & Bacon Awards, which gives multiple grants up to $1,000 to the best, submitted empirical research papers. These papers are then published in their newsletter, Eye on Psi Chi. Additionally, the Psi Chi Society can also offer you 1 of 4 $300 Diversity Article Awards if you can draft a compelling paper that details the importance of diversity in life and within psychology degree programs.

If you prefer a campus setting to an online program, there are just as many scholarship opportunities available to you through the schools themselves. An example would be the annual scholarships Oklahoma University provides for its psychology undergraduates. The TOPS-General Psychology and TOPS-Quantitative Psychology scholarships award $500 to each qualified recipient.

Can I study abroad during my on-campus or online program?

You might think that pursuing an online bachelor degree ruins your aspirations to study abroad. However, because so many traditional schools with study abroad programs are creating online degree programs, you can now earn your degree from traditional universities while reaping the cultural benefits of their study abroad programs.

If you are pursuing a neuropsychology degree, look at institutions like Monash University in Melbourne, Australia or the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. Both colleges offer undergraduate coursework in developmental, clinical and social psychology. Many of these schools work together with American universities like Pennsylvania State University and their study abroad offices to demonstrate how psychology is studied in different countries.

Northwestern University’s study abroad office allows you to attend English and Australian schools like University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia because Northwestern University prefers their scientific approach to psychology.

These programs will develop your research skills and mathematical analysis. You can attend semester or yearlong programs, but be sure to work with your study abroad advisor. They will help you find the program that matches your psychology degree while making sure your study abroad courses do not interfere with your normal degree requirements.