Psychology is fascinating as it studies and analyzes human behaviors and mental health disorders. A bachelors’ degree in psychology can open up various psychology careers for you. You could become an educational psychologist, human resources officer, or clinical psychologist, among other choices. Knowing the best online college psychology courses for credit will help you.
This career option could also appeal to prospective students because of an average salary of $95,294. Most people who study psychology want a career that focuses on helping people overcome things like personality disorders, stress, and anxiety. If you want to study psychology online, read on to learn about the top 10 online psychology courses for credit.
Why Should I Take an Online Psychology Course for Credit?
You should take an online psychology course for credit because it gives you options for further study later on. Online courses also help you to stay on top of current psychology trends. There are approximately 106,000 licensed psychologists in the United States today, and many more are needed, especially since the rise of mental health issues caused by the pandemic.
Another reason is that online psychology courses for credit offer you a more flexible schedule with the ability to advance your career from home. You can follow the lectures and do assignments at your own pace with online schools.
Top 10 Online Psychology Courses for Credit
| Course Title | Provider | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Overview of Adolescent Psychology | phoenix.edu | $525 for the whole course |
| Introduction to Abnormal Psychology | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
| Positive Psychology | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
| Social Psychology | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
| Careers in Psychology | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
| Psychology of Personality | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
| Biological Foundations of Psychology | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
| Foundations of Psychology | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
| Developmental Psychology | phoenix.edu | $2,094 for the whole course |
| Cognitive Psychology | phoenix.edu | $1,194 for the whole course |
Best Online College Psychology Classes and Courses: Explained
1. Overview of Adolescent Psychology
Online students will learn about human development theories and theorists in this three-credit course. If you want a career in Psychology, this course equips you to compare current and traditional cognitive and adolescent development views.
Future school psychologists and mental health counselors will learn about areas of development in adolescents, such as moral, social, cognitive, and emotional development. In addition, you’ll get to see how peer relationships and family relationships influence an adolescent.
2. Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
This Abnormal Psychology course has three college credits and tackles historical events and milestones in the treatment development of mental illness. The online student will distinguish the relationship between diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of abnormal psychology.
In addition, you’ll be able to determine factors related to the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and its treatment. You’ll discover disorders related to mood and determine warning signs, risk factors, and methods for preventing suicide. Online learners will better understand psychosis, behavioral disorders, and schizophrenia.
3. Positive Psychology
Psychology majors and online learners will appreciate this three-credit course that helps differentiate between positive psychology and traditional psychology. In addition, this field of psychology opens up the contrasting views of happiness and its relationship to well-being. The course also covers the psychological effect of positive emotions and strategies used in positive psychology.
4. Social Psychology
This five-week, three-credit psychology program focuses on how the self develops in the context of the social world. It explores deep human thought processes and feelings, including how we respond when others influence us. Distance learners will discover the relationship between attitudes and behavior. Students will learn elements of persuasion, power, and influence.
5. Careers in Psychology
Online campus students will learn about the major branches of psychology and the benefits of pursuing a psychology degree in this three-credit course. It touches on levels of training in the psychology field. It also discusses personal career goals and setting reasonable expectations to help you get the most out of the field.
6. Psychology of Personality
This online psychology course takes on different psychosocial and psychoanalytic theories of personality. Students will learn how to apply personality trait theories to career scenarios. In addition, they also learn to contrast and compare social-cognitive, behavioral, and humanistic perspectives of personality.
7. Biological Foundations of Psychology
This is also a three-credit program in psychology that focuses on biological psychology. Learners will identify elements of genetics, effects of inherited behavior, and major functions and structures of the brain. The online program teaches about the role of neurotransmitters in mental disorders and the purpose of brain plasticity.
8. Foundations of Psychology
This course is an overview of the foundations of psychology in everyday life. It highlights psychological well-being and focuses on aspects of personality like the way we think, learn, and memorize. It also deals with gender, sexuality, and emotions. This is considered one of the foundational courses if you want to work in mental health centers or become a licensed psychologist.
9. Developmental Psychology
This online course will equip students with critical thinking skills to understand and analyze human development throughout life stages. The education classes focus on current research regarding what people go through as they age.
Over six weeks, the course will begin with psychological development stages in adulthood. It then touches on psychological milestones in childhood and development during adolescence. This course will help those already taking major courses in psychology, social workers or those working in social services.
10. Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology helps psychology professionals to understand how we absorb knowledge and use it. How we think in daily life has a bearing on how we live our lives. This online psychology program focuses on perception, memory, attention, language, and problem-solving.
Top 5 Free Online College Psychology Courses
- Introduction to Psychology | MIT. This course covers the scientific study of human nature. It includes how the mind operates and how the brain supports the mind. Other topics covered are neural and mental bases of perception, cognition, memory, learning, child development, emotion, psychopathology, and social interaction.
- Psychology and Economics | MIT. This course connects psychology with economics. It uses psychology and other social sciences to gain better insights into economics. The course covers elements of industrial-organizational psychology, economic models, labor and public economics, and health economics.
- Brains, Minds, and Machines | MIT. This course explores the nature of intelligence, the challenges encountered, how the brain constructs it, and how it can be replicated in machines. Students will learn cognitive science, neuroscience, computer science, and artificial intelligence. The course offers videos, lecture notes, and projects.
- The Science of Happiness | edX. UC Berkeley supplies this online course covering what happiness means and why it matters. It is one of the online programs that apply to everyday life and talks about how to increase happiness and why social connections matter. It also covers mental habits and the importance of mindfulness to happiness.
- Introduction to Clinical Psychology | edX. This course covers psychological disorders and behavioral disorders that disrupt a person’s everyday functioning. It discusses common disorders and discusses treatments for them. These include anxiety, mood disorders, and schizophrenia.
Are Online Psychology College Courses Worth It?
Online psychology college courses are worth it because they increase the knowledge you already have. Whether you’re already into behavioral science, pursuing a doctorate in psychology, a licensed psychologist, or child psychologist. Pursuing programs in psychology will enable you to transfer credit later. Online courses will steer you towards various job opportunities with a high annual salary.
Online College Psychology Courses FAQ
Yes, you can do a psychology course online. Various partner programs offer affordable or free options like edX and Phoenix.edu. When you do a school search, make sure it’s accredited. Well-known schools with an online psychology degree program include Baker College, Columbia College, and Houghton College.
The best online courses you can take are Foundations of Positive Psychology Certification by Coursera. It offers tools and strategies to help both organizations and individuals to apply positive psychology in the workplace. Another great course is How to “Get” People: Practical Psychology by Udemy. This program teaches students to understand the four elements of personality.
Psychology can be hard to study as it requires critical thinking, problem-solving, interpersonal, and communication skills. Psychology focuses on people and working with them. If you have a passion for human behavior and the human mind, then the subjects you’ll take will be fascinating for you.
A psychiatrist earns the most money with an average annual salary of $239,816. Industrial-organizational psychologists are the next highest-paid, followed by a neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist. Whichever psychology specialization you choose, from experimental psychology or criminal psychology, know that there will always be a demand.
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