Bachelor of Arts · 100% online
Psychology
Study the science of the mind. A four-year psychology degree taught by SVU's own faculty, entirely online and on your schedule.
About the degree
The science of the mind.
Psychology studies how thoughts, impulses, and habits become observable behavior. The major covers emotion, development, perception, motivation, learning, and personality.
Along the way you build the communication, critical thinking, and data analysis skills that carry into many careers and into graduate study.
At a glance
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
- Delivery
- Asynchronous online through Canvas, with no required meeting times
- Major
- 36 credit hours: a major core, the biological bases of behavior, the social bases of behavior, and major electives
- Standards
- Learning objectives aligned with the American Psychological Association's Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major
- Research training
- Statistics and Research Methods in your first two years
- Senior course
- History and Systems, offered every spring and taken within a year of graduating
- Coordinator
- Jeff Batis
- Graduation GPA
- 2.00 minimum
- Financial aid
- Federal financial aid and VA education benefits can be used to pay for this program
Program features
Built for the whole field.
A balanced foundation
Every student takes three courses on the biological bases of behavior and three on the social bases, so no graduate leaves with only half the field.
Research from the start
Statistics and Research Methods come in your first two years, so upper-level courses build on real scientific reasoning.
Choice in the upper division
Two electives from 300- and 400-level courses such as Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Psychology of Leadership, Positive Psychology, Psychology of Addiction, Counseling Psychology, and Psychopharmacology.
Applied options
Internships and practicums (PSY 399R and PSY 499) count as major electives.
A senior synthesis
History and Systems ties the field together in your final year.
What graduates can do
The program's learning objectives follow the American Psychological Association's Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major. Graduates demonstrate:
- Fundamental knowledge of psychological concepts and principles.
- Scientific reasoning and problem solving, including research methods.
- Familiarity with ethical standards and socially responsible behavior.
- Effective written, oral, and interpersonal communication.
- Preparation for employment and further education.
Curriculum
What you'll study
120 credit hours in three parts. Statistics and General Psychology count toward both the SVU Core and the major, so the parts add up to 120.
SVU Core
The shared foundation of an SVU education: a first-year seminar, writing, philosophy and literature, the American republic, civilizations, mathematics, life and physical science with a lab, language and culture, fine arts, social science, health, and physical activity.
Psychology major
Four core courses, three courses each on the biological and social bases of behavior, and two upper-division electives.
Electives
Open credits to explore other interests, or to add a minor or a second major.
The psychology major
Major core · 12 hours
Take all four.
- MAT 221 Statistics · 3 credits
- PSY 105 General Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 290 Research Methods · 3 credits
- PSY 450 History and Systems · 3 credits
Biological bases of behavior · 9 hours
Take three of these four.
- PSY 330 Cognitive Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 333 Learning and Behavior · 3 credits
- PSY 342 Sensation and Perception · 3 credits
- PSY 350 Behavioral Neuroscience · 3 credits
Social bases of behavior · 9 hours
Take three of these four.
- PSY 230 Lifespan Development · 3 credits
- PSY 320 Social Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 345 Abnormal Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 355 Theories of Personality · 3 credits
Major electives · 6 hours
Take two more 300- or 400-level psychology courses. A fourth course from the biological or social block also counts.
- PSY 310 Cultural Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 323 Industrial/Organizational Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 325 Psychology of Leadership · 3 credits
- PSY 327 Psychology of Humor · 3 credits
- PSY 335 Positive Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 340 Performance and Sports Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 348 Psychology of Addiction · 3 credits
- PSY 375R Topics in Psychology · variable credits
- PSY 399R Internship/Practicum · variable credits
- PSY 420 Psychopharmacology · 3 credits
- PSY 430 Experimental Methods · 3 credits
- PSY 440 Counseling Psychology · 3 credits
- PSY 475R Senior Topics in Psychology · variable credits
- PSY 499 Internship/Practicum · variable credits
Select a course to read its catalog description. All major courses carry 3 credits except topics courses and internships, which vary.
SVU Core requirements
| Requirement | Course options | Credits | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Becoming a Knight | SVU 101 | 3 | Freshman year |
| Freshman Writing | WRI 120 | 3 | Freshman year |
| Philosophy | LIB 110 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| American Republic | LIB 120 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Literature | LIB 130 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Civilization I | ART 210, HIS 210, HUM 210, PHI 210, or POL 210 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Civilization II | ART 215, HIS 215, HUM 215, MUS 215, PHI 215, POL 215, or THE 215 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Mathematics | MAT 221 (required for the major) | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Life Science | BIO 114, 126, 201, 212, or 228 | 3–4 | By sophomore year |
| Physical Science | CHE 114 or 201; PHY 114, 117, 126, or 201 | 3–4 | By sophomore year |
| Culture and Language 1 | HUM 235 or a foreign language course (or an approved equivalency exam) | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Culture and Language 2 | HUM 235 or a foreign language course (or an approved equivalency exam) | 3 | Any year |
| Fine Arts | ART 120, 121, or 263; ENG 220; MUS 108, 129R, 139R, 221, 256R, 259R, 275R, or 350R; THE 110, 206, or 230R/330R | 3 | Any year |
| Social Sciences | PSY 105 (required for the major) | 3 | Any year |
| Health and Wellness | PER 143 | 2 | Any year |
| Physical Activity 1–3 | Three activity courses from PER 100–199, 231, 232, or 259R | 0.5–1 each | Any year |
| Advanced Writing | WRI 320 | 3 | Junior year |
One of the two science courses must include a lab; BIO 126, PHY 117, and PHY 126 have no lab. The Core's 51 credits is its maximum: a few requirements range from half a credit to four, and general electives make up the balance to 120.
Getting started
How your first semesters work
Every bachelor's student starts with the same core classes in the first few semesters, along with a few introductory classes related to their major.
Apply and enroll
Once you're admitted and enrolled, we place you in your first semester of classes, so you don't have to build a schedule on your own.
Make changes if you need to
Look over the classes you've been assigned. If something doesn't work for you, you can make changes.
Keep building your foundation
Your first few semesters are mostly the same core classes every SVU student takes, plus a few introductory classes in your major.
Transferring in credit?
If you're a transfer student, you'll choose the classes that make sense for you, and you'll work with an advisor to plan the rest of your degree.
Graduation requirements
To earn the B.A. in Psychology, you must:
- Complete at least 120 credit hours, with at least 60 credits, or your last 30 credits before graduation, at Southern Virginia University. No more than 9 credits of internship courses count.
- Complete all requirements of the SVU Core.
- Complete all requirements of at least one major.
- Earn a minimum 2.00 GPA on all coursework taken at the university.
- Comply with all university standards, regulations, and procedures from matriculation through graduation.
Take PSY 450 History and Systems within one year of graduating.
How you'll learn
Your professor, personally.
SVU courses are taught through the Asynchronous Video Learning Model, designed to keep the teacher at the center of the experience.
Watch how it works
Lessons, presentations, and feedback are all recorded and submitted, so everyone takes part on their own schedule.
Read the video transcript
- How SVU Online works: online, but never anonymous.
- The professor creates videos to teach and demonstrate the subject matter.
- You watch it on your own schedule.
- You record your own video presentation and submit it.
- Your professor watches when it suits them.
- Your professor records personalized video feedback.
- You watch feedback made just for you.
- Teaching assistants record personalized video posts, too.
- They keep in touch with you throughout the course.
- You record a video post for your classmates.
- They watch and respond on their own time.
- Your classmate records a reply.
- You get to know each other through video.
- SVU Online, Southern Virginia University.
Watch
Your professor teaches through recorded, highly structured lessons.
Present
You record and submit video presentations, practicing what you are learning out loud.
Be seen
Your professor often responds to critical work with personalized, learning-centered feedback in video format. Teaching assistants also send personalized video posts to continually stay in touch with students.
Learn together
You exchange video responses with classmates, so discussion stays human.
Your first semester includes SVU 101, where you learn the tools and habits of successful online study: the Canvas learning platform, the online library, and the assessment tools your courses use.
What you'll need
The basics for learning on video.
Your courses are recorded and submitted online, so you will need a few basics.
A computer
A laptop or desktop computer. At a minimum, a tablet.
A camera
An embedded camera or an external webcam, for recording video assignments and video feedback to other students.
Screen recording
The ability to record your screen (a screencast) for some assignments.
Support
You won't be doing this alone.
Library
Online students have the same access as on-campus students to the Von Canon Library: electronic databases, interlibrary loan, and reference services through SVU single sign-on.
A team behind every course
The Office of Online Operations supports students and faculty, and every course has teaching assistants and instructional support staff working alongside your professor.
Accessibility
Students with disabilities can request accommodations through SVU's Accommodation Request Form, and the same accommodation process applies to online courses.
Enrollment
From application to your first class
The steps from applying to starting your first semester.
- Apply
- Receive access to submit forms for the application process
- Receive acceptance confirmation
- Pay deposit
- Receive registration confirmation
- Select classes for the semester
- Start learning as the semester starts
Admissions
Who can apply
- First-year applicants are expected to have a 2.5 grade point average at any high school previously attended.
- Homeschooled students can submit homeschool transcripts or a portfolio of schoolwork showing variety and depth of study.
- Students who begin before finishing high school show evidence of readiness in writing and mathematics.
- Applicants who do not meet the minimum academic standard may be considered for provisional admission following further review and an interview.
- Students with prior college credit have it evaluated under SVU's standard transfer credit policy.
Cost
Tuition
$348 per credit hour.
Federal financial aid and VA benefits can be used
Eligible students can use federal financial aid, such as Federal Pell Grants and Federal Direct Loans, to pay for tuition in this program. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see what you qualify for.
Eligible veterans, service members, and family members can also use VA education benefits, such as the GI Bill, to help pay for this program.
Questions? Talk with an Admissions Counselor.
Start your application, or talk with our team about whether this program is the right fit.
Apply Now