People are drawn to the psychology field for many reasons. You might want to help people who struggle with depression, in their marriages, or at school or work. Or you may want to understand how people think and behave in the workplace, then advise companies on how to best manage employee relations. Whatever your career goals are, an online associate degree in psychology is a great place to start.
To help you start your search for a quality program, we have compiled the following list of the best schools offering associate degrees in psychology online based on characteristics that are most important to most prospective students, including affordability, accreditation, and flexible study schedules. Learn more about today’s top programs below, then continue reading to learn more about what you can expect from an online associate degree in psychology.
Top Online Associate Degrees in Psychology for 2024
We have ranked the top schools below. Our Rankings Data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES.) Click the About the Ranking link below for more information about our methodology.
- Create List of Eligible Schools and Programs
- Institutional accreditation from an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- At least one program in the subject area offered partially or fully online.
- Assign Weightings
- Number of online programs in subject area reported by school to the U.S. Department of Education. Because exact numbers change often and can be difficult to verify, we use a range-based scoring system: 0-5 online programs = 1 star; 6-10 = 2 stars; 11-15 = 3 stars; 16-20 = 4 stars; 21+ = 5 stars. In our design, laptop icons = stars.
- For degree-specific pages, ex: Psychology degrees, we list the current number of online programs available at that school for that degree type, as self-reported by the schools.
- Cost – Relative cost of attendance compared to peer schools on the list. Based on tuition and fees per academic year.
- Students w/ Institutional Aid – Percentage of students who receive financial aid from the school itself.
- Academic Counseling – Existence of this service on campus or online.
- Career Placement – Existence of this service on campus or online.
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Great Bend, KSPublic $
Students curious about the human brain and how it works will appreciate the online associate in science psychology program from Barton Community College. One of the benefits of earning this degree is that its curriculum can be completed 100% online. Besides being able to take classes from home, work, or anywhere else there’s an internet connection, the classes are largely offered asynchronously, meaning students can work at their own pace as long as their weekly assignment are completed on time. Another advantage of this online psychology program is that it’s set up so students can seamlessly transfer to a four-year bachelor’s degree program in psychology or psychology education.
Program Highlights:
AS in Psychology
- Credits: 60
- Length: About two years
- Cost: $155.00/credit
- Mode: Fully online
- Accreditation: HLC
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
18/1
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Houston, TXPublic $
The Houston Community College Associate in Science Psychology program is specifically designed for students who hope to graduate and transfer to a four-year college or university and earn their bachelor’s degree. But what’s great about this program is that its curriculum isn’t just made for future psychology majors. It’s also ideal for anyone looking to get a bachelor’s degree in a science, mathematics, health, engineering, or natural science field. This gives students the opportunity to learn about the fascinating field of psychology, yet have the flexibility to switch majors later on in their college career. This program makes learning flexible by offering almost all of the coursework online, so students barely have to set foot on campus.
Program Highlights:
AS in Psychology
- Credits: 60
- Length: About two years
- Cost: $84.50/credit (in-district); $227.00/credit (out-of-state)
- Mode: Partially online
- Accreditation: SACSCOC
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
18/1
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Tulsa, OKPublic $
The Associate in Arts Psychology program offered from Tulsa Community College teaches students about various topics of the human mind, including psychological disorders, personality theories, human motivation, research skills, and human learning. In addition to offering most of the curriculum online, this program has a special police officer track where psychology graduates can earn their degree from Tulsa Community College, transfer to OSU Tulsa to finish their college learning, then immediately begin their police training at the Tulsa Police Academy. And if a career in law enforcement isn’t of interest, students can still transfer to a traditional four-year college or university.
Program Highlights:
AA in Psychology
- Credits: 60
- Length: About two years
- Cost: $116.55/credit (in-state); $341.55/credit (out-of-state)
- Mode: Partially online
- Accreditation: HLC
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
20/1
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Mesa, AZPublic $
As its name implies, the Associate in Arts Emphasis in Counseling and Applied Psychological Science is a very specialized program at Mesa Community College. Specifically, the mostly online curriculum is designed for individuals who want to work as a counselor and/or in the applied psychological science field. It’s also ideal for students who want to earn a graduate degree in counseling or similar specialization. Because of the goals of this program, graduates will not be eligible for licensing as professional counselor after they graduate. However, they’ll still learn about relevant topics, such as counseling skills, cultural sensitivity, psychological theories, research, and ethical considerations when counseling others.
Program Highlights:
AA Emphasis in Counseling and Applied Psychological Science
- Credits: 60 to 64
- Length: Varies
- Cost: $241.00/credit
- Mode: Partially online
- Accreditation: HLC
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
16/1
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Casper, WYPublic $
The online Associate of Science in Psychology program from Casper College is a hybrid program, combining online classwork with hand-on experience. Therefore, students should expect to take at least some of their courses on campus. To enhance the learning experience, students will enjoy small class sizes and personal attention from their professors. The curriculum has been set up so that students can continue their education to earn a bachelor’s degree, such as from the University of Wyoming at Casper. Students will also obtain a solid foundation in psychology topics that’ll prepare them for a future career in addition counseling or school psychology.
Program Highlights:
AA in Psychology
- Credits: 60
- Length: About two years
- Cost: $147.00/credit (in-state); $357.00/credit (out-of-state)
- Mode: Partially online
- Accreditation: HLC
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
14/1
-
Alvin, TXPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
12/1
-
El Dorado, KSPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
17/1
-
Tishomingo, OKPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
17/1
-
Brockton, MAPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
14/1
-
Norfolk, NEPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
18/1
-
Wesson, MSPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
20/1
-
Corsicana, TXPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
22/1
-
Lansing, MIPublic $$
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
12/1
-
Bethlehem, PAPublic $$
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
16/1
-
Newtown, PAPublic $$
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
15/1
-
Rochester, NYPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
19/1
-
Ridgecrest, CAPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
24/1
-
Reading, PAPublic $$
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
19/1
-
Fountain Valley, CAPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
31/1
-
Canandaigua, NYPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
23/1
-
San Antonio, TXPublic $$
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
31/1
-
Stockton, CAPublic $
Online Programs
1
Academic Counseling
Yes
Career Placement
Yes
Student/Faculty Ratio
37/1
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Base Methodology for OnlineColleges.me’s 2024 Online College Rankings
To be eligible for this ranking, schools were required to meet the following criteria based on government data provided by The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
After creating the list of eligible schools, OnlineColleges.me data scientists assigned weights and ranked schools based on a mix of affordability, support services, and online program availability metrics. Online program availability and overall affordability metrics received the heaviest weightings.
Online Program Availability
Affordability
Support Services
About Our Data
OnlineColleges.me’s rankings use the latest official data available from The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Most recent data pull: January of 2024
What You’ll Take Away from Your Online Psychology Associate Degree
To earn a regional accreditation, schools offering online associate degrees in psychology are required to teach certain skills that professionals are expected to know. So every program must meet certain as represented in the curriculum. Although every school will have specific goals for its students, the following are some common outcomes you can find in accredited online psychology associate degree programs.
Psychology Application Skills
From behaviorism to social psychology to human development, the psychology field contains many different schools of psychological thought and theories. As you work through your school’s curriculum, you will learn a variety of psychological concepts and how to apply them. This coursework will help you understand the frameworks you’ll use as a psychology professional.
Speaking Skills
Whether your ultimate career goal is to become a therapist, psychology researcher, professor, or consultant, you’ll need excellent speaking skill to convey your ideas. During your online psychology associate’s degree program, you’ll take classes that will strengthen your speaking skills, whether communicating in public or private settings.
Critical Thinking Skills
Many psychological theories are complex, so psychologists must have strong critical thinking skills in order to apply these theories in their careers. Critical thinking includes different skills like identifying and understand different arguments and perspectives, presenting your own arguments, and analyzing conflicting perspectives. In some cases, you may need to think and act quickly, so when you earn an associate’s degree in psychology online, you start to build a foundation for the critical thinking skills you’ll need to make an effective professional.
Listening Skills
When most people think of communication skills, they generally think about the ability to speak effectively. Although speaking effectively is important, listening is a vital communication skill. As you earn an online associate degree in psychology, you will learn how to listen to understand and obtain information. You also listen to learn. Learning to listen well is especially important if you plan to pursue therapy-related careers because you have to understand and synthesize your conversations with patients in order to help them.
Courses You Can Expect to Take in Your Online Psychology Associate Degree Program
The curriculum is the foundation of every online psychology associate degree program, and each program will offer different coursework options. But you can expect plenty of crossover in terms of general coursework. Psychology students are required to understand complex concepts and develop specialized skills, so the classes must give them the skills and knowledge they need. While each school that offers an online associate degree in psychology will have different classes, the following list provides a general idea of what coursework these programs offer.
Introduction to Psychology
In this course you’ll begin your online associate degree in psychology journey by building a foundation of knowledge. Psychology is the study of human minds and behavior. You’ll learn how human communicate, how they perceive each other, social behaviors, and emotions, so you’ll understand the basic principles of the field. You’ll also learn about the theorists who’ve helped shape the field of psychology. This includes the history of psychology, the different schools of psychological thought, and how psychology research is conducted.
Social Psychology
We are all individuals, but we are also part of a larger, interconnected society, so we’re all required to learn how to function within various social worlds. Social psychology courses apply scientific principles to study how human behavior changes when in the presence of other people. You’ll learn how people behave and interact with each other. This class can help students build their psychology application skills, as well as their critical thinking skills, and they’re general ability to understand how people operate within society. Specific topics you may covered in social psychology include prejudice, conflict, conformity, aggression, and leadership.
Abnormal Psychology
Psychology professionals work with people who experience a variety of mental health conditions. Abnormal psychology provides skills needed to conduct assessments, determine diagnoses, create and adjust treatment plans. Students will develop their psychology application skills in this course by learning about the different disorders professionals encounter in their work, such as schizophrenia, social anxiety, depression, and phobias. Course content also includes the factors that contribute to mental health conditions, including biological and environmental variables.
Counseling Psychology
Those who want to become counselors not only learn psychological theories and build critical thinking and psychology application skills to learn how counselors work. Students in this online psychology degree course learn the history of counseling, and the theories and research that are the foundation psychotherapy. Counseling psychology also covers legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements, so you’ll learn the industry’s best practices. And you may explore how counseling is handled internationally, around the world.
Developmental Psychology
This course teaches students how human minds develop throughout the lifespan, from early childhood to adolescence to later adulthood. Developmental psychology applies a scientific lens to how people change throughout their lives. These changes include developments in social and cognitive abilities. Specific topics covered in the class may include personality, attachment styles, death and bereavement, psychopathology, and perception.
Marriage and Family
For many, family is a rewarding aspect of their lives that also come with unique challenges. In marriage and family, you’ll learn theories that explain the complexity of family. When studying how people interact with their spouse and other family members, you can develop listening and speaking skills as you learn best practices for these interpersonal interactions. Some topics may cover include parenting, love, partnership, divorce, and conflict resolution. You’ll learn, too, about the factors that influence how couples and family members interact with each other, including culture and religion.
FAQs About Earning Your Psychology Associate Degree Online
Do you still have questions about earning an associate degree in psychology online? As you start researching schools, you can look up common questions students have about earning an associate degree in psychology online. We’ll make that easy for you by answering a few of the common questions people ask about the online associate’s degree in psychology.
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Can I earn my associate degree in psychology 100% online?
Yes. Many programs not only offer degrees completely online, students in asynchronous programs can to watch lectures during times that are most convenient for them and, in some cases, complete classwork at their own pace. However, if you prefer to attend classes at the same time as the rest of your peers, you can enroll in a synchronous program, which provides traditional lectures at a scheduled time.
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What career paths can an associate degree in psychology lead to?
Every student who enrolls in an online associate degree in psychology program has different career goals. The field is vast enough that there are many paths graduates can take. If you’re thinking about entering the workforce right after graduation, the following are some positions you can qualify for with an online psychology associate degree.
- Psychiatric Nursing Assistant
- Psychiatric Aide
- Youth Counselor
- Probation Officer
- Human Service Assistant
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What accreditation should I look for in an online associate psychology program?
Accreditation is the seal of approval that tells students a school has been properly vetted for providing a high-quality education. As a result, when looking for associate degrees in psychology online, you should only consider schools that have received regional accreditation from agencies like the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the Higher Learning Commission, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
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What does the admissions process look like?
In order to be admitted into an online associate degree in psychology, you need to have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Your program may also require you to have a minimum 2.0 grade point average and prove proficiency in English by submitting scores for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam (TOEFL). Keep in mind, however, that each degree program has different admissions standards, so it’s important to check the requirements of each school that interests you.
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How much does an online associate degree in psychology cost?
An online associate degree in psychology can be a cost-effective way to start your career because online schools generally charge less than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. But these programs can still vary widely in terms of tuition and fees. For example, the online associate’s degree in psychology programs at California Coast University charges $170 per credit, students at Ashworth College pay $1,499 per semester, and Regent University students are charged $450 per credit if they attend part time and $395 per credit if they attend full time.
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How long does it take to earn an associate degree in psychology online?
An online associate degree in psychology generally takes two years to complete if you enroll as a full-time student. However, depending on the program you enroll in, you might complete the degree in as little as one-and-a-half years if you’re full-time. If, like many online students, you want to work full-time while you learn, you can enroll part-time. Part-time students sometimes spend twice as long in their programs as full-time students.
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Are there any specialization options for psychology degrees at the associate level?
Specializations offered for online psychology associate degrees are a great way to gain extra skills in a specific area of the field you’re interested in. Some schools may allow you to specialize in the following subjects:
- Developmental Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Abnormal Psychology
- Biological Psychology
While all online psychology programs offer the same core courses, not every program offers the same specializations. So thoroughly research each program to ensure the one you enroll in meets your needs.
Job Demand and Salary Outlook with Your Associate Degree in Psychology
Like many students who earn online psychology degrees, you might sometimes wonder whether you’ll find gainful employment after earning your degree. Salary details may be on your mind, too. The following table includes information on some of the jobs people can qualify for after earning an associate degree in psychology online, as well as projected job growth, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Career | Median Annual Earnings (2021) | Job Growth (2021-2031) |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatric Technicians and Aides | $36,230 | 9% |
| Social and Human Service Assistants | $37,610 | 12% |
| Teacher Assistants | $29,360 | 5% |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics