A bachelor's degree in psychology is the foundational undergraduate degree for someone pursuing a career in any of the many areas of psychology. The degree normally takes four years to complete and provides students with a broad education of the many specialized fields of the subject. The psychology major can usually be completed as either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree.
The B.A. normally surveys the broad spectrum of the field while the B.S. usually incorporates options in business and science.
While some colleges and universities refer to their psychology degree simply as a degree in Social Sciences, some schools, like Penn State, offer a separate degree in Psychology and Social Sciences. Programs like this are often interdisciplinary, aiming incorporate specializations of psychology and field work into the degree program. In addition to the pursuit of a graduate education, these cross-disciplinary degrees help prepare students for careers in business administration, mental health and social work or human resources.
An associate degree in psychology is an option for students who either want to complete a degree in less than the standard four years, or who might need a lesser degree to qualify them for their desired career. Associate degrees do not qualify students for the same jobs as bachelor's degrees. An associate degree in psychology can prepare you for entry-level work as a psychiatric aide or assistant, case technician, mental health worker, assistant or advocate, psychiatric nursing assistant or youth counselor.
Some universities now offer bachelor's degrees in specialized areas of psychology to better prepare students for graduate study as well as entry-level work and teaching. The University of Massachusetts Boston, for example, offers a Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology, which focuses on small group dynamics and allows for mobility across the various thresholds that separate aspects of the field.