Psychology Program Overview
Finish your bachelor’s degree online while building skills employers actually want. Our online Bachelor of Arts in Psychology is flexible, affordable, and designed for students who want options, not pressure.
Key Benefits:
- Transfer up to 90 credits
- 100% online with accelerated 8-week courses
- Career-relevant skills you can use right away
- A strong foundation for work or graduate study
A 21st-Century Degree
Psychology isn’t just about therapy. It’s about understanding how people think, decide, communicate, and behave: skills that matter in nearly every industry.
From healthcare and education to business, criminal justice, and marketing, psychology helps organizations solve real-world problems by understanding people first.
Employers don’t just hire majors—they hire skills. Here’s what our online Bachelor of Arts in Psychology graduates bring to the table:
- Research and information literacy
- Professional and written communication
- Data collection and interpretation
- Understanding motivation, behavior, and decision-making
- Ethical reasoning and critical thinking
- Application of psychological insights in real settings
With the skills, knowledge, and experience you’ll gain in this program, you’ll remain competitive and perform better in the helping professions, corporate roles, and beyond.
Choose Your Psychology Focus Area
While psychology is a broad field, UTPB allows you to tailor your coursework through career-aligned focus areas, without locking you into a single path.
Available focus areas include:
- Clinical Psychology – foundations for mental health and human services
- Developmental Psychology – ideal for education and youth-focused roles
- Forensic Psychology – where psychology meets criminal justice
- Health Psychology – understanding behavior in healthcare and wellness settings
These focus areas add career-relevant dept to your degree.
What Our Graduates Are Doing
Our BA in psychology graduates use their sought-after communication, research, and critical-thinking skills in roles across a variety of industries.
Below are just a few of the companies where our BA in psychology graduates work:
- Dell
- USAA
- Texas Health and Human Services
- PayPal
- Federal Reserve Bank
- MD Anderson Cancer Center
Careers Where These Skills Apply
With an online BA in psychology from The University of Texas Permian Basin, you’ll build foundational knowledge that can help you thrive in countless roles, including:
Students must complete 42 credits from the following areas of study to complete general education requirements: communication (ENGL 1301 & 1302); language, philosophy, and culture (3 credits - ENGL 2322, ENGL 2323, ENGL 2327, ENGL 2328, COMM 1301, or PHIL 2300); American history (HIST 1301 & HIST 1302); political science (PLSC 2305 & PLSC 2306); life/physical science ( 8 credits - BIOL 1306/1106, BIOL 1308/1108 or A & P with lab, and a second life/physical science with lab); mathematics (MATH 1314, MATH 1324, MATH 1332, or MATH 2412); creative arts (ARTS 1301, DRAM 1310, MUSI 1306, or MUSI 1301); social/behavioral science (SOCI 1301, ECON 2301, or ECON 2302); COMM 1315; component area option ( 1 credit, if MATH is 3 credits - COMM 1115 or ENGL 2323).
13 credits minimum (5 courses).
15 credits (5 courses). Each student is required to take at least one course from five pairs of courses: PSYC 3303 or PSYC 4311; PSYC 3311 or PSYC 4306; PSYC 3321 or PSYC 4351; PSYC 4307 or PSYC 3344; PSYC 4302 or PSYC 4304. PSYC 1301 is a prerequisite for all upper-level PSYC courses.
9 credits (3 courses). If the student completed extra courses under the "courses within pairs of courses" section, then the extra courses may be counted as an elective.
A minimum of 18 credits are required for the minor chosen in consultation with the major advisor, at least 12 credits of which must be junior/senior. Psychology majors cannot have a minor in Child and Family Studies.
Admission Requirements
The SAT and ACT Exams are optional. Test scores will be used as supporting documents to determine admission and scholarship opportunities.
Transfer Student Admission Requirements
- Minimum of 24 transferable credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university
- GPA of 2.0 or higher in previous college-level coursework
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Dual-credit high school courses must be included
- Completed application
Use our transfer calculator to find out how your classes will transfer to UT Permian Basin and which classes will count toward your degree.
Incoming Freshman Admission Requirements
If you have completed less than 24 hours of transferable college-level work from a regionally accredited college or university after graduating from high school or receiving your GED, please provide the following:
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (including dual-credit work while in high school)
- Official high school transcript showing GPA, class rank, and expected graduation date or GED scores
- SAT and/or ACT scores from within the last five years (see below for minimum score requirements)
- Completed application
Official Transcripts
Official copies of transcripts must come directly from the school in a sealed envelope and should be mailed to:
UT Permian Basin
Office of Admissions
4901 E. University Blvd.
Odessa, TX 79762
Official transcripts in electronic format can be sent to admissions@utpb.edu.
Minimum Score Requirements for Freshman Admission
| High School Graduation Class Rank | SAT | ACT |
| Top 25% | No minimum score | No minimum score |
| 2nd Quarter | 1020 | 20 |
| 3rd Quarter | 1160 | 24 |
| 4th Quarter | 1280 | 27 |
Application Fee
The application fee is $40.
If you are a freshman applicant, you may request a fee waiver when you apply by sending us your official college application fee waiver form provided by the SAT or ACT. You may also request a fee waiver if the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) listed on your Student Aid Report is zero.
Faculty Bios
Clinical Teaching Specialist
College of Health Sciences
Department of Psychology
rathbun_s@utpb.edu
Contact Professor Rathbun with inquiries regarding the online psychology program.
Assistant Dean of Student Wellness and Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
ausmus_j@utpb.edu
Assistant Professor
College of Health Sciences
Department of Psychology
benoit_t@utpb.edu
Professor
College of Health Sciences
Department of Psychology
carlston_d@utpb.edu
Associate Professor
College of Health Sciences
Department of Psychology
chen_w@utpb.edu
Director of Counseling and Psychological Services
Lecturer
Department of Psychology
collier_t@utpb.edu
Assistant Professor
College of Health Sciences
Department of Psychology
effiong_j@utpb.edu
Visiting Lecturer
Department of Psychology
gonzales_t@utpb,edu
Department Chair Human Performance, Department Chair Biology, Interim Department Chair Psychology, Director of Joint Admission Medical Program, and Associate Professor
College of Health Sciences
Department of Biology
Department of Human Performance
Department of Psychology
lee_ji@utpb.edu
Graduate Program Coordinator, Professor
College of Health Sciences
Department of Psychology
olson_j@utpb.edu
Click here to read more about Dr. Olson and his experience with UT Permian Basin's psychology program.
Lecturer of Psychology
College of Health Sciences
Department of Psychology
piper_c@utpb.edu
Administrative Assistant II
College of Health Sciences
Department of Biology
Department of Psychology
richter_h@utpb.edu
