After a long journey across the “Empire State,” we’ve finally reached the last segment of bachelor’s in psychology degree programs in New York. Finish your search by considering these undergraduate majors offered by colleges at the end of the alphabet (V-Z).
Vassar College
Psychological Science Department
Established in 1861 among the elite Seven Sisters, Vassar College is a private, co-educational liberal arts institution rooted in the values of “Purity and Wisdom” to educate over 2,400 students from its sprawling 1,000-acre suburban campus in Poughkeepsie within New York’s regal Hudson Valley. Ranked #1 nationally for “Best Financial Aid” by the Princeton Review, Vassar is crowned America’s 12nd best liberal arts college, fifth top value, and 10th best school for veterans by the U.S. News. Forbes magazine recognized Vassar for producing the country’s 27th most grateful grads. The Psychological Science Department develops in-depth knowledge of brain and behavior with an impressive 96 percent retention rate.
B.S. in Psychology
Undergraduates pursuing Vassar’s B.S. in Psychology program receive an extraordinarily broad education covering the entire spectrum of human cognition and behavior. This program was famously created by Margaret Floy Washburn, the first American female to receive a PhD in psychology, in 1911. The 120-credit curriculum follows the APA’s guidelines for introducing students to various subfields, including biopsychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, experimental design, and cross-cultural psychology. State-of-the-art labs have recently been updated in the New England Building under Vassar College’s Integrated Science Initiative. Students could also research child development at the Wimpfheimer Nursery School for the required senior thesis. Other opportunities include joining the Psychology Majors Committee and pledging Psi Chi.
B.S. in Cognitive Science
As the United States’ oldest degree-granting program of its kind, the B.S. in Cognitive Science allows Vassar students to explore the human mind and intelligence. Since 1982, the program has combined theories and methodologies with real-world lab experience to prepare young cognitive scientists for graduate school. The 120-credit curriculum focuses on mental phenomena, but offers elective paths for human-machine communication, decision making, animal intelligence, and linguistics. B.S. students can participate in Vassar’s Robotics Design Competition. Students also complete studies in the Scientific Visualization Computer Lab with biology and computing majors. Every student culminates with a year-long senior thesis, which may address topics like memory loss, ADHD, art perception, and more.
B.S. in Neuroscience
Another course of study for budding psychologists at Vassar College is the research-based B.S. in Neuroscience. Consisting of 120 total credits, the program investigates how the brain, body, and environment interrelate for determining animal, including human, behavior. Students benefit from ample opportunity to engage in student-faculty experiments in the New England Building. A range of empirical models are introduced, from evolutionary and molecular to physiological and social. Graduates often utilize the B.S. to springboard into graduate psychology programs or medical school. Neuroscience classes begin during the freshman year to avoid wasting time. Students complete independent research and often present at the Vassar College URSI Symposium. Honors is available for majors maintaining a minimum 3.6 GPA.
Accreditation
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
New England Building 104
124 Raymond Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
(845) 437-7366
psychology@vassar.edu
Program Link
Wagner College
Social Sciences Division
Enrolling a close-knit community of around 2,200, Wagner College is a small private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1883 on a 105-acre urban atop Staten Island’s Grymes Hill overlooking the beautiful New York City skyline. Honored with the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award, Wagner is ranked the North’s 26th best regional college and 20th top school for veterans by the U.S. News. According to the Brookings Institution, Wagner is America’s sixth highest “value added” college. Within the Social Sciences Division, students can tailor the Wagner Plan for anthropology, economics, politics, psychology, or sociology.
B.A. in Psychology
The B.A. in Psychology program at Wagner grants a skills-based major for undergraduates to engage in experimentation studying the mind, behavior, and social interaction. The generalist degree develops upon the 36-unit liberal arts core to fine-tune critical thinking, writing, speaking, and problem-solving skills. Students complete at least 11 units in psychology coursework, including statistics. For capstone, majors participate in the Senior Learning Community, which features 100 hours of fieldwork and an independent study project. Research must be approved by Wagner’s own Human Experimentation Review Board (HERB). Internship placements are available at agencies like Freedom From Fear, Staten Island University Hospital, and Seamen’s Society for Children & Families. There’s also a Psychology/Childhood Education Dual Major.
B.S. in Biopsychology
Within the Biological Sciences Department, the B.S. in Biopsychology program is offered to Wagner students seeking scientific instruction on the relationship between physiology and psychology. Undergraduates complete the same liberal arts core, but then deviate to focus on the neural mechanisms that affect behavior and cognition, including mental illness. The B.S. major requires at least 14 units in biology, psychology, chemistry, experimental biology, and neurobiology. Students also complete the Senior Learning Community with hands-on research. Wagner offers invaluable resources in the Megerle Science Building and Electron Microscopy Center. Students could also join the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society. Graduates have excelled in further study at Boston University, University of Maryland, Adelphi University, and more.
Accreditation
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
Parker Hall Room 110
1 Campus Road
Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 390-3311
mwagner@wagner.edu
Program Link
Wells College
Department of Psychology
Nestled on a 301-acre rural campus in Aurora on the eastern shoreline of Cayuga Lake just 60 minutes from Syracuse, Wells College educates around 600 students as the sister private, co-educational liberal arts school to Cornell University. Ranked 30th in Washington Monthly for civic engagement, Wells was crowned America’s 136th top liberal arts college by the U.S. News. With a student-faculty ratio of 11:1, Wells was also included in the publication’s list for “Great Schools, Great Price.” The Department of Psychology employs experienced PhD-level faculty to cultivate students’ appreciation for human diversity as ethical global citizens.
Psychology Major
At Wells College, the Psychology Major was created to build students’ knowledge of brain science and mental health to pursue varied careers devoted to achieving a just world. Students broaden their understanding on how people think and act to throw open professional doors. Unlike most schools, Wells requires psychology majors take at least one environmental sustainability course too. The 36-credit major starts with general psychology before progressing to social, clinical, biological, and cognitive disciplines. Students are required to complete a semester-long internship at placements like Hillside Children’s Center, Unity House of Cayuga County, and Sexual Assault Victims Advocate Resources (SAVAR). Majors are also encouraged to develop cross-cultural awareness in the off-campus program at Scotland’s University of Stirling.
Accreditation
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
Zabriskie Hall Room 308
170 Main Street
Aurora, NY 13026
(315) 364-3266
dgagnon@wells.edu
Program Link
Yeshiva College
Department of Psychology
Founded in 1886 as the United States’ first institute of Jewish scholarship, Yeshiva College is the undergraduate division of the private, nonprofit university endowed for $1.1 billion to educate more than 6,400 students from a main 300-acre urban campus in bustling New York City. Honored by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as the 32nd best private value, Yeshiva is ranked the 52nd best national university and 42nd top college for veterans by the U.S. News. Forbes magazine also gave Yeshiva an “A-” as America’s 88th best research producer. The Department of Psychology embraces the traditions of modern Orthodox Judaism to produce professional practitioners for mental health fields.
B.A. in Psychology
Housed in Belfer Hall on the Washington Heights Campus, Yeshiva’s B.A. in Psychology program introduces the fundamental methods utilized by psychologists to study behavior, thought, and language. Emphasis is placed on the skills required to apply psychological theory in solving individual, group, and societal issues. Students will complete the YC Core curriculum, including Jewish studies, before declaring the 37-credit major. Required courses include statistics, research methods, cognitive psychology, personality, abnormal psychology, child development, and psychobiology. With faculty mentors, seniors complete research in cutting-edge facilities like the Experimental Semiotics Lab. High-achieving students could earn selective internships with the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. There’s also an 18-credit Psychology Minor for other Yeshiva students.
Joint B.A./M.A. Psychology Program
Qualified upperclassmen at Yeshiva have the valuable opportunity to pursue the Joint B.A./M.A. Psychology program with the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. Students complete the same aforementioned degree at an accelerated rate to begin master’s courses in their senior year. The Master of Arts program focuses on applying psychological principles for mental health counseling to meet New York’s growing demand. Students complete both degrees in five years, instead of the usual seven. Yeshiva College is approved to prepare graduates for the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) exam. Graduates shorten the 60-credit M.A. curriculum with courses like group therapy, psychopathology, lifestyle development, individual appraisal, and multicultural diversity. Three supervised field placements are required with licensed counselors.
Accreditation
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Contact
500 West 185th Street
New York, NY 10033
(212) 960-5400 ext. 5910
acohen11@yu.edu
Program Link
Majoring in psychology can prepare you for graduate study to break ground on new mental health treatments, contribute to cognitive science, and teach students about behavior. But skills gained in psychology programs can help segue into other career frontiers too. The NCES reports that 40 percent of college freshmen take an introductory psychology course. More than 110,000 bachelor’s degrees are awarded in psychology each year. These psychologically literate graduates use their gained mind-reading skills to better understand people in assorted fields from social work to marketing. Interest in psychology majors remains robust because of its flexibility and fascinating focus. If you’re intrigued by how human behavior is studied, dissected, and corrected, these bachelor’s in psychology degree programs in New York could be perfect for you.
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