2027 Online BA in Psychology - Mental Health vs. a BS in Health Psychology: Compare Curriculum, Cost, and Career Fit
Audited and Verified:
Our Editorial and Data Verification Process
Research.com uses government datasets, official education statistics and primary institutional information to support its career and degree guides. Our review process checks factual accuracy, occupational definitions, source dates and the requirements associated with the credentials discussed.
How This Article Was Fact-Checked
Our editorial team verifies salary estimates, employment projections, education requirements and program information against original data providers and official organizations. Salary figures are checked against the relevant occupational definitions and reporting periods. Information about licensure, accreditation and required in-person training is reviewed separately.
Fact-checked and verified on:
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
An online BA in psychology with a mental health focus and a BS in health psychology can lead toward different kinds of work, even though both study behavior. One may emphasize mental health and support services; the other may give more attention to physical health, prevention, and research. If you are choosing between them, the important differences are not the letters on the diploma alone. This comparison explains what to check in each curriculum, what either degree may cost, and which path better supports your intended job or graduate program.
Key Things You Should Know
- Choose by coursework and target role, not BA versus BS alone: a mental health focus usually fits behavioral-health support better, while health psychology may fit prevention, patient education, or health research.
- Many U.S. bachelor's degrees require about 120 semester credits, but transfer decisions, course sequencing, and part-time enrollment determine your actual time and cost.
- Neither bachelor's degree independently qualifies you to diagnose conditions or provide psychotherapy; compare the additional credentials required for any regulated role before enrolling.
What Is the Difference Between an Online BA in Psychology and a BS in Health Psychology?
A psychology BA with a mental health focus typically combines a broad psychology major with courses on psychological disorders, development, and mental health services. A BS in health psychology typically examines how behavior and social conditions relate to physical health, illness management, and prevention. These are tendencies, not standardized degree definitions: schools decide what their BA, BS, major, and concentration names mean.
The table identifies differences worth testing against actual degree plans. A school may offer a broad psychology BS with health electives rather than a separately awarded BS in health psychology.
| Comparison point | BA in psychology, mental health focus | BS in health psychology |
| Likely emphasis | Mental health concepts, development, and service systems | Behavior, physical health, prevention, and healthcare contexts |
| Potentially distinctive coursework | Psychopathology, counseling theories, or community mental health | Health behavior, biological foundations, or epidemiology-related electives |
| Methods preparation | Statistics and research methods, with depth varying by school | Statistics and research methods, sometimes with additional science requirements |
| Credential outcome | Psychology bachelor's degree, not a clinical license | Psychology-related bachelor's degree, not a clinical license |
Look at the required courses rather than assuming every BA is less quantitative or every BS provides stronger research preparation. To compare actual schools and formats, use online psychology degree program comparisons as a starting point, then confirm each program's current catalog and degree audit.
Which Degree Better Fits a Career in Mental or Physical Health?
For entry-level work in behavioral-health outreach, intake, referrals, or recovery services, the mental health-focused BA may provide more immediately relevant subject matter. For health education support, prevention programs, patient-engagement projects, or research on health behavior, a health psychology BS may be the closer fit. Either choice still depends on the employer's requirements and your practical experience.
The distinction is less clear when a job spans both areas. Supporting people with chronic illness, for example, can involve health behavior and mental health concerns. Compare required courses, approved internships, and opportunities to learn data analysis and respectful client communication. If your specific goal is substance-use counseling, investigate state credential rules and planning affordable bachelor's-level substance abuse counseling study rather than assuming either psychology degree meets those rules.
If you want to deliver therapy, neither undergraduate focus is a shortcut. Start with the educational requirements for your intended profession and state; that may change which bachelor's degree or alternative major makes sense.
What Careers Can You Pursue With Each Psychology Bachelor's Degree?
Both degrees can support applications for nonclinical roles, but a degree title alone rarely establishes job eligibility. Employers may also seek relevant experience, documentation skills, background checks, or a separate credential. The examples below distinguish plausible starting points from the licensed work they do not authorize.
| Potential role | Relevant preparation | Important boundary |
| Behavioral-health or human-services assistant | Mental health coursework, communication, service coordination | Supports services under workplace policies; does not independently provide therapy |
| Recovery-support worker | Addiction-related study, community experience, referral knowledge | Peer or addiction credentials may be required by the state or employer |
| Health-program assistant | Health behavior, outreach, program documentation | Does not independently prescribe care or provide clinical advice |
| Research assistant | Statistics, methods, data handling, faculty or project experience | Research tasks depend on training, supervision, and data permissions |
A supervised project or internship can help you demonstrate what you can do: communicate appropriately, maintain records, analyze a dataset, or evaluate an outreach activity. For a closer look at nonclinical entry points in one field, explore jobs supporting addiction recovery and check each posting's actual credential requirements.
Expect substantial overlap in psychological science, statistics, research methods, development, and ethics. The useful comparison is what comes after that foundation. A mental health track may offer psychopathology and community-service electives; health psychology may emphasize biological processes, health behavior, prevention, or research in healthcare settings. Course names alone do not show depth, so compare prerequisites, assignments, and whether a desired elective is offered regularly online.
For graduate-school preparation, check whether either path provides the statistics, research experience, and prerequisite subjects required by your target program. If addiction is your main interest, compare the formal requirements and available electives against addiction psychology bachelor's curriculum options; an addiction course is not necessarily an official concentration or a counseling credential.
Ask how applied learning works online. An asynchronous lecture may still be paired with scheduled group work, a research meeting, or a locally arranged placement. Reading about assessment or treatment is academic preparation, not authorization to administer restricted tests or treat clients.
Check the institution's accreditation status with its recognized accreditor and confirm that the online degree is awarded by that institution. Institutional accreditation matters for matters such as federal financial-aid eligibility and how other schools may review coursework, but it does not guarantee transfer, graduate admission, or a professional license.
Do not reject a psychology BA or BS because it lacks American Psychological Association accreditation: APA accreditation does not generally apply to undergraduate psychology majors. Profession-specific recognition becomes more important when evaluating a later qualifying program. For example, accredited clinical mental health counseling completion pathways involve different program and state-licensure questions from those governing a psychology bachelor's degree.
Before paying a deposit, verify the exact credential on the school's current catalog, any required campus visits, and whether a proposed graduate program accepts its prerequisite coursework.
First-year applicants commonly submit evidence of secondary-school completion, while transfer applicants generally provide transcripts from every college attended. Schools may set separate rules for admission to the institution and entry into the psychology major. Requirements, deadlines, and any prerequisite courses must be checked with the specific program.
For a returning student, the decisive document is a written evaluation showing not just which credits are accepted, but which satisfy general education, psychology, statistics, methods, and remaining residency requirements. A previously completed course may transfer as elective credit without replacing a major requirement. Use planning a psychology degree with previous college study to prepare for that conversation, then request an official degree audit from each school you are seriously considering.
A bachelor's degree commonly totals about 120 semester credits, but that figure does not tell a transfer student how many credits remain. Full-time students entering without college credit often plan around four academic years; an accepted associate degree or other applicable credits may shorten the path. Part-time study, prerequisite sequencing, and courses offered only in certain terms can extend it.
Before choosing fast-track bachelor's study in psychology, ask for a term-by-term plan covering required courses, expected weekly workload, and any fixed-time meetings or placement hours. A shorter advertised timeline may rely on a heavier course load or substantial incoming credit that you do not have.
There is no responsible single price for these two degree types. Total cost depends on the school's tuition rate, the credits you must complete there, mandatory online or technology fees, materials, and any travel or unpaid placement obligations. A lower per-credit rate can still produce a higher bill if fewer of your previous courses apply to graduation.
Request an itemized estimate based on your remaining required credits, not the degree's advertised starting price. Compare the estimate with your likely enrollment pace and aid eligibility; part-time study can change both cash flow and the time you spend in school. For a broader cost checklist, consult planning a budget for an online psychology degree.
Neither degree has a single salary or job-growth rate. Pay and demand attach to occupations, locations, employers, and experience levels - not to everyone holding a psychology BA or health psychology BS. Compare openings for the specific roles in section 4, including their stated education and credential requirements, rather than treating a licensed psychologist's wage as a bachelor's-level outcome.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook is useful for checking the latest published median pay, projection period, and typical entry requirements for a named occupation. Its occupational median includes workers with different levels of experience and education; it is not a starting-salary offer. Even higher-paying career paths after forensic psychology graduate study are a poor proxy for earnings from either bachelor's degree, because the roles and required qualifications differ.
For a practical comparison, collect local postings for the jobs you would actually pursue and note pay ranges, required credentials, and whether either curriculum helps you meet the stated duties.
What Licenses or Graduate Degrees Are Needed for Psychology Careers?
Neither a mental health-focused BA nor a health psychology BS authorizes independent diagnosis, psychotherapy, or psychological assessment. Becoming a licensed psychologist generally requires doctoral-level professional training and additional jurisdiction-specific steps. Counseling, clinical social work, and other licensed professions have their own qualifying degrees, supervised experience, examinations, and state rules.
Work backward from the protected job title you want. Check the state licensing board's educational criteria, then ask potential graduate programs whether your proposed bachelor's coursework meets their admissions prerequisites. If counseling is the goal, evaluate a qualifying counseling program rather than assuming more mental health electives will substitute for it; accredited clinical mental health counseling completion pathways illustrate why program recognition and completion requirements deserve separate scrutiny.
If your goal is nonclinical outreach, research support, or program coordination, a license may not be necessary. In that case, prioritize relevant experience and a degree plan whose cost is justified by the roles you can realistically pursue.
If you are weighing aid offers, separate grants from money that must be repaid. Guidance on grants versus loans for substance abuse counseling bachelor's students can help frame that distinction, although eligibility and awards must be confirmed for your chosen program.
Other Things You Should Know About Psychology
No. Math and science requirements vary by institution. Check the specific degree plan and prerequisites rather than relying on the BS designation.
Possibly, but the switch may add courses or delay graduation. Ask an adviser for a revised degree audit before changing majors or concentrations.
It might. Ask whether courses include scheduled sessions, proctored exams, research meetings, or placements, and whether attendance times fit your schedule.
Not without appropriate permission and oversight. Ask the instructor and site about confidentiality, data access, and any required review before collecting or using records.
- GAC - Chapter 135-5 REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/135-5
- Fast Facts: Tuition costs of colleges and universities (76) | ed.gov https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp
- Psychology careers guide | apa.org https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/careers
- Practicums, Internships and Projects What's the Difference? | Oregon State University https://health.oregonstate.edu/internships/types-of-experiential-learning
- Types of counseling certifications: what you need to start practicing | Counseling | Capella University Blog https://www.capella.edu/blog/counseling/types-of-counseling-certifications-what-you-need-to-start-practicing/
- Masters vs. PsyD vs. PhD in Clinical or Counseling Psychology | pitt.edu https://www.psychology.pitt.edu/undergraduate/careers-and-graduate-school/masters-vs-psyd-vs-phd-clinical-or-counseling-psychology
- How to Become a Therapist (LPC) in Pennsylvania | Lehigh University https://programs.ed.lehigh.edu/articles/how-to-become-a-therapist-in-pennsylvania/
- Careers in Psychology | Cal State LA https://www.calstatela.edu/nss/psychology/careers-psychology
- Online Psychology B.A. or B.S. Degree Completion Program | gsu.edu https://online.gsu.edu/program/psychology-ba-or-bs-completion-program/
- Master's in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health | UNC Greensboro https://www.uncg.edu/degrees/counseling-m-s-clinical-mental-health-counseling-concentration/
