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A child psychology bachelor's degree program covers child development, childhood disorders, and child-specific communication and intervention strategies. This program can help you better understand children and their needs, while also setting the foundation for advanced degrees and licensure in the field.
Explore the best child psychology bachelor's programs in detail below, including what they offer, where they lead, and how to choose among them.
Popular Online Psychology Bachelor's Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
The Best Online Child Psychology Bachelor's Degrees for 2025
We use trusted sources like
Peterson's Data and
the National Center for Education Statistics to inform the data for these schools.
#1 The Best Online Child Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees for 2025
Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA - 4 years
- Online
Why We Chose This School:
Bay Paths bachelor's in child psychology explores the physical, intellectual, and emotional aspects of child development. The program focuses on individuals who want to work with children of all ages, from infancy to adolescence.
Fully asynchronous courses take place through a virtual classroom. The child psychology degree curriculum comprises 120 credits, including courses in childhood psychopathology, psychology of cultural diversity, and theories of personality. We like that the program can be completed within 3.5 years.
Students can receive a 20% discount on graduate tuition when pursuing a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. Bay Path's graduate school applies 1-2 course credits from the bachelor's in child psychology program toward the master's program.
Highlights:
- Pursue your interests with up to 50 major electives
- Transfer up to 90 credits
- May consider applicants with a GPA below 2.0
Considerations:
- Limited overlap of credits for the bachelor's-to-master's program
- Lack of scholarship opportunities for online students
- Few online student resources
#2 The Best Online Child Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees for 2025
University of Massachusetts Global
Irvine, CA - 4 years
- Online + Campus
Why We Chose This School
UMass Global offers a BA in psychology with a concentration in child psychology for those wanting to assist children with developmental disorders. Coursework explores the psychological development of children, behavioral models, and the application of psychological theories in professional settings.
The program comprises 120 semester credits, including five child psychology concentration classes and a capstone course. Child psychology concentration courses cover pediatric neuropsychology, applied behavioral analysis, and preferred behavior enhancement.
If you apply with less than 12 transferable credits, you must complete the student success strategies course. This course teaches time management, test-taking, and stress reduction skills.
Highlights
- No additional program application requirements
- Tuition reduction for active military personnel and spouses
- Online discussion boards
Considerations
- Few concentration courses
- Classes may require synchronous tasks
- No bachelor's-to-master's option
Our Ranking Methodology
Psychology.org ranks education programs using data from reputable sources like the U.S. Department of Education. Our vetting process also includes a quality assurance team that assesses datasets for accuracy.
Psychology.org reserves the right to exclude any schools that lack significant data from the rankings to ensure accurate calculations. This list is for 2025. For more about how Psychology.org evaluates and ranks education programs, visit our full ranking methodology.
What to Consider When Choosing an Online Child Psychology Bachelor's Program
The right online child psychology bachelor's program for you depends on your unique situation, goals, and needs. However, there are some standards that schools and programs should meet.
Accreditation
Schools can be accredited at the institutional and program levels, but you only need to worry about institutional accreditation as a psychology undergraduate. While organizations like the American Psychological Association and the Master's in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council accredit graduate programs, no organizations accredit bachelor's-level psychology programs.
Institutional accreditation is a mandatory quality assurance marker in your school search. The accreditation process recognizes schools that meet educational standards in areas like faculty, program design, and student outcomes. If you attend an accredited school, you are eligible for federal financial aid and can pursue licensure after graduation.
Career Relevance
When choosing a program, make sure it aligns with your career goals. For example, if you plan to become a child psychologist, you'll need an advanced degree, so find a bachelor's program that prepares you for a master's in child psychology or a doctorate at a minimum.
You can also review the curriculum and see if it offers you courses and concentrations in the topics and fields that interest you most. You might check what areas the faculty specializes in or if they have any experience in your desired field as well.
Hybrid and Online Options
In your search, you may encounter fully online and hybrid programs, and it's important to understand the differences between them to make the best choice.
Online programs typically offer most courses online, with the exception of practicums, internships, or residency requirements. By limiting travel and scheduled class times, online programs offer a great deal of flexibility and allow you to pursue schools in other locations. However, online programs can require more organization and independence from you than on-campus or hybrid programs.
Hybrid programs feature at least 50% online classes combined with on-campus classes. This blend provides you with some of the flexibility of online learning, plus the interactivity, hands-on elements, and the classroom environment of campus-based classes. Because of the campus requirements, however, you may need to live closer to the campus.
Cost and Financial Aid
Tuition costs can vary considerably among schools and programs. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average undergraduate tuition and fees cost was $9,800 in public schools and $40,700 in private nonprofit schools for the 2022-23 academic year.
Before making a decision based on tuition, consider how financial aid impacts your actual cost. Along with federal aid and scholarships, many schools offer financial aid packages, including tuition discounts and merit and needs-based awards.
Practical Experience Opportunities
While internships and practicums become mandatory at the graduate level, they can still prove useful for you in a child psychology bachelor's degree. Along with giving you a real-world setting to apply your learning and develop practical skills, an internship can help you identify the people you want to work with and the sub-discipline you want to specialize in.
Consider a program with a field experience component or at least one that offers internship opportunities as electives. Finding a school with a relationship or partnership with an organization in your field of interest can be beneficial.
Applying to an Online Child Psychology Bachelor's Degree
While every school has its own undergraduate application process and admission requirements, child psychology bachelor's programs typically have similar components. In most cases, you'll need to submit some or all of the following application materials:
-
High school diploma or GED certificate -
Official transcripts -
SAT or ACT scores -
Letters of recommendation -
Essay or personal statement -
Minimum 3.0 GPA (more competitive schools)
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Psychology
Is child psychology the same as developmental psychology?
There is overlap between these fields, but child psychology focuses on the study and treatment of issues experienced by children, while developmental psychology focuses on the growth and change in people across the lifespan.
What is the best major for a child psychologist?
Child psychologists can pursue degrees in various disciplines on their way to a doctorate, but a child psychology bachelor's degree provides the most focused foundation. Most aspiring child psychologists don't start specializing until their graduate degree, so a bachelor's degree in this discipline could give you a head start.
Is child psychology a good career?
Child psychology can be a rewarding career in several ways. Professionals in this field can help children overcome challenges and live happier and healthier lives. The profession also offers financial rewards. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual salary of $92,740 for psychologists, as of May 2023.
Can I get a degree in child psychology online?
You can earn a child psychology bachelor's degree online. At the graduate level, online programs become more scarce as they feature far more clinical and research components that require students to be on or near the campus more regularly.