Feb. 19, 2016
CWU Offers One of the Top Online Psychology Degrees in the Nation
Central Washington University was ranked as having one of the top 30 online psychology bachelor’s degree programs in the nation for 2015. The study, by Affordable Colleges Foundation (ACF), a leading resource for online learning and college affordability information, published its new ranking of 2015’s Top Online Psychology Degrees at www.affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/psychology-programs/.
“We’re very pleased with the ranking,” said Stephanie Stein, professor and chair of CWU’s psychology department. “We have worked hard to develop a rigorous, fully accredited online program that gives our students the best preparation for their career path.”
According to Stein, “Our success is largely due to our outstanding online program director, Dr. Sara Bender. Dr. Bender not only oversees the online program and curriculum, she personally serves as the academic advisor for all of the online psychology majors. Our online majors receive individualized and quick, responsive support, a feature that sets the CWU program apart from many other online programs.”
Psychology is the second most popular college major. Students with a degree in the field have extensive career options in areas such as education, research, public health, politics and more.
"To find the best schools offering the highest quality online education for psychology students, we looked beyond the sheer number of programs available and the total cost of a degree,” said Dan Schuessler, founder and CEO of Affordable Colleges Foundation. "Our data team spent months researching hundreds of available psychology degree programs to find out which schools truly make a difference with stand-out academics, resources and student support services." For more information about ACF, go to www.affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/psychology-programs/.
To create the list, ACF data analysts and higher education experts developed a proprietary scoring system to rank colleges using various cost and quality criteria and metrics, including:
• Must be not-for-profit institution
• Student-faculty ratio
• Six-year graduation rate
• Job placement for graduates
• AC Online Peer-Based Value (A proprietary metric that compares quality metrics of colleges with similar costs, and the costs of colleges with similar quality metrics)
The bachelor of arts in psychology at CWU can be earned entirely online and requires a minimum of 180 quarter credits, including no more than 135 transfer credits. Program admission is offered in the spring, fall, and winter quarters. During the online program, students must maintain a 2.5 GPA or better, create an electronic portfolio, participate in 10 hours of service learning (or work as a research assistant), and complete all end-of-major assessment evaluations. There is also a world language requirement for all aspiring graduates. For more information about the program, go to www.cwu.edu/psychology/.
Media Contact: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell, Public Affairs, 509-963-1518, valeriec@cwu.edu
January 7, 2015