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Credits and costs
Enhance Your Penn State Degree
Add a minor to get even more value out of your education.
Gain Specialized Psychology Knowledge
Gain Specialized Psychology Knowledge
Psychology is a broad and diverse field that seeks to understand, explain, and predict human behavior. A background of study in psychology can benefit students from many different majors, helping you to learn more about how and why people behave as they do.
In this program, you will have the opportunity to study with highly regarded faculty from Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts, one of the premier institutions in the world to study and work in the liberal arts disciplines. Penn State World Campus has partnered with Penn State’s Department of Psychology to offer a psychology minor designed to give you broad exposure to psychology as a scientific and professional discipline while complementing your primary major.
You can select your course work from several fields of study, including biological, clinical, cognitive, developmental, industrial-organizational, and social psychology. You also have the opportunity to choose courses that emphasize theory or application of psychological principles.
This minor is open to all interested undergraduate World Campus students who meet the prerequisites, and is most useful if you are majoring in business, labor and human resources, or law and society.
Online Psychology Courses
Online Psychology Courses
The 18-credit course work, including the required introductory psychology course, allows you to choose a set of courses that match your specific area of interest.
The minor comprises 7 credits of core courses and 11 credits of elective courses, with 6 elective credits taken at the 400 level.
Required Courses (7 credits)
- 3credits
Introduction to general psychology; principles of human behavior and their applications.
- GS
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement.
- 4credits
Introduction to methods of psychological research, with special attention to hypothesis formation and testing, threats to validity, and data presentation.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100 and PSYCH 200 or STAT 200
Electives (select 11 credits)
At least 6 of the 11 credits need to be at the 400 level in PSYCH.
- 3credits
Developmental principles; physical growth; linguistic, intellectual, emotional, and social development from infancy to maturity.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100
- 3credits
Introduction to Social Psychology discusses how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people (real or imagined). The course will provide an overview of the field, potentially covering such topics as: attitudes, persuasion, person perception, automatic vs. conscious thought, the self, prosocial behavior, aggression, interpersonal attribution, conformity, obedience, culture, groups, prejudice and discrimination from a psychological perspective.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100
- 3credits
Personality psychology involves examining theories of human nature and evaluating them in an empirical fashion.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100
- 3credits
Applying psychological knowledge to develop and maintain effective personal adjustment and well-being and positive social relations.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100
- 3credits
This course is an introduction to cognition, an area of psychology that investigates the ways in which we acquire, store, create and use knowledge.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100
- 3credits
An introduction to biopsychology, emphasizing the structure and function of the human brain.
- 3credits
This course focuses on some of the topics and questions people most commonly ask about psychology: What are the different psychological disorders, and what are they like? How do clinicians diagnose someone with a disorder? What do therapists actuallydoin therapy?
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100
- 3credits
Personnel selection, training, accident prevention, morale, and organizational behavior.
- 3credits
Physical, cognitive, and personality development during adolescence.
- 3credits
Psychological influences on human sexual behavior such as love, sexual orientation, gender, intercourse, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, dysfunctions, and paraphilias.
- 3credits
Application of social psychological theories and research methods to field settings and to the study of social issues.
- 3credits
Overview of the field with an emphasis on how psychological research contributes to an understanding of health and behavior.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100 and 6 additional credits of PSYCH
- 3credits
Causes, dynamics, symptoms, and treatment of neuroses, psychoses, personality disorders, and other psychological disorders of adulthood.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100 and (PSYCH 238 or PSYCH 243 or PSYCH 270)
- 3credits
Background in personnel testing, performance measurement, selection strategies, with emphasis on validity and measurement reliability.
- 3credits
Survey of theory and research with respect to attitudes, morale, and motivation of employees and management.
- Prerequisite
PSYCH 100; PSYCH 200 or STAT 200
- 3credits
Review of research and application of behavior principles in the areas of management and supervision.
Course Availability
If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.
Costs and Financial Aid
Costs and Financial Aid
Learn about this program's tuition, fees, scholarship opportunities, grants, payment options, and military benefits.
Costs and Financial Aid
Undergraduate Tuition
Undergraduate tuition is calculated based on the number of credits for which you register and the number of total credits you have accrued at or transferred to Penn State.
Tuition is due shortly after each semester begins and rates are assessed every semester of enrollment.
2024–25 Academic Year Rates
| How many credits do you plan to take per semester? | If you have 59 or fewer credits | If you have 60 or more credits |
|---|---|---|
| 11 or fewer | $632 per credit | $678 per credit |
| 12–19 | $7,678 per semester | $8,288 per semester |
2025–26 Academic Year Rates
| How many credits do you plan to take per semester? | If you have 59 or fewer credits | If you have 60 or more credits |
|---|---|---|
| 11 or fewer | $638 per credit | $685 per credit |
| 12–19 | $7,755 per semester | $8,371 per semester |
Undergraduate students taking more than 19 credits will be charged the flat tuition rate plus the regular per credit hour rate for each credit above 19.
Financial Aid and Military Benefits
Some students may qualify for financial aid. Take the time to research financial aid, scholarships, and payment options as you prepare to apply. Federal financial aid may only be used to pay for credits used to satisfy program requirements.
Military service members, veterans, and their spouses or dependents should explore these potential military education benefits and financial aid opportunities, as well.
Additional Cost of Attendance Details
To view the detailed list of cost of attendance elements:
- visit the Tuition Information site
- click the plus sign to expand the table
- select a semester from the World Campus row
Convenient Online Format
This program's convenient online format gives you the flexibility you need to study around your busy schedule. You can skip the lengthy commute without sacrificing the quality of your education and prepare yourself for more rewarding career opportunities without leaving your home.
A Trusted Leader in Online Education
Penn State has a history of more than 100 years of distance education, and World Campus has been a leader in online learning for more than two decades. Our online learning environment offers the same quality education that our students experience on campus.
How to Add a Minor to Your Degree
How to Add a Minor to Your Degree
You must be a current student and meet specific requirements to apply for a minor.
Application Instructions
Steps to Apply
To be eligible for admittance into this minor, you must:
- be a current Penn State undergraduate student in your fifth semester and be in a bachelor's degree major
- maintain a grade of C or better in all courses for the minor
- have a major code that does not match this minor code (PSY)
Talk with your academic adviser about incorporating the minor into your major and to develop a semester-by-semester plan for meeting requirements. You should add the minor as early as possible, but you can apply up to the late drop deadline of your graduating semester.
You will receive a confirmation email once you declare the minor in LionPATH.
Admissions Help
Please work with your adviser if you have questions about adding a minor. You can find your adviser's contact information in your student portal or by calling advising at 814-863-3283.
Contact Us
Contact Us
Have questions or want more information? We're happy to talk.
To learn more about the Minor in Psychology, offered in partnership with the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts, please contact:
World Campus Advising
Phone: 814-863-3283
[email protected]