online bachelor's degree of behavioral science
Summer term classes start in June.
100% online learning.
Earn your degree on your schedule
$459 per credit hour.
$250 military preferred cost per credit
127 total credit hours.
prepare for your career with a practice-focused behavioral science degree.
Complex family dynamics. Substance abuse issues. The challenges you’ll face in your career will vary widely. From the very beginning of our Behavioral Science degree program, we help you prepare for the future as you research and gain knowledge on topics within psychology, sociology, human diversity, ethics, human services, and more. You’ll study a spectrum of individual, family and community-wide challenges as a behavioral science major, and you’ll execute projects that level into a comprehensive electronic portfolio you can share with potential employers.
Take one course at a time in an accelerated online degree program.
Transfer in with an associate degree (or at least 60 credits from a previous institution), and earn your behavioral science degree as part of an accelerated cohort.* The cohort offers a simplified study experience that involves registering once for courses at the beginning of the program and taking one course at a time with the same group of peers online—having more collaborative experiences and graduating with a stronger network to start your career.
The social science and people skills you need to make a difference.
No matter what path you follow in behavioral science, your success will be about the lives you impact. When you graduate, you’ll have the skills you need for careers in settings like social services, corporate leadership and human resources, and clinical counseling and behavioral health.
- Communicate professionally in clinical and counseling settings
- Conduct comprehensive patient/client assessments
- Leverage research and data to inform your work
- Establish treatment plans that facilitate change
what you'll learn.
In this program, you’ll develop the knowledge, ethical understanding, and communication skills needed to make a positive impact in the human services field.
upon graduation, students will be able to:
- Analyze and apply professional and ethical standards in human services to facilitate decision-making and communication.
- Apply practical and theoretical knowledge such as counseling theories, treatment strategies, and leadership strategies to demonstrate ability in problem-solving and in synthesizing concepts.
- Communicate appropriate evidence-based concepts to successfully navigate complex human systems and implement services.
- Distinguish the influences and importance of diversity in human service relationships to demonstrate an awareness of ethics and values and to encourage collaboration.
Awards
Bellevue Stories
Behavioral Science degree courses
Current students please login to BRUIN and select “Academic Progress” for your curriculum requirements.
Requirements (40 credit hours)
All courses are 4 credit hours.
This course prepares students for success in their academic and professional careers in behavioral science. The foundation for learning is established for professional skill development through practical experience. Learner strengths are assessed and analytical, relational, and resilience skills are developed.
Each of the many professions involved in human services approaches client and community needs from its own specialized perspectives and uses tools for assessment and treatment that vary from uses of media to prescription medications. Professional skills development in the interaction with social workers, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals will be explored.
All human service professionals must be able to find and accurately utilize information published in journals and scholarly books. This course puts emphasis on learning to recognize and analyze research types relevant to human services to extract key information. This course also will facilitate learning of basic descriptive statistics and standardized scores in measurement. The evaluation of ethical research will also be discussed.
Addresses cultural, social, religious, and economic factors applicable to cultural, ethnic, and minority populations; both from the perspective of the culturally diverse client and the counselor. Experimental methods of learning are emphasized, including the development of self- awareness in the helper. Traditional counseling theories, as well as more recent approaches to counseling diverse groups are analyzed for ethical and practical implications. The helper's role in addressing advocacy and justice are explored.
This course will explore evidence-based conceptualizations of both normal and disordered mental states, together with an examination of the etiology, development, manifestation, and potential treatment of mental disorders in infants, children, adolescents, and adults.
This course provides opportunities to practice a basic set of interviewing and helping skills commonly used in individual and group counseling. An integrative approach will be used which allows students to learn, understand, and use skills taken from major counseling approaches, and to integrate these into a sequential process that maximizes the possibility of facilitating change in clients.
Counseling theories are useful guides for human service professionals because they identify key factors in assessment and treatment. This course introduces “traditional” theories such as psychodynamic, humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral. Other more specialized counseling theories and techniques are helpful for ethnic identity issues, family problems, and recovery from substance abuse. Many of the theories also identify specific counseling techniques such as problem solving, goal setting, Motivational Interviewing, empathy, and exploring cognition and behavior.
Human Services professionals will be most effective if the strategies they use are validated by clinical research. A range of validated methods are analyzed in areas such as clinical assessment, empathy, parenting, depression, anxiety, phobias, and pain management. Additionally, instruction includes application designed to strengthen the ethical reasoning skills of the professional as related to substance abuse.
The Behavioral Science Capstone reflects on professional identity and development in the human service field.
Kirkpatrick Signature Series Requirements (9 credit hours)
In addition to the Major Requirements, all Bellevue University students must complete the Kirkpatrick Signature Series.
This course focuses on the political and philosophical traditions of the American republic, especially as embedded in the ideals, values, traditions, founding documents, and institutions of the United States , and considers how these traditions relate to individual citizenship and global society. Prerequisite: 60 Credit Hours
This course focuses on the creative tensions that exist between the forces of tradition and change as the country undergoes social, cultural, and political change. It considers the manner in which change can renew the vitality of a republic. Prerequisite: 60 Credit Hours
This course examines civic engagement in relation to individual freedoms and responsibilities. It fosters engaged citizens, empowered to effect positive change. Prerequisite: 60 Credit Hours
Integrative General Education Credits
Major Requirements Credits
Elective Credits
= 127 total credits*
General Education Courses
Take general education courses that do more than fill a requirement. At Bellevue University, these courses build foundational skills that apply to any career—critical thinking, qualitative reasoning, and ethical leadership. And, you can take courses individually or in course clusters, which connect three courses around one theme, building skills as you go.
About general education requirements >Elective Courses
Our broad selection of electives allows you to select courses related to your major or expand your perspective in other areas of interest.
University Accreditation
Bellevue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission ( hlcommission.org ), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Whether a college, university, or program is accredited is important to students receiving financial aid, employers who provide tuition assistance, donors, and the federal government.
This program is considered a non-licensure degree/certificate program and is not intended for those seeking licensure or the practice of licensed profession. This program may be relevant to multiple occupations that do not require licensure and was not designed to meet educational requirements for any specific professional license or certification.
*Consult with an admissions counselor to determine your eligible credits, as well as to verify minimum graduation requirements for this degree. Transfer credits must be from a regionally accredited college or university. Bellevue University makes no promises to prospective students regarding the acceptance of credit awarded by examination, credit for prior learning, or credit for transfer until an evaluation has been conducted.
learn on your own time, from anywhere.
Flexible schedule.
Study on your own time with courses designed to fit your busy life—whether you're working, raising a family, or serving in the military.
Reliable technical support.
Access 24/7 tech support to keep you connected and focused on learning, no matter where you are.
Dedicated online student support.
From coursework access and connectivity issues to tutoring and resume assistance, we've got you covered.
Engaging online learning.
Enjoy interactive courses designed for real-world application, with multimedia content, discussions, and hands-on projects.
grow with faculty who’ve been where you are.