Learning to Analyze Human Behavior and Helping People by Earning one of the Best bachelor's in Behavioral Science
If you're interested in addressing social problems and improving the human condition, a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Science can give you the tools you need.
Behavioral Science is a combination of psychology, sociology, and cultural anthropology. You'll study the factors that influence human behavior and the effect of human behavior on families, workplaces, and society. Finally, you'll learn to apply this knowledge to help people through prevention and intervention.
These programs will prepare you for a variety of careers that share the common goal of helping individuals and society. Whether you're passionate about working with children, the elderly, the justice system, or people struggling with addiction, these degrees will give you the knowledge and skills to make a difference.
What kind of bachelor's in Behavioral Science degree should you get?
Most bachelor's degree programs in Behavioral Science offer a variety of specializations or areas of emphasis. These may include Early Childhood, Youth Development, Adults with Disabilities, Community Health, and much more. Programs that don't offer specializations allow you to choose electives tailored to your interests and career goals.
These programs are available on college campuses and online. Both options offer advantages, but learning online gives you the freedom and flexibility to work around your schedule. If you're interested in exploring some online programs, check out our list of the Best Online Colleges and Universities.
How much money do people with a bachelor's in Behavioral Science degree make?
A degree in Behavioral Science prepares you to work in human services and other related fields. Let's look at a few career options and the median salary for each, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Social worker- $49,470
Criminal profiler- $68,000
Substance abuse counselor- $44,630
Human resources specialist- $60,880
Job opportunities in each of these careers are growing as fast or much faster than average. For instance, the demand for social workers is expected to increase by 16 percent over the next decade. Meanwhile, demand for substance abuse, mental health, and behavioral disorder counselors is projected to grow by 23 percent. If you choose to pursue graduate study in this field, you'll also have access to a variety of higher paying positions.
What can you do with a degree in Behavioral Science?
An understanding of human behavior can apply to many careers. A degree in Behavioral Science prepares you to work in human services, education, law enforcement, counseling, and health services management.
You'll be able to work with disadvantaged populations, people struggling with addiction, families, youth, the elderly, government agencies, crisis intervention services, and much more. Potential careers include:
Grant writer
Case worker
Child advocate
Victim's advocate
Domestic violence counselor
Family support worker
Probation officer
Grief counselor
Public health educator
After earning your degree, you can also pursue graduate study in fields like clinical counseling and human services administration. An advanced degree can open to the door to careers as an anthropologist, criminologist, clinical social worker, market research analyst, and much more.
What are the requirements for a degree in Behavioral Science?
To apply to these programs, you'll need to send transcripts, test scores, and occasionally letters of recommendation or a personal statement. The selectivity of these programs varies.
Once enrolled, you'll take courses on topics like sociology, psychology, research, statistics, human development, human services, as well as current theory and practice in behavioral science. In most cases, there are minimum GPA requirements for required courses and courses within your major. For some of these degrees, an internship or other hands-on experience is required. You may be expected to compile a portfolio as well. These programs generally take four years to complete.
What are the best bachelor's in Behavioral Science degrees?
To help you reach your academic and career goals, we've put together a list of the best bachelor's in Behavioral Science programs. You may be wondering how we define "best." We consider factors likeschool reputation, tuition costs, and return on investment. In addition, all schools on College Choice rankings are accredited.
Our data comes from trusted sources such as:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
PayScale
Princeton Review
U.S. News and World Report
Official college and university websites and course catalogs
Whatever you'd like to accomplish in the field of behavioral science, applying to any of these five programs is an excellent first step.
