University of Utah

Program Description

The BA/BS in Educational Psychology provides students with hands-on training and expertise in behavioral and mental health, services desperately needed locally and nationally.  Coursework and field experiences lead directly to competitive, high demand employment opportunities and can serve as a pipeline to master’s and doctoral programs in school counseling, school psychology, clinical mental health counseling, counseling psychology and clinical psychology.

Educational Psychology is a branch of psychology that examines human learning from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives.  Understanding individual differences in intelligence, development, social emotional skills, motivation, self-regulation, and self-concept can help you teach, train, assess, counsel, manage, consult, and collaborate with a variety of clients (children, adolescents, parents, teachers, employees) in multiple contexts (homes, schools, community agencies, hospitals, business).   

The Student Experience

Students fulfill general university requirements in addition to taking core and applied Educational Psychology courses.  The core courses introduce students to the field of educational psychology and provide a foundation in learning, human development, social emotional skills, and the psychology of multiculturalism.  The applied courses help students develop skills in individual and group counseling, behavior change, consultation, collaboration, and understanding psychopathology and other disabilities.

In their final year of the program, students participate in two supervised field experiences (practica) relevant to their interests and identified career path.  For example, students interested in pursuing careers in the schools as a behavior analyst, school counselor, or school psychologist will be placed in local schools; students interested in careers as a home health aide, case manager, parole officer, child life advocate, behavior technician, or counselor will be placed in an appropriate local organization or agency relevant to that career path.  An undergraduate coordinator will help students identify and connect to relevant work-based learning experiences (practica).

This degree is purposefully designed to provide students with the career readiness competencies that employers value most in their new hires: critical thinking/problem solving, teamwork/collaboration, professionalism/work ethic, oral/written communication, digital technology, leadership, global/multicultural fluency, and career management (National Association of Colleges & Employers, 2019). 

Career Opportunities

Upon graduation, students will not only be prepared to enter the job market, but will also have the knowledge and skills to enter graduate programs within the behavioral and mental health field. 

Students have an opportunity to be credentialed as a registered behavior technician (RBT) while in the program and a board certified assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA) upon graduation.  An even higher credential, the board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) can be earned with additional graduate coursework.  The RBT, BCaBA, and BCBA help clients overcome social, emotional, and behavioral problems using evidence-based techniques and interventions.  They may administer, conduct, and evaluate behavioral assessments and use results to design individual goals and behavior plans.

Other career paths upon graduation include behavior support technician, home health aide, case manager, probation or parole officer, child life advocate, academic advisor, activities director, admissions evaluator, career information specialist, community organization worker, employee relations specialist, personnel recruiter, police officer, victim’s advocate, or wilderness therapy guide.

The coursework and field experiences also prepare students for master’s and doctoral programs in school counseling, school psychology, clinical mental health counseling, counseling psychology and clinical psychology.