Psychology Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Description of Program

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Psychology is designed for individuals who would like to learn more about human behavior. Students select courses from a broad range of electives to fit their personal and professional goals. Several emphasis areas will be available to students, for example, Health Psychology, I/O Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and Gender and Sexual Fluidity. Students may use their coursework in preparation for graduate studies or to pursue a variety of career options including research, human resources, business and public service.

Click here for potential career opportunities within the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate.

Basis for Admissions

Admission to a Post-Bachelor’s Certificate program requires a conferred bachelor’s level or higher degree from a regionally or nationally accredited academic institution.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Transfer into a Master’s Degree Sequence

• Coursework completed within a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program may be applied toward the specialization sequence within a master’s program
• Applying Post-Baccalaureate Certificate coursework toward a master’s degree is contingent upon coursework and degree relevance under the most current master’s degree program version

Specialization coursework completed as part of a master’s degree, where a degree was conferred, cannot be applied toward a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program.

Time to Completion

NCU allows 2 years to complete all certificate programs.

The median time to completion for this program is 9 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most NCU students are working adults, balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic and finance advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.

Students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying no transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 6 months. Students in the Applied Behavior Specialization can expect to finish in 15 months. 

Areas of Emphasis and Specific Courses - 12 credit hours

Students can select any four courses from all the courses listed below or they can select a group of four courses based on an area of specialization.

• Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology

• PSY-5702 - Pre-Natal and Early Childhood Development
• PSY-5703 - Child and Adolescent Development
• PSY-6704 - Child and Adolescent Gender Development
• PSY-6705 - Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

• Educational Psychology

• PSY-6802 - Educational Psychology for Diverse Populations
• PSY-6114 - Psychological Tests and Measurements
• PSY-6115 - Psychology of Learning
• PSY-6803 - Gifted and Talented Education for Diverse Populations

• Forensic Psychology

• PSY-5502 - Psychology of Law and Justice
• PSY-6503 - Forensic Psychology in Correctional Settings
• PSY-5504 - Social Psychology and Aggression
• PSY-5505 - Diversity and Forensic Psychology

• Gender and Sexual Fluidity

• PSY-6201 - Psychology of Sexuality and Sexual Orientation
• PSY-6202 - Psychology of Gender
• PSY-6203 - Introduction to Transgender and Non-Binary Studies
• PSY-6206 - Psychology of LGBTQ+ Studies

• General Psychology *

• PSY-5109 - Theories of Personality
• PSY-6102 - Multicultural Psychology
• PSY-6103 - Human Communication: Interviewing Skills
• PSY-6104 - Positive Psychology

• * Students may select courses from a broad range of electives at the 5000 or 6000 level (with the exception of Foundations and Internship courses)

• Health Psychology

• PSY-5302 - Stress and Coping
• PSY-5303 - Behavioral Nutrition
• PSY-5304 - Collaborative Care and Mental Health Policy
• PSY-6304 - Coaching for Health and Wellness

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology

• PSY-5402 - Organizational Development
• PSY-5403 - Personnel Selection and Recruitments
• PSY-5111 - Applied Statistics in I/O PSY
• PSY-6425 - Survey Methods and Organizational Behavior

• Sport Psychology

• PSY-6909 - Applied Sport Psychology
• PSY-6910 - Counseling Skills for Sport Psychology
• PSY-6912 - Diversity, Culture and Society
• PSY-6913 - Team Building and Group Dynamics