Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate majors and is offered at virtually every university in Canada and the US. The program is frequently offered as either a BA or a BSc degree and can look differently at different schools. To help students sort out their interests in this major, Psychology.org↗ offers some ways to compare and contrast what it means to get a BA or a BSc in this field. In brief, here is how to distinguish between the two:
| BA in Psychology | BSc in Psychology |
| An undergraduate arts degree that prepares students for careers in psychology. This degree offers more electives than the BSc in psychology, making it possible to study areas other than psychology-related courses. Electives are focused on the social sciences and the humanities, allowing students to pursue jobs beyond those in the psychology field. | Although similar to the BA, this BSc degree includes additional science and math courses in place of electives. The BSc in psychology degree focuses on statistics, research methods, and data analysis, making it a good choice for students pursuing academic or research-related careers. |
| The BA leads students into master’s or doctoral programs that train them to work as therapists or counsellors. This degree also opens up opportunities in fields such as criminal justice or social work. | The BSc prepares students for graduate programs focused on research, for research-based clinical professions, such as psychiatry, or for business and management positions. |
At many post-secondary institutions, the courses required for the psychology major itself are identical, whether completed as a BA or a BSc, but the requirements and electives necessary to complete those degrees will differ based on the faculty.
Once you know psychology is the major for you, the next step is to research programs to find the one that most aligns with your own interests in the field and potential career aspirations. Let’s look at two very different Canadian programs to begin to see the diversity you may encounter.
1. University of Victoria↗
UVic’s psychology program offers students diversity and choice within the field, while providing a well-rounded first-year curriculum for ALL majors in writing, biology, computer science, and philosophy, in addition to Introduction to Psychology. In this program, students apply for both the BA and BSc degrees through the faculty of Social Science as “undeclared” and choose their major after their first year. Faculty research interests particularly attract students to the areas of addiction, immigration, the science of aging, adolescent development, and autism. All psychology majors choose from among the following streams of specialization:
Lifespan Stream focuses on the changes and development humans go through from prenatal and infancy through adulthood and aging.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Stream offers an in-depth understanding into the determinants of both psychological distress and psychological health. Students are exposed to models of assessment, diagnosis, intervention, prevention, and health promotion with opportunities for hands-on learning through community placements, applied coursework, and/or research.
Mind and Brain Stream looks at the observable aspects of the environment and human behavior to learn about the nature of mental processes and the functioning of the brain.
Social Psychology Stream examines theories that help predict how people will behave in their social worlds looking at issues related to mentoring, coaching, teamwork, conflict resolution, communication, and sensitivity to diversity.
UVic psychology majors are able to participate in co-op work placement opportunities within the field and choose among some of these exciting new courses:
- Introduction to Indigenous Mental Health and Healing
- How the Mind Makes Meaning
- Psychology of Immigration
- Forensic Psychology
Students with multiple interests in the sciences can complete a BSc with a combined major in biology and psychology or psychology and computer science.
2. University of Toronto↗
At U of T, psychology is considered a life science and is only offered as a BSc degree, requiring Anatomy and Physiology 12 and Calculus 12 for admission. In contrast to UVic’s diverse program, U of T focuses more narrowly on data collection and research, with faculty interests in areas including cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, computational neuroscience, developmental psychology, human and animal learning, perception, personality psychology, physiological psychology, and social psychology.
U of T also welcomes its undergraduate psychology majors into the PURC (Psychology Undergraduate Research Community) led by graduate students as a way to build community among psychology students and offer them opportunities to learn about research in the field and gain experience presenting to their peers and developing professional skills outside of the laboratory.
This program also offers an environment & behaviour minor that examines the vital connections between human behavior and attitudes toward environmental issues. Protecting the environment requires an understanding of the fundamental attitudes and behaviours people and societies have toward it.
Some of the courses offered at U of T include:
- The Psychology of Magic
- Sex Roles and Behaviour
- Neuroethics
- Psychology of Student Success
Our educational consultants love diving into the details and offerings of different academic programs and can help clients to ask the right questions to find what’s right for them within the different psychology degrees, majors, and professions.
