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2025-2026

Psychology, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science in Psychology (Brightpoint Community College)
Brightpoint Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Science in Psychology

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The Bachelor of Science in Psychology curriculum reflects the discipline’s major functions- scientific research, teaching, acting as a healing profession and raising philosophical questions about the assumptions, values, and ideals of human beings and their societies, which reflects psychology’s origin in philosophy. Through a core set of requirements, the student systematically develops understanding and skill in scientific methods of inquiry, focusing on the human mind and behavior. To fulfill degree requirements, students may pursue the standard curriculum by selecting courses from four content areas that introduce students to the healing and philosophical sides of psychology and provide a broad understanding of the field as a whole; or the student may apply to one of several more focused concentrations that draw upon the special strengths of the VCU Department of Psychology.

Career opportunities

Some students may choose to study psychology because they enjoy the subject and wish to pursue careers requiring “any major.” In this scenario, it is critical to develop desirable skills through internships, part-time or summer jobs, or volunteer experiences. Some skills valued most by employers include communication, interpersonal leadership, teamwork, and computer skills. Other students may major in psychology because they want to work in a related field.


Many entry-level helping positions are available, however the amount of direct client contact is limited for those who only have a bachelor’s degree. Students may wish to pursue graduate education in psychology, social work, counseling, college student personnel, or other fields to increase opportunities and earning potential. Graduates can also find work with programs such as Americorps, PeaceCorps, Fulbright Student Program, or City Year.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Adult Learning and Instruction
  • Human Resources Specialist
  • Market Research Analyst
  • Marketing Specialist
  • Public Relations Specialist
  • Recruiter
  • Sales Representative
  • Social and Human Services Assistant
  • Social Science Research Assistant
  • Training and Development Specialist
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Attorney
  • Counselor
  • Higher Education Administrator
  • Psychologist
  • Researcher
  • Therapist
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Students are guaranteed admission to this degree program with:

  • Completion of the associate degree
  • Minimum GPA of 2.5
  • All courses completed with a "C" grade or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Psychology with concentration in Addiction Studies, Applied Psychology, Life Science, Pre-Graduate School, Urban Psychology

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Psychology, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Brightpoint Community College (Associate of Science in Psychology)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Register for SDV 100 or SDV 101.
  • Schedule an advising appointment with your Brightpoint advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes and use tutoring to get ahead.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Explore financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the concentrations in psychology.
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
Experience Year 2
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Department of Psychology, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Register for SDV 100 or SDV 101.
  • Schedule an advising appointment with your Brightpoint advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes and use tutoring to get ahead.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Explore financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the concentrations in psychology.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Department of Psychology, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Psychology, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Brightpoint Community College (Associate of Science in Psychology)

Brightpoint Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 100 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I UNIV 111 3 General education
MTH MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning preferred (other options: MTH 161 or 263) VCU equivalent 3 General education
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 Major
SPA 101 or FRE 101 Beginning Spanish I or Beginning French I or transfer elective Note: students are eligible for a waiver of VCU's language requirement (language through the 102 level) if they successfully completed through the third level of a foreign language in high school. SPAN 101 or FREN 101 3 to 4 Elective
CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking SPCH 221 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 100 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics l STAT 210 3 Major
SPA 102 or FRE 102 Beginning Spanish II or Beginning French II or transfer elective Note: students are eligible for a waiver of VCU's language requirement (language through the 102 level) if they successfully completed through the third level of a foreign language in high school. SPAN 102 or FREN 102 3 to 4 Major
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology (fulfils Developmental domain requirement) PSYC 304 3 Major
HIS 121 United States History to 1877 (additional course option: HIS 122) HIST 103 3 Elective
BIO 101 General Biology I (substitutes for VCU's BIOL/Z 101 requirement) BIOL 151 and BIOZ 151 4 Major
PSY 210 Statistics for Behavioral Sciences PSYC 214 4 Major
Arts ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, or MUS 121 VCU equivalent 3 General education
History Select one: HIS 111, 112, or 122 VCU equivalent 3 Elective
ENG 246 American Literature (other options: ENG 255, 258, 225, 245, 275) ENGL 205 3 General education
BIO 102 General Biology II (substitues for VCU's BIOL 103/BIOL 201 requirement) BIOL 152 and BIOZ 152 4 Major
PHI 220 Ethics and Society PHIL 201 3 General education
PSY 225 Theories of Personality (fulfils Social/personality domain requirement) PSYC 309 3 Major
Approved Transfer Elective VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Brightpoint credits transferred to VCU 61 to 63
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
PSYC 317 Experimental Methods 3 Major
Physiological/learning domain Select one: PSYC 401, 406, or 410 3 Major
Self-development/applied psychology domain Select one: PSYC 303, 308, 310, 318, 340, 407, 412, 415, 416, or 426 3 Major
PSYC 451 History of Psychology 3 Major
Upper-level Psychology electives (see VCU advisor for course options) 9 Major
Elective (upper-level) Complete enough to satisfy upper-level credit requirement 24 Elective
Open electives Select any course 12 to 14 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 57 to 59
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120
The accelerated B.S. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Counselor Education program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Counselor Education in six years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Minimum qualifications for entrance to this accelerated program include completion of 75 undergraduate credit hours, including at least one undergraduate CLED course; minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the most recent 60 credits of course work.