Applied Psychology & Human Services

  • Bachelor of Science

In-Person Plus at:

  • Lyndon, VT

In Person Plus programs are In Person with options for cross-campus classes and flexibility for remote study.

Vermont State’s Applied Psychology & Human Services program is unique. This professional degree program combines psychology and human services to prepare you for a variety of careers or graduate programs immediately upon graduation. Our applied program emphasizes experiential learning and provides you with a strong foundation in psychology as well as opportunities to practice your skills in real-life situations. Through two placements and experiential learning in other courses, you will graduate with practical experience in real mental health and counseling settings. Our students are highly employable and have gone on to become behavioral interventionists and technicians, crisis workers, agency directors, advocates, police officers, and more. 

*See also Psychological Science.

*See also Forensic Psychology.

Why Study Applied Psychology & Human Services at Vermont State?

  • Diverse opportunities: Our range of placement opportunities is large, and you can complete internships during the summer. This allows you to select placements throughout Vermont or out-of-state.
  • Career readiness: Our graduates have a high job placement rate and a high acceptance rate into graduate programs. They report being very prepared for graduate work.
  • Get your master’s: We offer a bridge program to Vermont State’s master’s programs in counseling. Seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence can take up to three courses in the graduate program that can be applied simultaneously to their undergraduate and graduate degrees.
  • Social justice: We provide a strong emphasis on social justice in our courses.
  • Combine your interests: Our program is designed so that you can double major in a related field (like criminal justice) and combine this with other programs, too, including many minors. Students may also choose to access psychology electives across Vermont State to enrich and support their interests.

Financial Aid for Applied Psychology & Human Services Students

Vermont State University is providing a high-quality, affordable degree in applied psychology and human services to students across Vermont and beyond. More than 80 percent of Vermont State students are awarded financial aid, including new students, transfer students, international students, out-of-state students, and first-generation students. Our financial aid team is here to help you explore all your options.

Internships and Jobs in Applied Psychology

  • Recent service-learning projects have included:
    • Creating a mental health information and support website for local middle school students, teachers, and parents (with a focus on the stressors of the pandemic)
    • Developing and implementing campus-wide sexual assault awareness and prevention programming
    • Collaborating with an alternative high school to provide graduating seniors with life-skills modules
    • Partnering with the Northeast Kingdom Council on Aging and the NEKCOA Telecare Program to run hands-on community service projects that assist the elderly.
  • You will complete two placement opportunities, with one occurring as early as your second year. Students will complete an 80-hour fieldwork placement and a 270-hour senior-level internship placement during the program.
  • In addition to field placements, many experiential learning opportunities are also built right into classes.
  • We have collaborative partnerships with almost every human services agency and in many schools in the Northeast Kingdom, as well as other areas of Vermont and New Hampshire. This allows for rich and diversified field placements and learning opportunities.

Minors Available in the Applied Psychology & Human Services Program

Interested in adding a minor to your degree program? See minors available in the Applied Psychology & Human Services program below.

  • Psychology
See Full List of Vermont State Minors

Student Stories

A selfie of a red haired young man with a beard wearing sunglasses laying on the grass.

“I absolutely loved this program. Every psychology class was interesting in its own way. The variety of courses was amazing and I learned about the psychological development of people in all different stages of life and the overall needs of each population.”

John Woodbury ’20
Applied Psychology & Human Services
A portrait of a young woman with an afro smiling at the camera, fall foliage in the background.

“What makes the experience unique is the level of support and investment that the faculty, staff, and community have for students. Professors encourage an experiential and compassionate approach to psychology and human services that both challenges and inspires students.”

Olivia Lapierre ’17
Applied Psychology & Human Services