Understanding human behaviour and what motivates people is a highly valued skill in multiple sectors, including the non-profit, private, educational and social services sectors, as well as in government, law and research institutions. At York, students study with internationally recognized researchers, teachers and clinical practitioners and apply this learning in real-world contexts through experiential education opportunities.

A Choice of Degrees: BA or BSc

York’s Department of Psychology offers the largest selection of courses available at any Canadian university, providing students with tremendous choice.

You will have the option of working toward either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, and you may choose to focus on specific areas of interest (such as neuroscience, social or developmental psychology) or to follow a more generalized program that covers a variety of aspects of the discipline. In the BA, your Psychology education is complemented with exposure to the humanities and social sciences, while training in the physical and life sciences complements the BSc.

A Career in Psychology

Careers open to those with a BA in psychology include fulfilling work in business, management and administration, career counselling, rehabilitation, human resources, labour relations, mediation, social work, education, law and law enforcement, public relations, policy analysis, marketing and real estate and insurance.

BSc graduates’ career paths may include applied behaviour analyst, psychologist, crisis and support counsellor, forensic psychologist, psychotherapist, marriage and family therapist, mental health counselor/technician, rehabilitation consultant, research consultant, science technician, research assistant, statistical consultant, child and youth counsellor. BSc graduates also go on to careers in medicine and optometry as York's Psychology program provides the prerequisite courses required for medical and professional health schools.

Both the BA and BSc in psychology also provide the academic foundation for going on to a master’s or doctorate.

Find out what professions and jobs are available to you through York’s Career Centre. Our alumni write about their experiences in the Psychology program and explain how their degree supports their career. You can also check out a list of additional possible careers.