Bachelor of Liberal Arts – Psychology Concentration
Unique Offerings
The B.A. program offers options for combining coursework as part of a "ladder" program if the student is accepted as a master's student. Consult an admissions adviser for further details.
Also provided are opportunities for interdisciplinary study in areas such as art and psychology (or art therapy), or writing and psychology.
You can take courses in each of the following six core subject areas:
- Theories of Personality
- Abnormal Psychology
- Lifespan Development
- The Counseling Role
- Literature (focus on the human experience)
- Social Sciences Research
General Requirements
The degree requirements for graduation are satisfied when you complete:
A total of 180 quarter credits (at least 45 credits taken at Antioch University), including:
- Up to 48 credits of prior learning
- At least 60 upper division credits
- Three required core courses:
- Liberal Studies Seminar; Diversity, Power & Privilege; Inquiry & Research
- An area of concentration (six required courses)
- Four quarters of study at Antioch University Seattle (or more)
- A portfolio of your work reflecting academic progress
- A Senior synthesis project and Symposium presentation
Length of Program
Most students graduate from the B.A. completion program in two years or less. Completion of 180 quarter credits is required for graduation.
Tuition & Fees
- Tuition: $560 per credit
- Required fees: $145 per quarter
- $6,865 tuition and required fees per quarter, full time (12 credits)
- $27,460 typical annual tuition and fees
- Credits documented for Life Experience: $140 per credit
Annual tuition and fees based on 2013-14 rates for four quarters. Antioch University Seattle students typically attend classes all year.
Career Opportunities
The Psychology concentration prepares you for graduate studies in psychology or social work, with the ultimate goal of working as a counseling professional.
Program Summary
The Psychology concentration prepares you for graduate studies in psychology or social work, with the ultimate goal of working as a counseling professional.
If you have interdisciplinary interests in areas such as art and psychology (or art therapy), or writing and psychology, you also might be attracted to this undergraduate degree program.
Upon completion of your bachelor's degree, you are eligible to apply to Antioch University Seattle's doctoral program in clinical psychology or master's degree program in psychology. The B.A. program offers options for combining coursework as part of a "ladder" program if the student is accepted as a master's student. Consult an admissions adviser for details.
Core Coursework
Theories of Personality
This course explores major Western and Eastern personality theories and theorists within their cultural and historical contexts to provide students with a broader understanding of the evolution of ideas concerning human nature.
Abnormal Psychology
Students are introduced to the theories and concepts of human behavior as understood in the field of psychology. Topics include: defining abnormal behavior, understanding historical context, reviewing psychological models and forms of assessment, delineating major categories of abnormal behavior, treatment interventions and social, cultural, ethical, and legal issues related to this area of study.
Lifespan Development
A broad perspective of human development across the lifespan is offered. This encompasses historical and theoretical views of developmental tasks from birth to death. With a backdrop of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of development, this course examines development and the effect of subjectivity on the individual’s life experience. The aim is to increase empathy and understanding of any individual’s developmental challenges and achievements throughout life.
The Counseling Role
Students explore the counseling role with its unique implications and value across personal and professional disciplines. Students develop an understanding of the stages of the counseling relationship and gain insight into their own strengths, weaknesses, and desires as a helping professional.
Literature (focus on the human experience)
A course meeting this requirement explores the value of the literary lens as it contributes to students’ understanding of the human experience. Sample qualifying classes include:
- Border Crossing: A Multicultural Journey Through Film and Literature
- Contemporary Black Women Writers
- The American Family in Literature and Film
Social Sciences Research
A class in this area provides an undergraduate foundation in social sciences research methodology and helps prepare students for graduate-level study. Sample courses that would meet this requirement include:
- Social Sciences Research
- Statistics
Sample Electives
- Women and Mental Health
- Transpersonal Psychology
- Statistics
- Jungian Psychology
- Children and Social Policy
- Grassroots Social Movements
- Facilitating Democratic Participation
- Conflict Resolution
Sample Community/Field-based Learning Projects
- Practicum with Seattle’s Alcohol and Drug Crises Helpline
- Volunteer with families in need at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Service learning project at Lambert House, which serves gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youth
- Counseling internship with a mental health agency
Sample Synthesis Projects
- Advocacy project working for human rights for those with mental illness
- Review of research on the application of dialectical behavior therapy to female adolescents with substance abuse problems
- Oral history project with family members examining the role of depression in three generations of women’s lives
Aaron Dietz
BA Liberal Studies, 2007
Antioch has a good reputation, he says, for being able to educate self-learners and for keeping students involved in the learning process. He says he was able to create classes geared toward writing and publishing his own book, something he says would have been much harder to do at a state college.
Bob Hasegawa
B.A. Liberal Studies, 2003
Now Eleventh District Democratic Representative, he says his experience at Antioch surprised him by pushing him beyond his areas of concentration and stretching him in directions he'd never thought of going.
Carson Marshall
B.A. Liberal Studies, MA Whole Systems Design, 2001, 2003
He learned the program supports everyone's unique exploration. He said he realized he could create the way he wants to present himself to the world.
Cheryl Honey
BA Liberal Studies , 2004
It was serendipitous that she ended up going to Antioch. She says her advisers taught her she had special gifts to offer this world and she didn't have to ask for permission to make her unique contribution.
Chris Plyman
BA Liberal Studies, 2009
He happened to be walking along Sixth Avenue in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood when he came upon Antioch University. It looked like a place where he could do some exploring, so this retired Army warrant officer decided to give it a try.
Colleen Crotty
BA Liberal Studies, 2007
Antioch teaches you to look at things differently and to get involved in the community. She says she wouldn't trade her experience for anything.
Danielle Cameron
B.A. Liberal Studies, M.A. Psychology, Art Therapy with Mental Health Counseling, 2002
She says the more she learned about Antioch, the more she realized it was a school most likely to help her get where she wanted to go. She says it is the school for students who are independently motivated.
Debra Sund
BA Liberal Studies - Individualized Program: Holistic Early Childhood Education , 2008
She very much appreciates the freedom at Antioch and the smaller class size. She says it has a supportive and comfortable atmosphere for an adult learner
Dimitri Azadi
BA Liberal Studies - Individualized Program: Leadership and Diversity Studies, 2009
When many of his friends came to Antioch for their undergraduate studies, they told him it was a wonderful experience. He says he feels as though he is putting energy into his own well-being at Antioch.
Dollviola Eldred
B.A. Liberal Studies - Current student, M.A. Psychology - Mental Health Counseling, 2007
The only thing she needed to succeed was a good education and — thanks to Antioch — she has advanced in her career and predicts she will continue to climb.
Lance Wischler
BA Liberal Studies, 2007
He says the personal attention he experienced from his first phone call to the admissions department was a factor in coming to Antioch. The personal touch allowed him to feel like he mattered, and that he was not simply another number to be shuffled through the process.
Margie King Bloch
B.A. Liberal Studies, M.A. Whole Systems Design — Organization Systems Renewal, 1997
She chose Antioch because she wanted to learn more about the changing face of leadership, and she wanted to do it in an experiential educational setting
Maria Teresa Blankenship
BA Liberal Studies - Individualized Program: Psychology, Health Healing & Herbalism; MA Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, 2006
With a background in nursing and her interest in health healing, herbalism and psychology, she created a program for herself that she describes as an unforgettable journey.
Mary Sherhart
B.A. Liberal Studies, 1999
She says Antioch is an intense experience, a great place for self-motivated and well disciplined people with lots of meaty life experience under their belts.
Oliver Chadd
BA Liberal Studies, 2007
He was up for the unique method in which Antioch educates. He says he was always a quiet student and knew Antioch was set up in such a way he would be in situations where he could not just fade into the background.
Patricia Cavit
BA Liberal Studies, 2005
She says her independant study was an excellent experience. She was able to investigate exactly the areas she was interested in and receive mentoring from the advisers who were supervising.
Rachel Beals
BA Liberal Studies, Spiritual Studies concentration, 2009
Antioch's Spiritual Studies concentration, she says, is a one-of-a-kind undergraduate program. Her priority? She wants to reduce the isolation and despair so many people face today.
Richard Long
BA Liberal Studies, 2007
He chose Antioch because of its commitment to adult education and its social ideology. He says if the concept that a student, through study, research and relationships, obtains the basic philosophies of the institution they attend, then he is a better student, friend and person.
Stephanie McDonald
BA Liberal Studies - Individualized Program: Depth Psychology; MA Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, 2007 & 2011
Antioch is a transformational place where you can find your voice, build confidence and thrive, according to Stephanie McDonald. After completing her BA, her desire to continue learning was on fire and she entered Antioch University Seattle's graduate program in mental health counseling.
Tina Grant
BA Liberal Studies, 2007
Antioch is a place where you can find what it is you want to do with the rest of your life. She says it is not that the teachers will tell you, but that they create a space for you to explore, experiment and find what it is that fills you with passion.
Young-wha Coulter
B.A. Liberal Studies, 2007
Getting credit for life experience was validating for Coulter, who had been a para-educator working with elementary special education children in the Highline School District.
