Columbus Standard

Indiana University East School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) has developed its psychology program to offer an additional online degree completion program and most recently, a graduate program.

Now that hard work and attention to detail is paying off for HSS as the online degree program received its second top 10 U.S. News ranking.

For the second year in a row, an online psychology bachelor’s program offered through the Indiana University East Department of Psychology is in the top ten of the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Education Program rankings.

The B.S. in Psychology online is ranked No. 8 in the report released January 24.

U.S. News assessed an all-time high of 1,833 online degree programs and ranked 1,763 of them for the 2023 edition.

The Department of Psychology is part of the IU East School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Daren Snider, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said IU East has created a remarkable experience for students in the psychology degree programs, whether classes are held in the classroom or online.

“The psychology faculty have been perceptive to the needs of students, and entrepreneurial in meeting those needs. They think well outside the four walls of the classroom and reach learners in creative ways, such as through mentoring them in research and cooperative work experiences,” Snider said.

The psychology program is an academic program geared toward the needs of employers and residents in east central Indiana and west Central Ohio, just like many of IU East 60 degree programs. And just like many of IU East’s academic programs, the online programs are extending beyond the region to provide a top quality education.

“Our psychology programs are tuned into the needs of our region and the people who live here; many of our students go on to work in a wide variety of industries in our region, including mental health counseling” Snider said. “IU East students benefit from learning with highly engaged instructors in an atmosphere that inspires them to grow and excel. Our psychology graduates frequently share about the personal and professional advantages they received by majoring in psychology at IU East.”

The psychology bachelor’s degree is part of IU Online. IU has been a forerunner in online programs at the undergraduate and graduate level for more than 20 years, now offering more than 200 online degree and certificate programs. A complete list of IU’s online programs is available on IU Online’s website.

Duane Lundy, Ph.D., chair of the Psychology Department and professor of psychology, said the online degree program is a good fit for a wide-variety of students. The program welcomes students from across the region and state of Indiana and beyond.

“We tend to have the kinds of students – often first-generation students – who really need our support to succeed,” Lundy said. “They need personable and well-trained advisors, and academically strong yet personable professors who provide user friendly ways to learn. In order to do this, we need to have manageable class sizes that allow personalized attention and step by step feedback to any student who wants to take advantage of such opportunities that are often not available at other institutions.”

Lundy joined the faculty at IU East in 2006 and became chair of the department in 2014. Though the psychology program has grown to include more faculty, the online psychology program and a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling, it continues to offer students a solid foundation as it prepares them for a variety of professional careers and graduate work.

“We offer experiences inside and outside the classroom that allow students to get to know their professors and apply course concepts to their own lives and to the outside world. Our experiential learning options often include online students in study abroad, faculty-student research, and cooperative work experiences,” Lundy said.

The online psychology program opened for enrollment in 2012. The program has grown to have 400 majors, 80 percent who complete the degree program online, according to Lundy. He added graduates are regional, national and international locations ranging from 35 states and eight countries.

IU East online degree program in psychology received its first U.S. News ranking in 2022. HSS and the Department of Psychology celebrated the ranking in November.

Original source can be found here.