Is the SNHU Psychology Degree Program Accredited?

Many colleges and universities across the United States offer psychology degrees, and it can be difficult to determine which is the right fit. No matter what, your school needs to be accredited.

Southern New Hampshire University, or SNHU, is a private university in Manchester, New Hampshire, that's well-known for its large selection of online programs.

Keep reading to learn more about accreditation, the psychology programs that SNHU offers, and the accreditation status of those programs.

What is Accreditation?

In the United States, accreditation exists to ensure that schools and programs meet certain educational standards.

The US Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) oversee the agencies that offer accreditation.

There are two types of accreditation: institutional accreditation, which covers the entire college or university, and program accreditation, which is for specific programs within the school.

Institutional Accreditation

Institutional accreditation is further broken into two categories: regional accreditation and national accreditation.

Most colleges and universities in the United States are regionally accredited.

There are six regional accreditation agencies in the United States:

• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Each agency accredits the institutions within the states under its jurisdiction. These institutions need to meet the strict academic standards set by the agency.

Nationally accredited schools are less common. They typically accredit for-profit institutions as well as trade and career schools.

There are several national accreditation agencies approved by the USDE and the CHEA. These agencies usually accredit specific types of institutions.

Typically, regionally accredited institutions are preferable to nationally accredited institutions. They are generally thought to be more prestigious and the credits are easily transferable.

Students who attend institutions that are not accredited will not be eligible for financial aid. They also may not qualify for jobs, especially government jobs, or be accepted into grad school.

Programmatic Accreditation

The primary accreditation agency for psychology programs in the U.S. is the American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation.

This agency accredits doctoral psychology programs. Most states require students to have graduated from an APA-accredited program in order to qualify for a psychologist license.

A few other agencies offer psychology accreditation, including:

• Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)
• National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
• Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)

Attending a programmatically accredited master's degree program is not usually required for acceptance into a doctoral psychology program.

Currently, there are no accreditation agencies in the United States that offer programmatic accreditation for bachelor's degrees in psychology.

What Psychology Programs Are Available at SNHU?

Southern New Hampshire University offers two psychology programs: a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Science in psychology.

The Bachelor of Arts in psychology is a 120-credit program that can be done on campus or online.

It offers five concentrations:

• addiction studies (online only)
• child and adolescent development
• forensic psychology
• industrial organizational psychology (online only)
• mental health

The program offers experiential learning and internship opportunities and also includes an embedded Data Literacy in Psychology certificate for online students.

The Master of Science in psychology program is offered exclusively online and requires 36 credits to complete.

This program provides students with an advanced education in psychology.

It offers three concentrations:

• child and development psychology
• forensic psychology
• industrial organizational psychology

The program concludes with a capstone and seminar made up of a faculty and peer-reviewed project that focuses on a contemporary issue in psychology.

Neither the bachelor's or master's programs in psychology at SNHU lead to licensure, but they prepare students for doctoral studies or careers in a variety of fields like business, education, law, and social services.

Are SNHU's Psychology Programs Accredited?

At an institutional level, Southern New Hampshire University is regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

As there are no accrediting agencies that accredit bachelor's degrees in psychology, it is not possible for the school's Bachelor of Arts in psychology to be programmatically accredited.

The master's degree in psychology is not accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council.

It also does not offer a school psychology program or a clinical psychology program, making it ineligible for other programmatic accreditation.

SNHU does not currently have any doctoral programs in psychology, so it does not qualify for APA accreditation.

However, because SNHU is an accredited university, students can earn their bachelor's or master's there and then pursue an APA-accredited doctoral program at another university.

Earn a Psychology Degree Through an Accredited School

Southern New Hampshire University is a regionally accredited university with a bachelor's and master's program in psychology.

With the guide above, you can determine if SNHU is the right place to earn your psychology degree.