Behavioral Science Degree and Career Guide
Definition of Behavioral Science
Behavioral science is a public health discipline that deals with the interactions between individuals and the community or organisms within the natural world. It achieves its objectives through the study of the past, systematic analysis, investigation of human behavior, disciplined scientific experimentation, and thorough controlled and naturalistic observation of the present. Examples of behavioral sciences are cognitive science, psychology and psychobiology.
Behavioral Science is an important discipline in public health, because most of the major challenges confronting public health officials around the world stem from behavioral adaptions. From Smoking which accounts over 7 million deaths each year, to obesity which has tripled the health care cost due to its impact on chronic diseases the impact of behavior is visible. The current situation has led to a significant increase in the demand for behavioral scientists due to renewed quest and urgency to identify the patterns of specific high-risk behaviors within the population, map the trend and propose workable solutions that will lead to the improvement of health outcomes across communities. See The Many Opportunities In Health Science
What do Behavioral Scientists Do?
The job description of Behavioral scientists revolve around human or animal behavior and depending on the chosen specialty, the job a Behavioral Scientist can include some or all of the following:
1. Behavioral scientist are involved in collecting analyzing and interpreting data about the behavior of individuals, communities and groups.
2. The systematic analysis of human or animal behavior over a period of time and the management of such information in manner that allows research to be revised and updated with changes in culture and the environment is the job of a behavioral scientist.
3. Behavioral scientists also analyze program success rates using statistical models/ tools to recommend ways of improvement and possible new methods were necessary.
4. Behavioral scientist also coordinate research teams in behavioral experiments.
5. One of the major duties of a behavioral scientist is the aggregation and analysis of observational data.
Behavioral science Degree
A Behavioral Sciences degree is a unique, broad exciting, and flexible qualification that covers all the various aspects of psychology. Psychology itself is also a very broad discipline contributing and overlapping to many other disciplines such as philosophy, anthropology, archaeology, neuroscience, philosophy and sociology. While studying for a Behavioral Sciences degree, you will have the opportunity to study developmental, biological, social, and cognitive psychology within the broader context of the behavioral sciences.
A behavioral science degree explores the impact and the effect of human actions and interaction. It is considered as the link between the natural sciences and social sciences. The tradition in the past was that most of the individuals who majored in behavioral science take up counseling or social work positions upon graduation. However rapid changes in the global business environment is fueling a global demand for behavioral science majors to help analyze the complex behavioral issues with potential of increasing profitability, improving efficiency and providing ways of gaining competitive advantage. Read Complete Guide For A Career In Healthcare Administration
Online Behavioral Science Degree Program
Mercy College provides sound education in behavioral sciences. The school offers an online bachelors degree in behavioral science that provides value to online students by blending sound academics with instruction from professional experts. SEE: Behavioral Health vs Mental Health
The University of Houston offers the online Master of Arts degree in Behavioral Sciences-General. This program is designed to provide graduate students the knowledge and skills to understand human behavior from a variety of different perspectives.
With an A+ rating from the student ranking website, Ashford University is one of the top schools offering an online bachelor’s degree program in behavioral science. Its unique program is highly flexible. It allows students to receive the same quality curriculum as the schools traditional format in a convenient online format, that enables students to view lectures and other instructional materials, and complete the curriculum devoid of time constraints and according to their own unique schedules.
Kaplan University with an 80 year history, is one of the most respected universities in the world. The school offers the online MS in Psychology program rated among the best behavioral science degree online with specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis. Enrolling for this program at Kaplan University enables you to earn a high-quality education, and meet your educational and career goals.
Ranked by U.S. News & World Reports specifically for its student support services and technology, Bellevue University is one of the leading universities offering online degree in behavioral science. The school offers a 24/7 student email support service in addition to a 12-hour per day voice assistance for any technical problems that a student may encounter during the course of his or her online studies.
Types of Behavioral Science Courses
A behavioral science degree is divided into 2 broad sub disciplines these are:
- The Neural-Decision Sciences
The behavioral science courses that falls under this category includes:
Cognitive Theory: This aspect deals with how groups use both actions and language to interact.
Social Psychology: This course deals with the cause of human behavior and how we learn to interact with each other.
Psychobiology: This behavioral science course deals with the understanding of how physiological problems and thought impact each other.
Management Science: This involves the efficient operations of a work setting. it is a behavioral science course for managers.
Ethology: This field analyzes the human decision making processes.
Social Neuroscience: This deals with how the environment and education affect and impacts our brains
- The social-communication sciences.
The behavioral science courses that falls under this category includes:
Organizational behavior: This is one of the fastest growing disciplines in behavioral science. It deals with the manner in which people in organizations connect and interact with each other.
Behavioral finance: This sub discipline relates with how people react to market dynamics and their how their feelings influence their purchasing behavior.
Anthropology: This deals with the manner in which cultures view their society and how communication and interactions shape communities shape
Social networks: This course relates to how individuals are tied together through communities, religion and family.
Memethics: This behavioral science course deals with how consumers create the demand for certain items over others
Organizational ecology: This is a unique course in behavioral science. It that deals with how organizations imitate processes such as natural selection and evolution.
Salary Outlook For Behavioral Science Jobs
Behavioral science jobs salary
Individuals working in the field of behavioral science often hold bachelors or Master’s degrees in Psychology, Behavioral science or Health education. According to the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics or BLS the Annual average salary of a behavioral scientist Is $80,450 per year, available data also shows that three states pay well above the national average these include Virginia which pays behavioral scientists an average salary of $103,640 per year, the District of Columbia and Hawaii which pays 98,910 and $88,950 per year respectively. Employment demand for behavioral scientists is expected to grow by 22% in upcoming years according to forecast data. See The Highest Paying Public Health Jobs and Why
Where do Behavioral scientists Work?
Behavioral science jobs are often multidisciplinary in nature and behavioral scientists work in a variety of places which include:
- Social work and counseling units
- Mental health and social research institutes and organizations
- Hospitals, clinics and health centers
- Academic institutions and public health departments.
- International nonprofit organizations and Non-governmental organizations.
- International companies and Business organizations
- Disease Control and Prevention Centers
entry level behavioral science jobs
Masters in Behavioral Science Degrees
Earning a Master’s degree in behavioral science can advance your career significantly and boost your chances of landing a well-paid behavioral science job and prevents you from going through the hassles of entry level behavioral science jobs. To be eligible for admission into a master’s degree program in behavioral science, you must have a bachelor’s degree preferably in a related field. Some of the available master’s degree programs include:
- Executive M.Sc. in Behavioral Science Degree – London School Of Economic
- MSc in Behavioral Science (Research Master) -Radboud University
- Sc. Behavioral Decision Science – Kingston University
- Master of Science in Behavioral Health -University of San Francisco
- MSc in Behavioral and Economic Science (Science track) -University of Warwick
- MSc Behavioral Science for Management -University of Stirling
- MSc Human Decision Science -Maastricht University
- Master’s – Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s
- Master’s In Clinical Counseling
- Master’s in Forensic Psychology
- S. Psychology with an Emphasis in Gerontology
- S. in Psychology with an Emphasis in Health Psychology
- S. in Psychology with an Emphasis in Human Factors
- MS in Psychology: General Psychology
- MS in Psychology: Industrial & Organizational Psychology
- Master -in Christian Counseling
- Master of Science in Health Psychology
- Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- Master of Science in Forensic Psychology M.S.
- Nursing – Psychiatric Mental Health Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology
Top Schools Offering Masters in Behavioral Science Online
Saint Joseph’s University: The top online master’s degree in behavioral science in terms of faculty credentials.
- Capella University: The best online master’s degree in behavioral science for new student orientation.
- National University: Earned the title of best online master’s degree in behavioral science for student engagement.
- University of Idaho: Top online Psychology MS: Human Factors
- Colorado State University: Top Online Master of Applied Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
- Aspen University: Top online Master of Science in Psychology and Addictions Counseling.
Top 10 Behavioral Science Books
Rapid Review Behavioral Science: by Vivian Stevens
Psychology and Sociology Applied To Medicine: by Beth Alder
Moon walking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
Sociology As Applied To Medicine: by Graham Scambler
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink
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