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Behavioral sciences instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a behavioral sciences instructor. Behavioral sciences instructors usually study psychology, sociology, or criminal justice. 70% of behavioral sciences instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 591 real behavioral sciences instructor resumes to see exactly what behavioral sciences instructor education sections show.

The most common colleges for behavioral sciences instructors are the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas.

There are also many online behavioral sciences instructor courses to help get the education required to be a behavioral sciences instructor.

What education do you need to become a behavioral sciences instructor?

What degree do you need to be a behavioral sciences instructor?

The most common degree for behavioral sciences instructors is bachelor's degree, with 70% of behavioral sciences instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 70%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a behavioral sciences instructor?

You should major in psychology to become a behavioral sciences instructor. 45% of behavioral sciences instructors major in psychology. Other common majors for a behavioral sciences instructor include sociology and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for behavioral sciences instructors

Behavioral sciences instructors often get their degrees at University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas State University, and University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Here are the most common colleges for behavioral sciences instructors in the US based on their resumes.
Behavioral sciences instructor common collegePercentages
University of Central Arkansas17.28%
Arkansas State University14.14%
University of Arkansas at Little Rock10.47%
California State University - San Bernardino7.85%
California State University - Northridge7.33%

Best majors for behavioral sciences instructors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology44.8%
2Sociology7.6%
3Criminal Justice6.7%
4Human Development4.2%
5Social Work4.2%

Best colleges for behavioral sciences instructors

The best colleges for behavioral sciences instructors are Columbia University in the City of New York, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

A behavioral sciences instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for behavioral sciences instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become behavioral sciences instructors.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for behavioral sciences instructors

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1. Creating Behavioral Change

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In this course you will learn about understanding and changing mental and physical health behavior. We will examine both the historical context and the current science. Major topics will include fundamental behavioral principles and basic elements of empirically supported individual treatments (e.g., motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapies). Lectures and examples will illustrate both the theory and the practice of evidence-based approaches to behavior change. You will engage...

2. Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action

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Humans often fail to make rational decisions that affect their health. This course seeks to heighten understanding of the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health decisions and behaviors, with an ultimate goal of learning how to utilize these factors in improving public health efforts. Through a set of experiential learning exercises, students will learn to apply the science of health behavior change in their own lives. The course is appropriate for students interested in health...

3. Cat Behavior Rectification & Cat Health Care: 2 courses in 1

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4.2
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1. Common Cat Behavior Issues and training methods to rectify them 2. Tips for better healthcare of your cat...

4. Dog & Cat Behavior Problems

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4.8
(288)

Learn the essential training techniques you'll need to raise a pet dog or cat and fix common behavior problems...

5. Market Research and Consumer Behavior

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Your marketing quest begins here! The first course in this specialization lays the neccessary groundwork for an overall successful marketing strategy. It is separated into two sections: Market Research and Consumer Behavior. Gain the tools and techniques to translate a decision problem into a research question in the Market Research module. Learn how to design a research plan, analyze the data gathered and accurately interpret and communicate survey reports, translating the results into...

6. Communicating Data Science Results

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Important note: The second assignment in this course covers the topic of Graph Analysis in the Cloud, in which you will use Elastic MapReduce and the Pig language to perform graph analysis over a moderately large dataset, about 600GB. In order to complete this assignment, you will need to make use of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Amazon has generously offered to provide up to $50 in free AWS credit to each learner in this course to allow you to complete the assignment. Further details regarding...

7. DOG BEHAVIOR & DOG TRAINING: Fix Problems & Animal Behavior

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8. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): The Complete Course

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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)...

9. Community Awareness Course: Sexuality and Disability

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This community awareness course from the University of Minnesota Program on Human Sexuality will provide you with a solid introduction to human sexuality for those living with disabilities. Often there are assumptions that the disabled or differently abled people are not sexual, do not have sexual needs, or cannot be involved sexually. In this professionally produced one-hour course, you'll learn about the basics of disabilities and human sexuality. We'll then learn about three different...

10. Crucial Concepts in Dog Behavior & Training

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Learn cutting edge and common sense concepts that make dog training incredibly easy and effective...

11. Introduction to Behavioral Economics & Consumer Psychology

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4
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Learn how to apply some of the most powerful principles from consumer psychology to increase conversions...

12. Simple Solutions for Common Dog Behavior & Training Problems

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4.6
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Learn to address house soiling, chewing, barking, digging, separation anxiety, jumping up, pulling on leash and more...

13. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT Life Coaching Certification

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CBT: Emotional intelligence transform your life - stop self-sabotage while earning your life coaching credentials...

14. Applied Behavioural Analysis(ABA): Application and therapy

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# 1 rank Applied Behavioral Analysis(ABA)course. Step by step understanding and applications on ABA intervention...

15. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Life Coach Specialty

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CBT Life Coaching: Emotional Intelligence - Tools for Overcoming Negative Emotions like Anxiety, Fear, Undue Stress...

16. [Accredited] Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Counselor

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Learn DBT in depth, start conducting sessions with ready to use templates, and set up counseling practice within weeks!...

17. Autism Awareness Course for Parents - Autism Training

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Training Helps Parents Reduce Challenging Autism Behavior Learn to Understand & Manage Autism and Autistic Children...

18. CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Therapists & Coaches

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Comprehensive CBT Therapy Training Cognitive Behavior Therapy Practitioner Level Treat Anxiety, Depression & More...

19. The Data Science Course: Complete Data Science Bootcamp 2023

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Complete Data Science Training: Mathematics, Statistics, Python, Advanced Statistics in Python, Machine & Deep Learning...

20. R Programming Hands-on Specialization for Data Science (Lv1)

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4.5
(539)

An in-depth course on R language with real-world Data Science examples to supercharge your R data analysis skills...

Top 10 most affordable universities for behavioral sciences instructors

The most affordable schools for behavioral sciences instructors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for behavioral sciences instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for behavioral sciences instructors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for behavioral sciences instructors

The hardest universities for behavioral sciences instructors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for behavioral sciences instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for behavioral sciences instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for behavioral sciences instructors

The easiest schools for behavioral sciences instructors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a behavioral sciences instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for behavioral sciences instructors.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average behavioral sciences instructor salary by education level

According to our data, behavioral sciences instructors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $52,442 annually. Behavioral sciences instructors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $42,989.
Behavioral sciences instructor education levelBehavioral sciences instructor salary
Master's Degree$42,989
Doctorate Degree$52,442

Behavioral sciences instructor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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