Behavioral Health Degrees by Degree Program Level

Behavioral health is a broad social service field that presents many career opportunities to specialized therapists, counselors and health aides. Depending on which occupation students wish to pursue, they must have an associate's, bachelor's or master's degree in behavioral health.

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Associate of Applied Science in Behavioral Health Sciences

The Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Behavioral Health Sciences prepares students for basic and technical positions in the behavioral health field. They acquire the skills necessary to perform administrative and assistant roles in standard mental rehabilitation centers and behavioral health clinics. The associate's degree program requires no educational prerequisites and takes approximately two years to complete.

Program Coursework

An A.A.S. in Behavioral Health Sciences program places a heavy emphasis on psychology and sociology courses. Course topics may include:

Human relations
Group dynamics
Human dependency
Communications skills
Multicultural counseling
Report writing

Popular Career Options

Positions held by those with associate's degrees in behavioral health science are typically supplemental to workers with higher degrees. Roles include:

Behavioral health technician
Case manager
Parent aide
Elderly aide
Family advocate
Respite care worker
Paraprofessional counselor

Bachelor of Psychology and Mental Health

Those with a bachelor's degree have access to most entry-level jobs in the behavioral health field. In a Bachelor of Psychology and Mental Health program, students develop a comprehensive understanding of human analysis, therapy and counseling. A high school diploma may be required to enter this program, and an experiential practicum may be needed to graduate.

Program Coursework

A bachelor's degree program in psychology covers many areas of medical science, preparing students for the wide variety of job opportunities. Course topics may include:

Medical sociology
Medical ethics
Health care management
Health psychology
Social psychology

Popular Career Options

Some entry-level positions in the behavioral health field do not require a bachelor's degree. However, as the health fields expand, more and more employers and clients prefer candidates to have higher degrees. Positions for graduates of this bachelor's degree include:

Clinical psychologist
Research sociologist
School counselor
Social worker

Master of Community and Behavioral Health

The Master of Community and Behavioral Health program focuses on the interplay between human communities and individual behavioral health. In order to enter this program, one must have already completed a bachelor's degree in a related field. The degree can take nearly four years to complete, or be completed in two years.

Program Coursework

Curriculum provides a sociological perspective on mental health care. Many courses cover community-related subject matter. Examples of these topics are:

Public health
Environmental health
Intervention design
Social health theories
Cultural competence
Community communication

Employment Outlook and Salary Info

In 2006, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that job growth in the field of medical and health services would be faster than average throughout 2016. In the same year, the mean annual wage of medical and health services managers was $88,750. The three top-paying industries for medical and health services managers are electronic shopping and mail-order houses, professional and political organizations, and instruments manufacturing businesses.

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