Welcome to the Psychology Department!

Psychology Kick-off Event

The Psychology Department is hosting an Open House Kick-off & Social for new and returning students in the major on August 29th from 2-4 in EP 304. Come by to meet faculty, get more information about labs and how to get involved! 

More information about the event is posted on our Upcoming Events Page

Welcome Our New Faculty: Dr. Shasta Ihorn

Please welcome our new faculty member, Dr. Shasta Ihorn. Dr. Ihorn joins our school psychology faculty concentration. Her area of research include Multicultural Counseling Competence. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in Education Psychology. Prior to joining SF State, she taught at Texas A&M University since 2016.

Graduate Student Thesis/Research Support

The Psychology Department was able to support 15 graduate student research projects for the current year.  We will post updates about the specific projects as they are completed.  

Major Requirements

The Core requirements consist of PSY 200, 303, 305GWAR, 371, 400 and 690. Students must earn a grade of C or better in all core classes and a grade of CR must be earned in 303 and 690. Courses 200, 305, 371 and 400 must be taken for a letter grade. There are three basic areas in which students must complete 6 units apiece, for a total of 18 units. Additionally, students must complete 9 units from upper division Psychology electives or from any basic areas.

Mandatory Advising

Students that need to fulfill the Mandatory Advising Requirement must complete the following:

  • Discuss your plans and address any questions you might have about the major with your advisor and obtain their signature.
  • Submit signed form to EP 301 for advising clearance.

Psychology Major Program Impaction

In July 2009, the California State University Chancellor's Office approved impaction status for the Psychology Department.  We declared impaction in order to better serve over 700 undergraduate majors by ensuring that they have seats in required courses, which will help them graduate in a timely manner.
 
Admission to the Psychology major is a selective and competitive process with attention given to GPA, financial need, first generation college student status, and completion of an Associate Degree for Transfer.   The Department, in consultation with the University Admissions Office, reviews admissions criteria on an annual basis.  The major can accomodate approximately 350-400 new students annually.  Applications for admission to the major are accepted annually between October 1 and November 30.
 
​Once admitted, the major can be completed in 2 years by students taking 15 units per semester and following an advisor approved roadmap.  Roughly half of our students take 12-14 units per semester with the remaining students split between those taking fewer than 12 units per semester and those students taking 15 or more units per semester.  Declaring impaction has improved  students’ time to graduation and has allowed us to lower our student to faculty ratio.  Faculty are committed to fostering engaged learning and academic success among our majors, and are more available for advising and mentoring with impaction.