Major Requirements & Roadmap

Students graduating with a BA in Psychology will have accomplished the following: 1) developed a knowledge base in psychology, 2) developed scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills, 3) reflected upon ethical and social responsibility in a diverse world, 4) developed communication skills, and 5) engaged in professional development.

 

Roadmap Tutorial:

Psychology major students will complete our Core required curriculum and have the flexibility to select courses that best fit their career interests. We encourage all students to develop a roadmap to plan their completion of the major requirements. Start your planning by watching our roadmap tutorial and filling in our roadmap worksheet:

 

2-year Scheduling Guide:

The Psychology major is designed to be completed within 2-years. We also offer a limited selection of courses during Winter Session and Summer Session. Here are the recommended psychology courses to take each semester to complete the major courses within 2 years:
 

 

Psychology Core Courses

Psychology Area Courses

Psychology Elective Courses

Total Psychology Units

Fall Junior Year:

4 units (PSY 371, PSY 303)

6 units (Area 2, Area 3)

0 units

10 units

Spring Junior Year:

3 units (PSY 400)

6 units (Area 1, Area 2)

0 units

9 units

Fall Senior Year:

4 units (PSY 305, PSY 690)

3 units (Area 1)

3 units (Elective or Any Area)

10 units

Spring Senior Year:

0 units

3 units (Area 3)

6 units (Elective or Any Area)

9 units

 

Psychology Course Offerings:

Below is an overview of course offerings for the Psychology Major. Please review the descriptions and pre-requisites for each course prior to planning your schedule. The Psychology major requires a minimum of 41 units. Students must complete all 14 units of the Core courses and at least 6 units within each of our three Topic Areas. The remaining 9 units can be taken from our list of Electives or additional units from the Topic Areas. 

 

Core Requirements - Required by all Psychology Major Students (14 units required; MUST earn a grade C or better)
Course Title Units
PSY 200 General Psychology 3
PSY 303 Psychology: The Major and the Profession (online)         1
PSY 305GW Writing in Psychology - GWAR 3
PSY 371 Psychological Statistics 3
PSY 400 Introduction to Research in Psychology 3
PSY 690 Future Direction for Psychology Majors (online; PSY303 is a pre-requisite) 1
Topic Area 1 - Basic Psychological Processes (6 units required)
Course Title Units
PSY 432             Cognitive Development: Language, Thinking & Perception 3
PSY 490 Introduction to Data Science for Psychology 3
PSY 491 Learning 3
PSY 492 Perception 3
PSY 493 Motivation 3
PSY 494 Cognitive Psychology 3
PSY 495 Human Memory 3
PSY 498 Cognitive Neuroscience: Psychological Models 3
PSY 531 Psycholinguistics 3
PSY 581 Physiological Psychology I 3
PSY 582 Physiological Psychology II 3
Topic Area 2 - Psychological Development & Individual Differences (6 units required)
Course Title Units
PSY 430            Adolescent Psychology 3
PSY 431*     Developmental Psychology (*Note: Students may not take both PSY431 and PSY330) 3
PSY 433 Social, Emotional, & Personality Development 3
PSY 435 Developmental Psychopathology 3
PSY 436 The Development of Femaleness and Maleness 4
PSY 442 Health Psychology 3
PSY 451 Theories of Personality 3
PSY 452 Clinical Psychopathology 3
PSY 521 Introduction to Clinical Psychology 3
Topic Area 3 - Social, Cultural, Organizational, & Community Contexts (6 units required)
Course Title Units
PSY 440             Social Psychology 3
PSY 441 The Psychology of the Family 3
PSY 455 Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Psychology 3
PSY 456 Psychology Human Sexual Behavior 3
PSY 461 Introduction to Industrial / Organizational Psychology 3
PSY 462 Personnel Psychology 3
PSY 463 Human Factors  3
PSY 464 Psychology of Career Pursuit (online) 3
PSY 465 The Psychology of Work Life Stress 3
PSY 466 Training and Development in Organizations 3
PSY 472 Introduction to Legal Psychology 3
PSY 474 Psychology of Social Justice 3
PSY 475 Psychology of Policing 3
PSY 525 Community Psychology 3
PSY 540 Decision Making: A Perspective from Social Psychology 3
PSY 547 Social Conflict and Conflict Resolution 3
PSY 558 /
PSY 559
Field Services Seminar (2 units)
Psychological Field Service (1 to 3 units)
3 to 5
PSY 645 Group Processes 3
Electives - Extracurricular Learning & Current Issues
Course Title Units
PSY 300 Current Issues in Psychology 3
PSY 320 / 
SXS 320
Sex and Relationships 3
PSY 450 Variation in Human Sexuality 3
PSY 443 The Science of Happiness 3
PSY 571 Intermediate Statistics 3
PSY 601 Theoretical Backgrounds in Psychology                          3
PSY 668 The Psychology of Leadership 3
PSY 680 Peer Advising in Psychology 3
PSY 685 Projects in the Teaching of Psychology 3
PSY 693 Proseminar I 3
PSY 694 Proseminar II 3
PSY 697 Senior Project Preparation 3
PSY 698 Senior Project in Psychology 3
PSY 699 Independent Study 1 to 4