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Psychology Minor Program (PC26)

NOTICE: The Psychology Minor will no longer be available for students to declare after Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

The Psychology Department will no longer offer the Psychology Minor (PC26) effective at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. Students must submit a Psychology Minor request through the TritonLink Major/Minor tool by this deadline to be considered for the Psychology Minor. After this date, the Psychology Minor will no longer be available to declare in the Major/Minor tool, and students will not be able to add it. Due to the TritonLink System's setup, we will not be able to make any exceptions for late requests.

  • If a student is currently declared a Psychology Minor, they will be able to complete the Minor without issue. There is no need to contact our department.
  • If a currently declared Psychology Minor drops the Minor, they will not be able to re-add the Minor.
  • Incoming FA23 first-year and transfer students are not eligible to declare the Psychology Minor.
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Minimum Criteria

  • A grade-point average of at least a 2.0 in the psychology minor is required for graduation.
  • The psychology minor consists of seven 4-unit Psychology courses numbered PSYC 1-PSYC 70, PSYC 100-PSYC 193 (total of 28 units). Note: Psych Research lab courses are not open to Psych Minor students.
  • A minimum of five courses (20 units) must be upper-division (UD).
  • At least four upper-division (UD) courses must be taken at UC San Diego for a letter grade.
  • All seven courses used in the Psych Minor must be taken in a Psychology Department. Courses labeled COGS, MATH, STAT, etc. may not be used in the Psych Minor.
  • If PSYC 60 (Statistics) is chosen as one of the lower-division (LD) courses, it must be taken for a letter grade.

Guidelines for Minor Application

  • To declare or change your minor, use the online minor tool on Tritonlink.
  • You are not required to finish your minor as declared; you are only demonstrating your basic knowledge of minor requirements and will not be held to the classes listed.
  • When completing the psychology minor application, be sure to list exactly 7 courses (and only 7), or else your application will be denied.
  • Courses listed on your Psych Minor application are not guaranteed to be offered nor are students guaranteed enrollment in a course they list on their application.
  • If you earned a score of 4 or 5 on the AP psychology exam and have PSYC 1 credit posted to your UCSD Academic History, it can satisfy one lower-division course requirement for the minor. 
  • You can only overlap up to 2 upper-division (UD) courses between your major and PSYC minor. Both departments must pre-approve the UD courses you plan to overlap. 
  • The following courses may each count for one (P/NP) course toward your minor requirements. Courses must be at least 4 units.

Course Distribution Options

The Psychology Minor needs to be completed using one of the course distributions from the list below. Students may choose which distribution they wish to complete.

  • 2 lower division, 5 upper division psychology courses
  • 1 lower division, 6 upper division psychology courses
  • 7 upper division psychology courses

Example: 2LD / 5UD Minor application

This is an example of a Psychology Minor application using 2 LD and 5 UD courses. Note: Your application may look different, this is just an example.

Minor 2LD 5UD example

List any lower division courses not yet completed as such:

  • Subject code: PSYC
  • Course No: LD
  • Title: Psychology Elective
  • Institution: UCSD
  • Units: 4.00

Example: 1LD / 6UD Minor application

This is an example of a Psychology Minor application using 1 LD and 6 UD courses. Note: Your application may look different, this is just an example.

Minor 1LD 6UD Example

List any lower division courses not yet completed as such:

  • Subject code: PSYC
  • Course No: LD
  • Title: Psychology Elective
  • Institution: UCSD
  • Units: 4.00

List any upper division courses not yet completed as such:

  • Subject code: PSYC
  • Course No: UD
  • Title: Psychology Elective
  • Institution: UCSD
  • Units: 4.00

Example: 7 UD Minor application

This is an example of a Psychology Minor application using 7 UD courses. Note: Your application may look different, this is just an example.

Minor 7UD courses application example

List any upper division courses not yet completed as such:

  • Subject code: PSYC
  • Course No: N/A
  • Title: Not Using LD Courses for the Minor
  • Institution: UCSD
  • Units: 4.00

Courses taken outside of UC San Diego

  • Submit your psychology minor application as though you do not have classes from other institutions. Submit your course petition(s) to the department ASAP. Remember that if you submit a minor application listing a class taken elsewhere and have not yet petitioned it, your application will be denied.
  • The Psychology Department allows students to transfer no more than three upper-division (UD) Psychology classes toward the Psychology Major and Minor.
Note: All seven courses used in the Psychology Minor must be taken in a Psychology Department. Courses labeled COGS, MATH, STAT, etc., may not be used in the Psych Minor.

Processing time for psychology minor applications is 15-20 business days from the date you submit your application.

Applicants will be notified of any errors through the Virtual Advising Center. All students can check their status on TritonLink under the major/minor tool.

A complete list of courses is located on the courses page.