The Psychology Advisors are available to assist you with major & minor requirements, the degree audit, academic policies & procedures, research information, course planning, and other psychology-related questions. We're also here to connect you to a variety of campus facilities & resources such as the career center, community centers, disability services, teaching & learning commons, study abroad, etc. 

Advising Options

Virtual Advising Center (VAC):

Current students may use the "Ask a Question" feature within the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) to submit quick questions to the psychology advisors. Our goal is to respond to VAC messages within 3-4 business days; however, during busy times (registration, etc.) responses may take longer. Advisor's responses can be found in the student's "Contact Record" area of their VAC. 

We kindly ask students to review our Frequently Asked Questions page prior to sending a VAC message as your question has most likely already been answered.

Drop-In Advising: 

Drop-in advising sessions are available to students in real-time to discuss basic inquiries related to psych major & minor requirements, the degree audit, current or upcoming quarter planning, etc. 

Drop-In Advising is currently being handled in-person and via Zoom. 

Note: Psychology Undergraduate Advising will be closed from Wed. Dec. 22, 2021 - Mon. Jan. 3, 2022. Advising will re-open at 10:00am on Tues. Jan. 4, 2022.

• Mondays: Closed
• Tuesdays: Remote
  • 10:00am-12:00pm
  • 1:30pm-3:30pm
• Wednesdays: 1533 Mandler Hall
  • 10:00am-12:00pm
  • 1:30pm-3:30pm
• Thursdays: 1533 Mandler Hall
  • 1:30pm-3:30pm
  • 4:30pm-6:00pm
• Fridays: Remote
  • 10:00am-12:00pm

In-person: the Psychology Advising Office is located at 1533 Mandler Hall.
Remote: sign in to your Virtual Advising Center (VAC), select "Meet with Advisor," scroll to "Psychology Dept." and you will be placed in the psychology advisors' queue for a Zoom meeting.

Note: advising hours availability is subject to change. 

Psychology Undergraduate Student Petition Form

Course pre-approval and petitions (for classes to count toward major/minor requirements)

• Please use the above petition form for both pre-approve and petition courses to count toward majors and minors. You will be contacted in the Virtual Advising Center within 3-5 weeks with the result of your petition.

Other forms and paperwork that need an Advisor's signature (double majors, appeals, university exceptions, study abroad, and other forms)

• Please use the above petition form, ensure your form is completely and correctly filled out. You may be contacted in the Virtual Advising Center or to set up a Zoom appointment to go over your form. You should hear back from us within 7-14 business days for most petitions, but completing your forms may take longer due to the volume of petitions received.

• Psychology Dept. Majors: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD), including psychology (PSYC) courses, as Pass/No Pass to fulfill Psychology major course requirements.
  • This includes all areas: Natural Science, Formal Skills, Computer Programming, Statistics, Core, Core Specialization, Research, Specialization, Electives.

• Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) Major: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD) courses, including Psychology (PSYC) courses and Cognitive Science (COGS) courses, as Pass/No Pass to fulfill the CBN major course requirements.
  • This includes all areas: Natural Science, Formal Skills, Computer Programming, Statistics, CBN Core, UD CBN courses, Research, UD PSYC courses.  

• Business Psychology Major: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD), including psychology (PSYC) courses and Business Management (MGT) courses, as Pass/No Pass to fulfill Business Psychology major course requirements.
  • This includes all areas: Natural Science, Formal Skills, Computer Programming, Statistics, Business Fundamentals, Psych Business Core, Additional Psych Cores, Business Management, Research, Additional Business Psyc Electives, additional Psych Elective.

• Psychology Minor: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD) psychology (PSYC) courses as Pass/No Pass to fulfill Psych Minor course requirements.

• Psychology Dept. Majors: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD), including psychology (PSYC) courses, as Pass/No Pass to fulfill Psychology major course requirements.
  • This includes all areas: Natural Science, Formal Skills, Computer Programming, Statistics, Core, Core Specialization, Research, Specialization, Electives.

• Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) Major: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD) courses, including Psychology (PSYC) courses and Cognitive Science (COGS) courses, as Pass/No Pass to fulfill the CBN major course requirements.
  • This includes all areas: Natural Science, Formal Skills, Computer Programming, Statistics, CBN Core, UD CBN courses, Research, UD PSYC courses.  

• Business Psychology Major: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD), including psychology (PSYC) courses and Business Management (MGT) courses, as Pass/No Pass to fulfill Business Psychology major course requirements.
  • This includes all areas: Natural Science, Formal Skills, Computer Programming, Statistics, Business Fundamentals, Psych Business Core, Additional Psych Cores, Business Management, Research, Additional Business Psyc Electives, additional Psych Elective.

• Psychology Minor: Students may take any number of lower-division (LD) and upper-division (UD) psychology (PSYC) courses as Pass/No Pass to fulfill Psych Minor course requirements.

During the Spring 2020 quarter, the Academic Senate has approved letter grades as well as Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grades to be taken in undergraduate courses. In an effort to provide students with flexibility during this time, the Psychology Department has agreed to the following Spring 2020 guidelines:

• Psych Dept. Majors: A maximum of 2 UD psychology courses (PSYC 100-193) may be taken as Pass/No Pass.
  • UD psychology major courses include Core, Specialization, Research, and Psych Elective areas (all majors).
  • CBN majors: this applies to either PSYC or COGS courses and the UD CBN Elective area.
  • Business Psych majors: this applies to either PSYC or MGT courses and the Business Management and Business Psych areas.

• Psych Minor: A maximum of 2 UD psychology courses (PSYC 100-193) may be taken as Pass/No Pass.

• PSYC 60: Statistics (or equivalent) may be taken as P/NP for all psych dept. majors and minors. Business Psych majors: MGT 16, MGT 18 may be taken as P/NP.

All other psychology major and minor upper-division (UD) courses are still required to be letter-graded. This allowance of two UD psychology courses as well as PSYC 60 (MGT 16/18) taken as P/NP is allowed for Spring 2020 only.

What does this mean for me as a student?

To learn about taking lower-division non-psych courses as P/NP to fulfill your lower-division psych major requirements, please visit the following website and click on your psych major.

Here are some examples of how this could apply to you:

• A Psych BS major takes PSYC 60 and PSYC 101 as P/NP during SP20. The student earns a “Pass” in both courses. The student may use both courses towards their psych major requirements.

• A Clinical Psych BS major takes PSYC 102 and PSYC 124 as P/NP during SP20. The student earns a “Pass” in both courses. The student may use PSYC 102 towards the UD Core area and PSYC 124 towards the UD Specialization area of their psych major.

• A CBN BS major takes PSYC 106 and PSYC 122 as P/NP in SP20. The student earns a “Pass” in both courses. The student may apply PSYC 106 towards the CBN Core area and PSYC 122 towards the UD CBN Elective area of their CBN major.

• A Psych minor has already completed PSYC 1 ("A-") and PSYC 100 ("Pass") during FA19. The student enrolls in SP20 PSYC 168 and PSYC 190, graded P/NP and earns “Pass” in both courses. The student can apply both SP20 psych courses towards the minor- for a total of three UD Psych courses (PSYC 100, PSYC 168, PSYC 190), graded P/NP, being used towards the psych minor.

• Students should carefully consider taking additional units under the assumption they will need to devote less time to each course if it is graded P/NP. The expectation is students will apply the same amount of time and energy towards each enrolled course regardless of how the course is graded. If adequate time is not planned for each course, a student could easily find themselves overwhelmed at the amount of work required for the quarter.

• Students who plan to retake a course to replace a previously earned grade, must retake the course using the same grading method. If the previously earned grade was a letter grade (“D”, “F”), the course must be retaken using the same grading format. For example, a student who took FA19 PSYC 70 and earned an “F,” would have to retake WI20 PSYC 70 as letter-graded (P/NP is not an option).

• Students who plan to apply for postgraduate study. Graduate, medical, and other professional schools may not accept a grading option of P/NP for some courses. Students will need to check with the specific graduate/professional school they are applying to and inquire what courses are required to apply and if those courses can be graded as P/NP. 

• Students who are veterans and receive financial assistance need to check with their campus Veterans Affairs liaisons to determine how taking a course as P/NP will impact their financial support.

• Student-athletes should check with their athletic advisor (Mary Angell or Katie McGann) to ensure a student's SP20 coursework and/or GPA will still meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

• Students trying to raise their GPA, especially in an effort to return to good academic standing. Students who need to raise their GPA above a 2.0 to be in good standing or for purposes of financial aid may be harmed in taking P/NP grades.

• Students maintaining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid. In addition to GPA, a student must maintain “Satisfactory Academic Progress” (SAP). Students are still considered to be making SAP according to the standard “PACE formula” even if they get a C-, D+, or D. For example: If a student with 15 units received 10 (C)’s and 5 (C-)‘s, they would be fine in terms of GPA and SAP. The same student receives 10 (C)’s and 5 NP’s would show a lack of SAP and may have issues with financial aid. Students should always check with the UCSD Financial Aid Office to verify how taking courses as P/NP would impact their aid.

• Students should consider the grading scale for Pass (“A”-”C-”) and No Pass (“D”-”F”) courses. The Psychology Department accepts grades of “D” or better for our major and minor requirements. Therefore, a student who takes SP20 PSYC 102 as letter-graded and earns a “D” will be able to use this course towards their psych major or minor requirements. However, if the same student takes SP20 PSYC 102 as P/NP, they will earn an “NP” and will not be able to use the course towards their major or minor requirements. Students are still required to earn at least a 2.0 GPA in the Psych Dept. majors and minor. 
  • Exception: "D" grades do not apply to the Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience major. Students must earn a "C-" or better for courses to apply to their CBN major. 

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of potential unintended consequences. Students who are uncertain of the effects of this decision are encouraged to seek guidance from their academic advisors to understand the full implications of their choices.

For additional important considerations, please review all information sent from the Registrar's Office.

• Tues. Dec. 22, 2020. Subject: Additional information about P/NP grading options for Fall 2020. 
• Fri. Jan. 22, 2021. Subject: Update! Temporary Exceptions to Academic Policies and Deadlines.