Psychology B.A. (PC25)
The B.A. in Psychology provides broad exposure to the foundational sub-fields of the discipline. Supplemented by training in experimental methods and with options from Philosophy, this major provides insight into the mind and brain and showcases how Psychology interacts with other fields and with our everyday life.
Major Requirements
- Courses towards the major must be taken for a letter grade. The only exceptions are natural science, computer programming, formal skills, PSYC 195, and AIP 197.
- A maximum of three upper-division (UD) courses toward the major may be taken outside of UC San Diego.
- A grade-point average of at least 2.0 in the upper-division (UD) major courses is required for graduation.
Lower-Division (LD) Requirements (24 units)
Experimental psychology uses scientific tools and concepts: knowledge of formal systems such as logic or calculus, probability theory, computer science, chemistry, biology, physics, and statistics. Accordingly, students in upper-division (UD) courses must have an adequate background in these topics.
Lower-division (LD) courses for the major should be completed by the end of the sophomore year. These requirements will guarantee an adequate background for the topics of the upper-division (UD) psychology courses.
2 Natural Science Courses (choose two of the following)
- BILD 1, 2, 3, 10, 12**, 20, 26 (BILD 22 is NOT accepted)
- CHEM 4^, 6A, 6B, 6C, 11^, 12, 13
- COGS 17**
- PHYS 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 10, 11
- PSYC 2**
^Only one of CHEM 4 or 11 can be taken for credit.
**Only one of BILD 12, COGS 17, or PSYC 2 may be counted towards this requirement.
2 Formal Skills Courses
- PSYC 70 (preferred) or COGS 14A
- And choose one:
- MATH: 10A or 20A
- PHIL: 10 or 12
1 Computer Programming Course (choose one of the following)
- COGS 18*
- CSE 3, 5A, 6R, 7*, 8A, 8B, 11, 12
- CSS 1*
- ECE 15*
- MAE 5, 8*
- BILD 62^
*Students who plan to pursue research careers in Psychology or related fields will find these courses critical to their success.
^Students who take BILD 62 need to send a VAC message to Psych Advising to apply it to their degree audit.
1 Statistics Course (choose one of the following) - Statistics must be taken for a letter grade.
- PSYC 60 (preferred)
- BENG 100
- BIEB 100
- COGS 14B
- ECON 120A
- MATH 11, 181A, 183, 186
Upper-Division (UD) Requirements (48 units)
4 PSYC Core Courses (choose four of the following)
- PSYC 100, 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 108
8 PSYC Elective Courses (choose eight of the following)
- PSYC 100 – 193
- PHIL 137 or 149 (choose up to one)
*Students are allowed to use one 4-unit PSYC 195 and/or one 4-unit AIP 197 (must be pre-approved through Psychology) toward the upper-division (UD) PSYC Elective requirement, send a Virtual Advising Center (VAC) message to have this course applied to your degree audit.
*PSYC 99s/199s do not count toward upper-division (UD) PSYC Core or PSYC Elective requirements for any Psychology major.
*Graduate courses (2XX) are not generally accepted for credit towards the major, but petitions for exceptions will be considered.