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Psychology Majors

The UC San Diego Department of Psychology emphasizes research in the experimental and theoretical analysis of human and animal behavior and the study of the mind. Students majoring in psychology can expect to develop knowledge in a broad range of content areas and basic skills in experimental and analytic procedures. Once a student has decided upon a major in psychology, they are highly encouraged to consult with a Psychology Undergraduate Advisor to ensure a complete understanding of the major requirements.

Degrees offered include:

Students majoring in psychology must have departmental approval for electives taken outside the department and should consult advisors before enrolling in courses offered by other departments. Students in all B.S. tracks are recommended to seek additional advising from faculty and advisors to determine whether additional coursework in mathematics, programming, physical or biological sciences, philosophy, or any other discipline may be valuable, given a student's specific academic or professional goals after graduation.

Double Majors

Are you interested in double majoring with Psychology as one of your majors? We have created a sample Double Major petition form for you that includes instructions on how to fill out the form. You can get a blank copy of the form from your college or find it on TritonLink. Note: Per the Academic Senate, students may only overlap up to two upper-division (UD) courses between their two majors. Both departments must approve the overlap courses. If students want to change their overlapping courses, they must submit a revised Double Major petition to both departments for review and approval.

Academic Plans 

Academic Plans are designed to assist you in short and long-term planning. They provide an overview of the recommended quarter-by-quarter course schedule to facilitate your graduation. We encourage you to use the available plans as a resource to design your own unique path.

Students are encouraged first to create an academic plan, then consult with their major advisor (and minor advisor, if applicable), and finally meet with a college advisor to review their full academic plan.

College academic plans:  ERC  -  Marshall  -  Muir  -  Revelle  -  Sixth  -  Seventh  -  Warren 

Note: academic plans should be used as a guide, and the courses listed are not guaranteed to be offered in specific quarters.  

The video below will walk you through the process of creating your own academic plan:  

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Select the psychology major above you plan to complete.
  2. Create a list of courses you have already completed for that psychology major.
  3. Create a second list of courses you must complete for that psychology major.
  4. Using the sample academic plan on the major's webpage, plot the remaining courses needed to complete that psychology major.
  5. Have a psychology advisor review your psychology major academic plan during our drop in-advising hours.*** Please note: psychology advisors do not create academic plans for students. ***
  6. Lastly, meet with a college advisor to review their full academic plan, including General Education (GEs), College, and University requirements.