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Complementary Majors & Minors for Psychology Students

Maximizing your learning potential

Students may wish to pursue minors and second majors if their schedule permits to develop deeper understanding in various domains of study.  While a variety of minors or double majors may prove interesting to you, below are a few that some students have found to be helpful in preparing them for future career goals. For additional information, see our Career Advising pages.

Business

  • Students pursuing a career in Business Management, Human Relations, or Industrial/Organizational Psychology may benefit from a minor in Business, Accounting, Supply Chain Management, or Entrepreneurship.  Business Psychology majors may not earn a minor in Business, but should discuss their plans for other minors within the Rady School of Management with the Rady advising team. 

Communication

  • Is a career in Marketing, Advertising, or Sales in your future? Or perhaps you would prefer to work with children as they develop language skills? A minor or double major in Communication can help prepare Psychology majors for either of these careers.

Education Studies at UCSD

  • Majoring in psychology offers excellent preparation for teaching in elementary schools. If you are interested in earning a California teaching credential from UCSD, contact Education Studies (EDS) as early as possible in your academic career for information about the prerequisite and professional preparation requirements.

Cognitive Science

  • Students interested in Neuroscience or human computing may benefit from a minor or double major in Cognitive Science.

Critical Gender Studies

  • Students looking to careers in fields related to counseling or therapy, or anyone interested in working with adolescent populations, may find benefit in a minor or double major in Critical Gender Studies.

Data Science

  • Students considering careers as statisticians, analysts, and user experience consultants may benefit from a minor or double major in Data Science.

Design

  • Students who want to go into the field of user interface/user experience management may find a Design minor, offered through the Cognitive Science department, beneficial.

Ethnic Studies

Global Health

  • Students with an eye on changing health policies in other parts of the world may consider a minor or double major in Global Health.

Health Care-Social Issues

  • If your goal is to work with underserved populations in the fields of social work, healthcare, or public policy, you may consider a minor in Health Care-Social Issues.

Human Developmental Sciences

  • Students interested in Early Childhood Education or Child Development careers may consider a minor or double major in Human Developmental Sciences.

Law and Society

  • If your goal is Law School, a Psychology major will prepare you to work with people and understand groups. A minor in Law and Society can help you learn some basics of the criminal justice system.

Linguistics

  • Students interested in learning more about language acquisition and learning may benefit from a minor or double major in Linguistics.

Political Science

  • Students interested in careers in public policy, politics, law, or data analytics, or for those pursuing paths in political psychology, a double major in one of the many majors that the Political Science department has to offer, or from a Political Science minor.

Public Health

  • Students wishing to pursue Public Health as a career may benefit from a double major with Psychology, especially if they are interested in mental illness and disorders.

Public Service

  • Students interested in going into public office, public policy, law, or politics may benefit from the Public Service minor.

Sociology

  • Students considering a career in Psychotherapy, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Counseling, or School Psychology may find a minor in Sociology beneficial.