Psychology B.A. (60 Units)
The major includes 14 units of core curriculum, 18 - 21 units of basic courses and 9 - 12 units of electives. Students may take additional electives as needed to complete 60 units.
Core Curriculum (14 Units)
Core courses should be taken in the order listed below.
- Psychology majors must take PSY 200, PSY 305GW, PSY 371 and PSY 400 for a letter grade and achieve a grade of C or better in all four courses.
- Majors must achieve a grade of CR in PSY 303 and PSY 690.
- PSY 171 (or any quantitative reasoning course) is a prerequisite for PSY 371.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 200 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 303 | Psychology: The Major and the Profession | 1 |
| PSY 371 | Psychological Statistics | 3 |
| PSY 400 | Introduction to Research in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 305GW | Writing in Psychology - GWAR | 3 |
| PSY 690 | Future Directions for Psychology Majors | 1 |
Basic Courses (18 - 21 Units)
Choose two courses from each of the following Areas 1 through 3:
- Area 1: Basic Psychological Processes (6)
- Area 2: Psychological Development and Individual Differences (6 - 7)
- Area 3: Social, Cultural, Organizational and Community Contexts (6 - 8)
Electives (9 - 12 Units)
Choose three elective courses from courses in Areas 1 - 3 not used to satisfy the Basic Course requirement and/or from additional upper-division psychology courses.
Areas of Study
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 432 | Cognitive Development: Language, Thinking and Perception | 3 |
| PSY 491 | Learning | 3 |
| PSY 492 | Perception | 3 |
| PSY 493 | Motivation | 3 |
| PSY 494 | Cognitive Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 495 | The Psychology of Human Memory | 3 |
| PSY 498 | Cognitive Neuroscience: Psychological Models | 3 |
| PSY 531 | Psycholinguistics | 3 |
| PSY 581 | Physiological Psychology I | 3 |
| PSY 582 | Physiological Psychology II | 3 |
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 430 | Adolescent Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 431 | Developmental Psychology 1 | 3 |
| PSY 433 | Social, Emotional and Personality Development | 3 |
| PSY 434 | The Psychology of Aging | 3 |
| PSY 435 | Developmental Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY/SXS 436 | The Development of Femaleness and Maleness | 4 |
| PSY 442 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 451 | Theories of Personality | 3 |
| PSY 452 | Clinical Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY 521 | Introduction to Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 440 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 441 | The Psychology of the Family | 3 |
| PSY 455 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY/SXS 456 | Psychology of Human Sexual Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 461 | Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 462 | Personnel Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 463 | Human Factors | 3 |
| PSY 464 | Psychology of Career Pursuit | 3 |
| PSY 465 | The Psychology of Work-Life Stress | 3 |
| PSY 466 | Training and Development in Organizations | 3 |
| PSY 472 | Introduction to Legal Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 474 | Psychology of Social Justice | 3 |
| PSY 475 | Psychology of Policing | 3 |
| PSY 525 | Community Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 540 | Decision Making: A Perspective from Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 547 | Social Conflict and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| PSY 558 & PSY 559 |
Field Services Seminar and Psychological Field Service |
3 - 5 |
| PSY 645 | Group Processes | 3 |
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 300 | Current Issues in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY/SXS 320 | Sex and Relationships | 3 |
| PSY 330 | Child Development 1 | 3 |
| PSY 443 | The Science of Happiness | 3 |
| PSY 450/SXS 400/SOC 400 | Variations in Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PSY 571 | Intermediate Psychological Statistics | 3 |
| PSY 601 | Theoretical Backgrounds in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 668 | The Psychology of Leadership | 3 |
| PSY 680 | Peer Advising in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 685 | Projects in the Teaching of Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 693 | Proseminar I | 3 |
| PSY 694 | Proseminar II | 3 |
| PSY 697 | Senior Project Preparation | 3 |
| PSY 698 | Senior Project in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 699 | Independent Study in Psychology | 1 - 4 |
Students may not use PSY 330 as an elective if they have taken PSY 431.
Complementary Studies
Bachelor of Arts students must complete at least 12 units of Complementary Studies from courses with a prefix other than PSY, and not cross-listed with PSY. (Note: Students may not use an alternate prefix that is cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.)
Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the Complementary Studies requirement. Additional ways to complete Complementary Studies for students in the Psychology major include 12 units of languages other than English, 12 units from an approved Study Abroad program, 12 units from partial completion of a certificate, or 12 units from any combination of courses in ANTH, BIO, CAD, CJ, CSC, COUN, EDUC, ETHS, PHIL and SOC, or a coherent group of courses approved by a major advisor as complementary to the major. All of the units must be separate from units counted in the major. Courses that fulfill the complementary studies requirement may be lower or upper-division units, resident or transfer units, or units taken in approved study abroad programs. Consult with your major advisor for assistance.
Students who have earned AA-T or AA-S degrees may use courses from community colleges to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement provided the course has a prefix other than Psychology. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.