Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
SF State Downtown Campus
160 Spear Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology offers a foundation in the analysis and critical evaluation of psychological literature; the communication of psychological concepts and facts both orally and in writing; and the development of psychological research including design, data analysis, measurement, and ability to use computer for statistical analysis. Our B.A. degree provides an excellent foundation for work in the community in many fields that involve human relations and behavior. In addition, the undergraduate degree is excellent preparation for graduate school in all fields of psychology, other behavioral and social sciences as well as for graduate programs in business, law, medicine, and many other professional fields.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Knowledge Base in Psychology. Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology. Develop a working knowledge of psychology's content domains. Describe applications of psychology.
- Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking. Use scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena. Demonstrate psychology information literacy. Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem-solving. Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research. Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry.
- Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World. Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science practice. Build and enhance interpersonal relationships. Adopt values that build community at local, national, and global levels.
- Communication. Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes. Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes. Interact effectively with others.
- Professional Development. Apply psychological content and skills to career goals. Exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation. Refine project management skills. Enhance teamwork capacity. Develop meaningful professional direction for life after.
Admissions requirements:
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Be a resident of California or another authorized state. See State Authorization.
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Have completed a minimum of 60 transferable semester (90 quarter) units.
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Have a grade point average of 2.0 (C) or better in all transferable units attempted.
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Have a grade point average of 2.0 (C) or better in all units completed at SF State.
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Be in good standing at the last college or university attended.
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Have completed all lower-division General Education requirements (39 semester units or 58.5 quarter units) with a grade of C- or better including the below four courses commonly called "Golden Four":
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Oral Communication
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Written Communication
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Critical Thinking
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Quantitative Reasoning
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Psychology (B.A.) — 41-47 Units
The major includes 14 units of core curriculum, 18 units of basic courses, and 9 units of electives. Because of high demand, enrollment priority is given to Psychology majors in all upper-division Psychology courses. Courses numbered 300 and above are not open to freshmen.
- 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 .
Core Curriculum (14 Units)
Core courses should be taken in the order listed below.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 200 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 303 | Psychology: The Major and the Profession (online) | 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 (online) | 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 3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Area 1: Basic Psychological Processes | ||
| PSY 432 | Cognitive Development: Language, Thinking, and Perception | 3 |
| PSY 490 | Introduction to Data Science for Psychology | 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 |
| Area 2: Psychological Development and Individual Differences | ||
| PSY 430 | Adolescent Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 431 | Developmental Psychology 1 | 3 |
| PSY 433 | Social, Emotional, and Personality Development | 3 |
| PSY 434 | 3 | |
| PSY 435 | Developmental Psychopathology | 3 |
| PSY/SXS 436 | The Development of Gender Identities | 4 |
| PSY 442 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 451 | Theories of Personality | 3 |
| PSY 452 | Psychopathology (Abnormal Psychology) | 3 |
| PSY 521 | Introduction to Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| Area 3: Social, Cultural, Organizational, and Community Contexts | ||
| 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 in Technology | 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 |
| Additional Courses That May be Used for Electives | ||
| 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 | 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 |
Complementary Studies
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.