Psychology Curriculum

Psychology B.A. (60 Units)

The major includes 14 units of core courses, 18 to 21 units of basic courses and 9 to 12 units of electives. You’ll take additional electives as needed to complete the 60 units required for the major.

You must earn a C or better in the following courses, taken for a letter grade:

You must earn a CR (credit) in:

Core Curriculum
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

Expect two courses from each of the three areas below:

Area 1: Basic Psychological Processes (6 units)
Explore how people think, learn and behave.

Area 2: Psychological Development and Individual Differences (6–7 units)
Learn how people grow and how individuals differ across the lifespan.

Area 3: Social, Cultural, Organizational and Community Contexts (6–8 units)
Understand how people interact within groups, cultures and communities.

Electives (9–12 Units)

Expect three elective courses from:

  • Courses in Areas 1–3
  • Other upper-division psychology courses

Areas of Study

Area 1 Courses
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
Area 2 Courses
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
Area 3 Courses
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
and PSY 559
Field Services Seminar
and Psychological Field Service
3 - 5
PSY 645 Group Processes 3
Additional Electives Subject to Enrollment
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

For degree requirement information, visit the SFSU Academic Bulletin.

Online Learning

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