Psychology, B.A.

(120 units)

This degree is approved for distance education by the WSCUC.

Admission Under Impaction

Refer to the following website for additional impaction criteria: http://www.csulb.edu/depts/enrollment/admissions/transfers.html.

Learning Goals and Technical Skills

Students who graduate with a major in psychology should have current knowledge of: the major theories in psychology; the methodologies of psychological research and statistical concepts; the biological processes underlying behavior; sensation, perception, information processing and retention; how behaviors develop and change; how internal, environmental, and social factors influence behavior; individual differences in behavior, including those related to gender, ethnicity, and culture; different perspectives on the origin and treatment of abnormal behavior; ethical issues in teaching, research, and the practice of professional psychology.

Requirements

The psychology curriculum is designed to provide undergraduate students with a broad background in the principles of Psychology.

Lower Division (14 units):

Take all of the following courses:

PSY 100 - General Psychology (3 units)
“C” or better required
PSY 110 - Introductory Statistics (4 units)
“C” or better required
PSY 220 - Research Methods (4 units)
“C” or better required
PSY 241 - Psychobiology (3 units)
“C” or better is required for current CSULB students. Not applicable to transfer students. Additional major-specific requirement information for CSULB Students and for Prospective Transfer Students is available.

Upper Division (36 units):

Take the following course:

PSY 301 - Introduction to Psychology as a Discipline and Profession (3 units)

Take three (9 units) 300-level courses in Psychology from Category A and Category B below, including a minimum of one from Category A and one from Category B:

Category B: Systems

PSY 351 - Social Psychology (3 units)
PSY 356 - Personality (3 units)
PSY 361 - Psychology of Child and Adolescent Development (3 units)
PSY 370 - Abnormal Psychology (3 units)
PSY 378 - Health Psychology (3 units)
Or
PSY 379 - Psychology of Stress (3 units)

Take any three (9 units) additional 300-level courses in Psychology. This requirement may include courses from Category A, Category B, or any 300-level courses listed below:

PSY 300 - Mind Control or Freedom (3 units)
PSY 310 - Intermediate Statistics (4 units)
PSY 314 - Psychological Assessment (3 units)
PSY 327 - Introduction to Human Factors (3 units)
PSY 341 - Neuropsychology (3 units)
PSY 346 - Evolutionary Psychology (3 units)
PSY 350 - Psychology and Contemporary Social Issues (3 units)
PSY 354 - Psychology of Women (3 units)
PSY 359 - Self-Observation and Self-Development (3 units)
PSY 362 - Autism Spectrum Disorders (3 units)
PSY 363 - Developmental Psychopathology (3 units)
PSY 365 - Development: Emerging Adulthood to Aging (3 units)
PSY 373 - Introduction to Clinical Psychology (3 units)
PSY 375 - Community Psychology (3 units)
PSY 381 - Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology (3 units)
PSY 383 - Women, Family, and Work Issues (3 units)
PSY 390 - Selected Topics in Psychology (3 units)

Take 6 units of 400-level PSY courses:

400-level courses will only admit Psychology majors who have completed PSY 301. No more than 3 units from PSY 405, PSY 406A or PSY 406B may be counted in this category. PSY 499 cannot be counted to satisfy this requirement.

Take 6 units upper-division (300-level and above) Psychology courses not already used to satisfy the requirements above.

Take one course (3 units) on diversity in the U.S. from the approved list below.

AFRS 310 - African American Male and Female Relationships (3 units)
AFRS 319 - Racial and Ethnic Experience in the United States (3 units)
AFRS 325 - Africana Psychology (3 units)
AFRS 330 - Politics of the African American Community (3 units)
AFRS 332 - Civil Rights and the Law (3 units)
AFRS 354 - African American Women and the Civil Rights Movement (3 units)
AFRS 400 - African American Social Thought (3 units)
AFRS 410 - The African American Family (3 units)
AFRS 475 - Racism and Sexism: An Analytical Approach (3 units)
AIS 313 - American Indian Genders and Sexualities (3 units)
AIS 319 - Racial and Ethnic Experience in the United States (3 units)
AIS 335 - American Indian Philosophies (3 units)
AIS 345 - Working with American Indian and Indigenous Families (3 units)
ANTH 321 - North American Indians (3 units)
ANTH 322 - California Indians (3 units)
ANTH 329 - Cultural Diversity in California (3 units)
ANTH 421 - Education Across Cultures (3 units)
ASAM 319 - Racial and Ethnic Experience in the United States (3 units)
ASAM 330 - Japanese American Experience (3 units)
ASAM 331 - Chinese American Experience (3 units)
ASAM 332 - Korean American Experience (3 units)
ASAM 333 - Vietnamese American Experience (3 units)
ASAM 334 - Cambodian American Experience (3 units)
ASAM 340 - Asian American Family (3 units)
ASAM 352 - Filipino/a American Experiences (3 units)
ASAM 353 - Filipino American Contemporary Issues (3 units)
ASAM 370 - Gender and Sexuality in Asian America (3 units)
CHLS 310 - Chicana/o and Latina/o Thought and Action (3 units)
CHLS 319 - Racial and Ethnic Experience in the United States (3 units)
CHLS 320 - Wealth and Poverty in Latino Communities (3 units)
CHLS 340 - Latino Education in the U.S. (3 units)
CHLS 350 - The Latino Population in the United States (3 units)
CHLS 352 - Central American and Caribbean Peoples in California (3 units)
CHLS 400 - Chicana/o and Latina/o Politics in the U.S. (3 units)
CHLS 415 - Latina Women in the United States (3 units)
CHLS 470 - Latinas/Latinos: Health Status and Health Care Access (3 units)
LING 425 - Education Across Cultures (3 units)
LING 472 - Language and Social Justice (3 units)
POSC 323 - Racial and Ethnic Politics - U.S. (3 units)
POSC 401 - Women in Political Theory (3 units)
R/ST 302 - Faith and Race in America (3 units)
SOC 340 - The Latino Population in the United States (3 units)
SOC 341 - Central American and Caribbean Peoples in California (3 units)
SOC 346 - Race, Gender and Class (3 units)
SOC 358 - The Sociology of Migration and Immigration (3 units)
SOC 420 - Social Stratification (3 units)
SOC 426 - Sociology of Sexualities (3 units)
SOC 436 - Racism, Power, and Inequality (3 units)
SOC 464 - Aging and Society (3 units)
WGSS 307 - U.S. Women and the Economy: Money, Sex, and Power (3 units)
WGSS 313 - American Indian Genders and Sexualities (3 units)
WGSS 318 - Fierce Struggle: U.S. Women of Color - History and Thought (3 units)
WGSS 320 - Latina Women in the United States (3 units)

Psychology Resource Office

The mission of the Psychology Resource Office (Pro-PSY room 206) is to prepare psychology majors for life after graduation. PRO provides students with guidance to get the most out of their education in order to best achieve their future career goals. Some of our most popular resources include: 1) learning about the department (e.g. what specific courses are like) 2) how to get involved in important activities (e.g., research, internships), 3) finding out about graduate school programs and how to maximize their application’s competitiveness, and 4) how to find job opportunities with a Psychology B.A. PRO also provides a one-on-one mentoring program called PALS (PRO Academic Life Solutions) to assist psychology majors with maximizing their academic success and to explore graduate school/ career goals.

Honors in Psychology

Admission to the honors program is currently suspended.