Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, BA


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Majors and Programs

The undergraduate degree, offered by the Department of Psychology , assures a broad coverage of the major areas of content and methods in psychology identified by the American Psychological Association as the backbone of a strong degree program. The goal of the breadth part of the degree requirements is to provide a strong background in general psychology. In addition, sufficient flexibility is offered through choices in fulfilling these requirements and through the electives so that students, in consultation with their advisors, can design a program of study which focuses on each student’s particular area of interest.

A carefully prepared multi-year program of study will ensure an appropriate sequencing of required courses (e.g., BIOL 21  or BIOL 65  is a prerequisite to PSYC 30 , STAT 95  is a prerequisite for PSYC 100W , PSYC 100W  is a prerequisite for PSYC 120 , PSYC 120  is also a pre- or co-prerequisite for PSYC 190 /PSYC 195 ). Use the advisor’s expertise and the MyGPS planning tools for GE, SJSU Studies, and American Institutions course selection and to ensure a strong foundation for future coursework. Seeking advising is especially important to those at risk for probation, those in the honors program, and those planning to go on to graduate school in psychology. The two and four year planners give additional guidance in designing a particular program of study including suggestions about the order in which to take classes even if they are not governed by official prerequisite requirements. All of these materials as well as the extra coursework and other requirements for Departmental Honors are available on the department website www.sjsu.edu/psych or the department office.

Once declared as a psychology major, there are no minimum grade requirements for the major other than a C- or better for the lower division statistics requirement and an overall 2.0 average across the courses in the major (i.e., a D- can “count” towards meeting psychology requirements even if it does not count towards General Education requirements).

The lower division biology requirement cannot be met with BIOL 20 - Ecological Biology  nor the online version of  BIOL 65O - Human Anatomy .

Summary of Degree Units

University Graduation Requirements 41
Major Preparation 3-4
Major Requirements 48
University Electives 27-28
Total 120

University Requirements for Graduation

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, and GPA requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Graduation Requirements  section of the Policies and Procedures .

Program Roadmaps

The 4-Year Roadmap is available online. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Degrees (ADT) Pathways are also available online.

General Education/American Institution Requirements

Courses that meet General Education/American Institution requirements are noted with area designation for required area. For legend please see General Education Attributes .

University Requirements (41 units)


Core Lower Division General Education (24 units)


Of the 39 units required by the university, 15 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Courses that meet GE Areas A1, A2, A3 or B4 must be passed with a “C-” or better to meet the requirement. Consult with major advisor for details.

Note: Students who have completed the ADT Transfer degree (under SB 1440) for this major will have completed all lower division GE requirements and should follow the 60 unit guarantee roadmap. Meet with an advisor prior to registering for your first semester for the 60 unit roadmap or Specific questions.

Upper Division General Education (9 units)


Of the 9 units required by the university, 0 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Consult with major advisor for details.

American Institutions (6 units)


The 6 units of American Institutions (US123) coursework shown below also fulfills GE Areas D2 and D3. Other courses meet the American Institutions requirement, but may not include additional GE areas. The American Studies (AMS 1A /AMS 1B ) and Humanities Honors (HUM 1A /HUM 1B , HUM 2A /HUM 2B ) programs both offer larger integrated packages that meet this requirement. Consult with major advisor for details.

Complete One Sequence From:

Physical Education (2 units)


Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement


At SJSU, students must pass both the SJSU Writing Skills Test (WST) and a 100W course. Exceptions to the GWAR may be found at Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) .

A grade of C or better (C- not accepted) is required to meet graduation requirement.

Major Preparation (3-4 units)


Complete one course from:

Major Requirements (48 units)


Lower Division Core (12 units)


Psychology Electives (9 units)


  • Three units of upper or lower division psychology courses 3 unit(s)
  • Six units of upper division psychology courses 6 unit(s)

University Electives (27-28 units)


Total Units Required (120 units)


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Majors and Programs