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   About The Major

Online Schedule of Classes
  On this page:
  • Lower Division/Prerequisite Courses
  • Upper Division Courses
  • Applying to the Major
  • Advice for Pre-majors

    Related links:
  • Academic Advising
  • Forms & Petitions
  • Graduation
  • Honors Program
  • Policies Governing the Major
  • Student Organizations
  • Undergraduate Research and Independent Study
  • Undergraduate Student Learning Overview & Goals

  • Lower Division/Prerequisite Requirements

    Please note that ALL courses taken for the major (both lower division prerequisites and upper division requirements) must be taken for a letter grade.

    Prerquisite Areas Course Options
    Psychology
  • Psychology 1
    (AP Psychology with a score of 4 or 5 will satisfy this prerequisite.)
  • Evolution One course from:
  • Molecular & Cell Biology 41 or 41X
  • Anthropology 1
  • Integrative Biology 35AC
  • Biological Science Two courses from:
  • Molecular & Cell Biology 31, 32, 50, 61, 63, 64
  • Biology 1A, 1B, 11
  • Integrative Biology 31
    (AP Biology with a score of 4 or 5 will satisfy one Biological Science prerequisite.)
  • Social Science Two courses from two different departments:
  • Anthropology 3 or 3AC
  • Sociology 3 or 3AC
  • Linguistics 5
  • Political Science 1, 2, or 4
    (AP U.S. Government with a score of 4 or 5 will satisfy one Social Science prerequisite.)
  • Quantitative One course from:
  • Statistics 2, 20, or 21
  • Math 54 or 55
    (AP Statistics with a score of 4 or 5 will satisfy this prerequisite).

  • Transfer students and UC Berkeley students who wish to complete prerequisites at community colleges should consult Assist.org for further information about the appropriate transferable coursework.

    Upper Division Requirements
    Element Course Options
    Research Design and Methods Psychology 101 (Completion recommended prior to the student's last two terms at UCB.)
    Three "Decade" Courses Select from Psychology 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 180
    Four Electives Any upper-division psychology course numbered 104-182 with the following  stipulations:
  • Only one of these courses may be a seminar (Psychology courses ending in "8").
  • The course number 192 is used to designate a new course and may apply toward one of the electives with approval. 
  • 194, 195, 197, 198, and 199 do not count toward the coursework requirement although students are encouraged to become involved in research.
  • Excess decades may count as electives
  • Breadth

    The seven upper division courses (three decade, four elective) must include one course from each of the four sub-areas represented in the Department organization:

  • Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (courses 110-129)
  • Clinical Science (courses 130-139)  
  • Developmental (courses 140-149)
  • Social/Personality (courses 150-169, plus 180)

  • Total Courses

    8 upper division courses in psychology

    Unit Limits
    1. Students enrolled in 197, 198, and 199 courses must have completed at least 60 semester units of undergraduate study and must be in good academic standing (2.0 grade point average or better).

    2. Credit for 98, 99, 198 and 199 courses in a single term may aggregate no more than 4 units.

    3. No more than a total of 16 units of courses numbered 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199 may be used to meet the requirements for a Bachelor's degree.

    Unit Designation
    For each of the courses 99, 197, 198, 199 a student must be involved in three hours of work per week for one unit of credit.

    Applying to the Major

    [Download Major Application]

    2009-10 Deadlines

    Fall semester: Friday, October 2, 2009
    Spring semester: Friday, March 12, 2010
    Summer term: Friday, July 2, 2010


    Psychology is a capped major at UC Berkeley. This means that we have such a high demand that we cannot accommodate every student who wishes to major in Psychology. As part of the terms of being a capped major, all students that apply to the major and meet the following criteria are guaranteed admission:
    1. Have a 3.2 grade-point average in all seven prerequisite courses (Note: we do not round up);
    2. If you entered UC Berkeley as a freshman, you must declare the major prior to the accumulation of 80 semester units, including work in progress (AP or college credit obtained in high school do not count towards the 80 units). If you entered Berkeley as a junior level transfer, you must declare the major no later than your first semester at UC Berkeley; and
    3. Submit the application to the major by the posted deadline.

    If any of the above criteria are not met, students may still be admitted to the major; however, there is no guarantee. Please understand that applications will not be processed until all prerequisite courses are complete and final grades have been posted. This may mean that you will not technically be admitted to the major until the beginning of the following semester. Transfer students are encouraged to submit applications during CalSO if all prerequisites are satisfied, or will be satisfied by the end of the summer. If prerequisites are not satisfied, please speak with an undergraduate major advisor to discuss ways in which to complete all courses by the end of the first semester. Be sure to place your name on the waitlists for courses you wish to take the following semester. You will be enrolled in no more than two of these courses (as listed in your application) once you have been admitted to the major. We cannot guarantee enrollment in all desired courses, but we make every effort to do so. Please note that summer applicants may not get their desired fall courses as the waitlists often run prior to the processing of their applications.

    Advice to Pre-major students
     
    Students who intend to declare the Psychology major are encouraged to visit the Student Services Office periodically during each semester to consult the Undergraduate Advisor and Peer Advisors, to obtain departmental literature, and to review the undergraduate bulletin boards for current information. Pre-majors are encouraged to become involved in departmental student activities and events, such as:

    • Join the Psychology Majors bSpace (http://bspace.berkeley.edu) to receive email notifications about psychology related events and opportunities.
    • Enroll in the Student Success at Cal Part I DE-Cal course periodically offered by the Association of Psychology Undergraduates (APU).
    • Become a fan of the UC Berkeley Psychology Page on Facebook: (http://www.facebook.com/berkeleypsych) to meet other UCB folks interested in Psychology.
    • Take a freshman or sophomore seminar with a faculty member from the Psychology Department.

     


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