Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Students majoring in psychology learn the major perspectives for understanding human behavior: behavioral, biological, cognitive, cross-cultural, evolutionary, humanistic, and psychodynamic. Students will acquire skills to analyze behavior, including statistical methods and research design, and will learn to document findings in APA (American Psychological Association) style; descriptive research methods and experimental methods are covered. Students will gain an understanding of the following topics: neuroscience; sensation and perception; consciousness; learning; memory; thinking, language and intelligence; motivation and emotion; lifespan development; personality; social psychology; stress, health, and coping; psychological disorders; and therapies. Completion of the major provides a solid foundation for a psychology transfer program and many careers in the social service fields. A Master’s degree or higher is required for most counseling or research psychologist positions.

Program Level Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Characterize the nature of psychology as a science.
2. Apply the major theories, principles, and concepts of psychology to everyday life.
3. Utilize investigative methods to collect, interpret, and present scientific data on psychological topics.

Review Graduation Requirements and General Education. 

Course List Units

Course	Title	Units
Required Core
Complete the following:
PSYC C100	Introduction to Psychology	3
PSYC C280	Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology	4
MATH C160	Introduction to Statistics	4
Program Electives
Select nine units of the following:		9
PSYC C116	Child Growth and Development
PSYC C118	Life Span Developmental Psychology
PSYC C165	Principles of Human Sexuality 1
PSYC C170	Psychology of Aging
or AGNG C170	Psychology of Aging
PSYC C250	Psychobiology
PSYC C255	Abnormal Psychology
PSYC C260	Social Psychology
Units Required for the Major		20
Local General Education, CSU General Education, or IGETC pattern		Varies
Electives to satisfy unit requirement		Varies
Total Units		60