Program Description

The Associate in Arts in Psychology for Transfer degree is designed to prepare students for transfer to local California State Universities (CSUs). Students who complete the Associate in Arts in Psychology for Transfer degree will be ensured preferential transfer status to local CSUs as Psychology majors and majors in related disciplines. The Associate in Arts in Psychology for Transfer degree requirements will fulfill the lower division major requirements at many local CSUs. Students are advised, however, to meet with a counselor to assess the course requirements for specific local CSUs and to validate which CSUs are considered local. The Associate in Arts in Psychology for Transfer degree will enable students to develop a strong foundation in research methods, statistics, and biological aspects of behavior, and will also offer a wide variety of elective courses in psychology and other related fields for students to develop a broad knowledge base of human behavior. In addition, students will develop strong critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills that will prepare them for the requirements of upper division course work.

Learn more about the program on the Psychology website.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to recognize the diversity of behavior of various populations and be able to explain, interpret, apply, and evaluate a broad base of concepts in the various fields of psychology.
• Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills and psychological theories to real-world situations, and apply research methodology and data analysis in the process of answering questions about human behavior.

Career Opportunities

Psychology graduates find positions in a wide range of work environments. Typical positions include personnel managers, industrial psychologists, psychiatric aides, probation officers, mental health workers, drug abuse counselors, employment counselors, and teachers. Advanced degrees, such as a Masters (MA), a Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), a PsyD, and a PhD, can open opportunities for careers in research, counseling, and higher education. Psychologists also work as consultants in government and industry, as well as in human resources, marketing, business management, technology, software development, and education.

Units Required

• Major: 28-30

Associate Degree Requirements

Associate in Arts in Psychology for Transfer requires completion of a minimum of 90 units to include:

• CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)¹ (49-58 units) (full certification is required)
• Core and support courses (28-30 units, of which 24-30 units may satisfy the GE requirement)
• Transferable electives necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement

¹

Important Note: Although it is possible to fulfill the requirements for the Associate Degree for Transfer by completing the IGETC for UC pattern, admission to CSU requires completion of an Oral Communication course (IGETC Area 1C; CSU GE Area A-1); therefore, students who plan to transfer to CSU should complete this course as part of their GE or elective units.

Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be completed with a grade of "C" (or "P") or better. In addition, the student must obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0.

Core and Support Courses 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Core Courses
PSYC 1	GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY	5
or PSYC 1H	HONORS GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 7	STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES	5
or SOC 7	STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
or MATH 10	ELEMENTARY STATISTICS
or MATH 17	INTEGRATED STATISTICS II
PSYC 10	RESEARCH METHODS & DESIGNS	5
And one of the following:		5
BIOL 10	GENERAL BIOLOGY: BASIC PRINCIPLES
BIOL 14	HUMAN BIOLOGY
PSYC 4	INTRODUCTION TO BIOPSYCHOLOGY
Support Courses
Select one course each from List A and List B; any course that was not selected from List A may be used to satisfy List B:		8-10
List A
ENGL 1B	COMPOSITION, CRITICAL READING & THINKING THROUGH LITERATURE
or ENGL 1BH	HONORS COMPOSITION, CRITICAL READING & THINKING THROUGH LITERATURE
MATH 1A	CALCULUS
or MATH 1AH	HONORS CALCULUS I
PSYC 14	CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
PSYC 30	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
or SOC 30	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 40	HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
SOC 1	INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
or SOC 1H	HONORS INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
List B
ANTH 2A	CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
or ANTH 2AH	HONORS CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
PSYC 2	CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 9	POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 21	PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN: SEX & GENDER DIFFERENCES
or WMN 21	PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN: SEX & GENDER DIFFERENCES
PSYC 22	PSYCHOLOGY OF PREJUDICE & DISCRIMINATION
PSYC 25	INTRODUCTION TO ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 33	INTRODUCTION TO PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 39	PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORTS
PSYC 49	HUMAN SEXUALITY
Total Units		28-30