Program Description

Psychology stands at the intersection of the biological sciences and the humanities because of its study of mental processes, emotions, and individual and group behaviors. Using the scientific method, psychology investigates many aspects of human behavior, including, but not limited to, how the brain and nervous system function, mental illness, therapies that help people manage mental illness and recover from trauma, social and emotional development over the lifespan, learning and memory, and social and group dynamics.

Psychology covers the total lifespan to learn more about how people function in family, work, and community settings. Psychologists conduct studies to investigate differences in development, research what can go wrong in development, and research and develop methods that help people to resolve conflict, thrive, and live healthy lives. It is a dynamic field in which advanced research methods lead to new understandings of human behavior, which can be applied in practical situations in the lives of individuals.

Learn more about the program on the Psychology website.

Associate Degree for Transfer

This program also offers an Associate Degree for Transfer. Learn more and review the degree requirements on the Psychology AA-T listing.

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 different fields of psychology.
• Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills and psychological theories to real-world situations, and to be able to 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 programs such as those dealing with a variety of aspects in communication and human behavior. Typical positions include personnel managers, industrial psychologists, psychiatric aides, probation officers, mental health workers, drug abuse counselors, employment counselors, and space program researchers. Advanced degrees enlarge opportunities for basic research, licensing as clinical psychologists or marriage and family counselors and as college and university instructors. Psychologists also work as consultants in government and industry, as well as in human resources, training, marketing and business management.

Award Type(s)

• AA = Associate in Arts Degree

Units Required

• Major: 35

Additional Information

Note: Students having difficulty attaining an associate degree because of timing or availability of classes should consult with a counselor to submit a petition for course substitution.

Associate Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
English Proficiency
Select one of the following:
ENGL 1A	COMPOSITION & READING	5
ENGL 1AH	HONORS COMPOSITION & READING	5
ENGL 1S & ENGL 1T	INTEGRATED COMPOSITION & READING and INTEGRATED COMPOSITION & READING	8
or equivalent
Mathematics Proficiency
Select one of the following:
MATH 105	INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA	5
MATH 180	QUANTITATIVE REASONING	5
or any MATH course approved for Foothill GE Area V, Communication & Analytical Thinking

A minimum of 90 units is required¹ to include:

• Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
• Core courses (15 units)
• Support courses (20 units)

1	Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree.

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
PSYC 10	RESEARCH METHODS & DESIGNS	5
or SOC 10	RESEARCH METHODS & DESIGNS
Support Courses
Select 12 units from the following:		12
PSYC 4	INTRODUCTION TO BIOPSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 9	POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 14	CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
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 30	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
or SOC 30	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 33	INTRODUCTION TO PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 39	PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORTS
PSYC 40	HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
PSYC 49	HUMAN SEXUALITY
And eight units from the following: 1		8
PSYC 51	APPLIED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
PSYC 54H	HONORS INSTITUTE SEMINAR IN PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 70R	INDEPENDENT STUDY IN PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 71R	INDEPENDENT STUDY IN PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 72R	INDEPENDENT STUDY IN PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 73R	INDEPENDENT STUDY IN PSYCHOLOGY
ANTH 2A	CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
or ANTH 2AH	HONORS CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 4	FIRST PEOPLES OF NORTH AMERICA
ANTH 6	PEOPLES OF AFRICA
ANTH 22	THE AZTEC, MAYA, INCA & THEIR PREDECESSORS: CIVILIZATIONS OF THE AMERICAS
BIOL 14	HUMAN BIOLOGY
HUMN 4	TRAUMA & THE ARTS
or HUMN 4H	HONORS TRAUMA & THE ARTS
HUMN 8	EX MACHINA: THE PARADOX OF BEING HUMAN IN THE DIGITAL AGE
PHOT 8	PHOTOGRAPHY OF MULTICULTURAL AMERICA
or PHOT 8H	HONORS PHOTOGRAPHY OF MULTICULTURAL AMERICA
SOC 1	INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
or SOC 1H	HONORS INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
SOC 23	RACE & ETHNIC RELATIONS
SOC 28	SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
SOC 40	ASPECTS OF MARRIAGE & FAMILY
Total Units		35

1	Students may also use courses listed in the first section of support courses to fulfill the requirement for the second section of support courses.