Pre-Psychology Major Requirements
Students may declare the Pre-psychology major once they have established a prep GPA by taking at least one prep course for a letter grade at UCLA and have an average prep GPA of 2.5 or higher.
All of the following Procedures and Requirements are strictly enforced:
- A C or better is required in Psychology 10, Psychology 100A and Psychology 100B. A C- or better is required in the other preparation courses. All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
- The seven preparation courses must be completed by the end of Fall quarter of the 3rd year after the student has entered UCLA.
- Repetition of any preparation course more than once results in automatic denial of admission to the major.
- Repetition of more than any two preparation courses results in automatic denial of admission to the major.
| Seven (7) Preparation Courses for the Psychology Major |
|---|
| Complete seven courses, one from each box: |
| Life Sciences 7A or 15* or Physiological Science 3 |
| Statistics 10* or Math 2 or Program In Computing 10A or One quarter of calculus |
| Physics 1A or 5A or 10* or 11* or Chemistry 14A or 17* or 20A |
| Philosophy 1* or 2 or 3 or 4* or 5 or 6 or 7* or 8 or 9* or 21 or 22 or 22W or 23 or 31 |
| Psychology 10 |
| Psychology 100A** |
| Psychology 100B** |
Suggestions for preparation work: Students should take Psychology 100A and 100B early in their academic careers and in consecutive terms. Note that Pre-Psychology students may enroll in some of the Core and Elective courses. Refer to the Schedule of Classes for enrollment restrictions.
*Recommended course.
**Must be declared Pre-Psychology to enroll.
Psychology Online Application and Directions
Detailed information about the Psychology Online Application
Entry to the Psychology Major
Once the final preparation for the major courses are in-progress a student may submit an application to declare the Psychology major. The earliest students are allowed to apply for entry into the major is in Summer after their 1st year. The latest students are allowed to apply for entry is Fall quarter of their 3rd year.
- Acceptance into the major is based solely on grades in the seven preparation courses listed above.
- Students must have a minimum of a 2.5 prep GPA to be eligible to apply. Students who have a 2.9 prep GPA or higher and completed their prep courses by Fall of their 3rd year at UCLA will be guaranteed entry into the major. Only grades for courses at UC can be factored into this GPA.
Psychology Major Requirements
To declare major standing, students must first complete all of the preparation courses (all grades assigned) and meet all of the application requirements listed above.
An overall GPA of 2.00 (C) is required in the upper division courses. A grade of C- or better is required in each Core and Laboratory course. All Core, Laboratory, and Elective courses must be taken for a letter grade.
| Five (5) Core Courses | |
|---|---|
| Select at least two courses from each column and the remaining core course can be from either Column A or B for a total of five core courses: | |
| Column A (choose at least 2 from list below) | Column B (choose at least 2 from list below) |
| Psychology 110 | One of Psychology 127A or 127B or 127C** |
| Psychology 115* | One of Psychology 130, 133A-I, 161*** |
| Psychology 120A | Psychology 135 |
| Psychology 120B | Psychology 150 |
*Psych M117A & M117B & M117C will count in lieu of Psych 115 and two Psychology Electives. Students will not receive any Psychology elective credit unless all three classes have been completed.
**No unit or grade credit will be given for taking more than one of the following: Psych 127A, 127B, or 127C. If more than one is taken, the additional courses will not count as electives.
*** Only ONE of Psychology 130, 133A-I, or 161 can be applied to the Core Course requirements. Any additional courses taken can apply to the Elective requirements.
| One (1) Laboratory Course |
|---|
| Select one course from the following list: Psychology 101 Psychology 111 Psychology M116A (previously 116A)* Psychology 116B* Psychology 121 Psychology 126 Psychology 131 Psychology 136A Psychology 136B Psychology M136C Psychology 151 Psychology 186A Psychology 186B Psychology 186C Psychology 186D |
Psychology major standing is required when enrolling in a lab course.
*Psych M116A/116B are open to Psychology Majors only if space permits.
| Four (4) Elective Courses |
|---|
| Select any four additional upper division Psychology courses that are offered for a letter grade.* |
*Courses that will not count as electives are the following: those already used to satisfy the Core or Laboratory requirements and any course taken on a P/NP grading basis such as research, fieldwork or teaching assistantship.
For information on planning your degree and sample program plans, see here. Please note that these are sample guidelines, and that every student’s program plan will differ depending on course availability, scheduling, timing of the decision to pursue the major, and previous credit received. We strongly recommend students work with the department and College to plan their own personal programs.