How to Become a Psychology Major

The number of applicants to the major in Psychology has increased in the past several years resulting in the undergraduate major being designated at impacted by the California State University. This means that students now seeking to become Psychology majors must satisfy a set of prerequisites and apply to the major. To be eligible for admission to Psychology, applicants must demonstrate the grade of "C" or higher in:
PSY 100 - General Psychology
PSY 210 - Beginning Statistics
PSY 220 - Psychology Research Methods

. . . or their equivalents

Please consult the handbook for community college equivalencies. Students from 4-year colleges and universities will need to have their potentially equivalent courses approved by the undergraduate advisor. Students who complete these prerequisites are guaranteed admission to the major if they have either: 56 semester units of college level course work, including all lower-division General Education requirements, with a GPA of at least 2.25,
OR
36 semester units with a GPA of at least 3.00

CALCULATE YOUR GPA HERE

Beginning with the Fall of 2003 students also need to have completed PSY 301 with a passing grade no later than the end of their first semester in the major, or they will be dropped from the major. (PSY 301 is now a prerequisite for registering for 400-level Psychology courses.)

Please note: Beginning with catalogue year 2003/2004, students will be allowed to apply to impacted majors only twice at CSULB. This means that students who either transfer to CSULB as Psychology majors or apply while at CSULB, and subsequently lose their major status, will be allowed to reapply to the Psychology major only once more.

How to Become a Psychology Major If You Are Currently Attending CSULB

Freshman Students: Freshman applicants to the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology will be placed in the pre-major code for psychology. Acceptance to the pre-major category does not imply or assure subsequent acceptance into the major. All lower division requirements (PSY 100, 210, and 220) must be completed with a C or better before students can apply to major to achieve full major status.  Students may add pre-major status through Enrollment Services in Brotman Hall.

Continuing Students: Continuing Students (including transfer applicants who were not admitted to the university as psychology majors) seeking admission to the major in psychology must submit a supplemental application to the department. Applications are available in the Peer Advising Office, Psy 206, or on-line. All completed application must be submitted to the Peer Advising Office.

Transfer Students: Transfer applicants must apply to the University during the initial filing period of October and November for the following semester. They must indicate their choice of major on the application. Students who have completed the equivalent of the three lower division required requisites (PSY 100, 210, and 220) will be accepted as Psychology Majors. Students who have not met the requirements, but are still interested in the major, will be given a pre-psychology preparation status. Lower Division requisites should be completed during the first semester and students must submit a supplemental application to the major prior to completing 75 units. To apply to be a major:

1) Pick up an application from the Peer Advising office in Psy 206. Be sure to fill out completely - both pages.

2) Obtain unofficial transcripts of all Psychology courses done at any institution other than CSULB. Photocopies and grade reports are acceptable. However, if courses from other institutions show up clearly on MyCSULB then you do not need to bring copies of transcripts.  You can check this information by logging on to www.my.csulb.edu. Click on STUDENT CENTER, and then click on TRANSFER CREDIT REPORT in the drop down menu.  If the Psychology courses taken from other colleges appear clearly with grades, you will not need to attach a printout.

3) Submit your applications and transcripts to the Peer Advising Office, Psy 206. You may do this any time but to be guaranteed admission in time for the following semester's priority registration period, you must apply before the posted deadline for admission to the following Fall or Spring semester.

4) The Peer Advisors will review the application to make sure it is complete and give you a dated receipt.

5) You will be notified of your acceptance into the major approximately three to five weeks after the receipt of your application. Until you are formally admitted to the department, you will be classified as a Pre-Psychology Preparation status. You will still be entitled to use the services of the Peer Advising offices and participate in department activities just as majors do. Major drawbacks to the pre-major status include:

Pre-majors will:

• not be able to file for graduation
• not be able to register through MyCSULB for 400-level Psychology courses (note: completion of PSY 301 now a prerequisite to register for 400-level Psychology courses)
• not be able to register if they have 75 or more units unless they are admitted to the Psychology major or change their major to a non-impacted major (and apply to Psychology when eligible).

How to Become a Psychology Major if you are Transferring to CSULB

Eligibility Requirements for Transferring as a Psychology Major

2. Completion of a minimum of 60 semester units of degree credit, including all lower-division General Education requirements, with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.25. Eligible applicants may be selected for admission on the basis of cumulative grade point average and space available. (That GPA may be considerably greater than the current 2.25.)

SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising and Registration)

It is highly recommended that transferring students attend a COLA (College of Liberal Arts) SOAR session, typically offered twice during the summer and once during the winter sessions.

The SOAR program not only allows attending transfer students to register earlier than those who do not attend, but also the Psychology department provides advising and registration assistance at the COLA sessions.

Conditions for Remaining in the Major

Students provisionally admitted to the major on the basis of the requirements noted above must complete PSY 301 (Psychology as a Discipline and a Profession) with a passing grade no later then the end of their first semester in the major. Failure to do so will result in the student being dropped from the major. Also, students placed on academic probation at CSULB will be dropped from their major.

NOTE: Students may apply for admission to the Psychology major no more than twice - transfer students who are admitted to CSULB as Psychology majors and are subsequently dropped have only one more opportunity to apply to the major. It is suggested at that point that students take and pass PSY 301 prior to reapplying.

Download an admissions application (PDF version)