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INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAJOR

The B.S. in Psychology emphasizes the study of the mind and brain grounded in knowledge of physical and biological sciences. Students in the major are able to choose courses from areas including: (a) Cognitive Psychology – Perception, Memory, Decision Making, Learning, and Consciousness, (b) Language and Developmental Psychology, (c) Clinical Psychology, and (d) Cognitive Neuroscience.

Students interested in other areas of psychology are advised to consult the course listings in the School of Social Ecology and the School of Biological Sciences sections of the UCI Catalogue.

NOTE: Students may complete either the B.S. in Psychology or the B.S. in Cognitive Sciences. You may not double major within the majors offered by the department. For students who double major in the B.S. in Psychology and the B.S. in Biological Sciences, no more than three courses may overlap.

 

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REQUIRED COURSEWORK

The current (2026-27) degree requirements can be found in the UCI Catalogue. For prior catalogue years, please refer to this link: https://catalogue.uci.edu/previouseditions/

All students must meet the University Requirements.

All students must meet the School Requirements.

Departmental Requirements for the Major

A. Required Major Courses:

 
B. Psychology Core:
Select four from the following:

 
C. Research Methods
Select two from the following:

 *NOTE: This is not currently listed on the 2026-27 Catalogue but will count for BS Psych majors.

D. Background in Science
Select six courses from the following list. Selected courses must be taken from, at minimum, three different disciplines:

 
E. Upper Division Electives:

Select seven additional four-unit COGS lecture courses numbered 100-199 and note the following:

1. No more than one may be lower-division. COGS 7A may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
2. No more than one of the courses may be numbered 190-199.
3. If accepted into the Honors Program, COGS H101A-COGS H101B-COGS H101C can be used for three of the seven elective courses needed to fulfill this requirement. 

 

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HONORS PROGRAM IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES AND PSYCHOLOGY

The Honors Program in Cognitive Sciences and Psychology is an advanced educational and research program for outstanding undergraduate students in these majors.

The program emphasizes advanced competence in scientific research, and allows participants the opportunity to pursue advanced work in independent research, in addition to earning honors upon graduation.
The program is designed for students who are interested in pursuing graduate study or seeking challenging research experiences as a capstone to their undergraduate experience. All Cognitive Sciences and Psychology majors who meet the minimum eligibility requirements are welcome to apply.

For more information about the Honors Program, please visit here.

 

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CHANGE OF MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

In order to change your major to the B.S. in Psychology, you must meet the following requirements:

 

For a listing of change of major requirements for all majors at UCI, please visit here.

 

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QUESTIONS

For academic advising (e.g., coursework required, change of major requirements), contact the School of Social Sciences' Undergraduate Student Affairs Office. During the academic year, they offer academic advising through
in-person walk-ins, Zoom drop-ins, and scheduled appointments. To determine which form of advising is best suited for your needs, please visit their website at: https://www.undergrad.socsci.uci.edu/ssusa/advising.php.

• For quick, general questions, feel free to email the Peer Academic Advisors (PAAs) at: socsciPAA@uci.edu.
• For questions that require an academic advisor, email: socsci@uci.edu. 

 

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Program Learning Outcomes - B.S. in Psych

 
Acquire a Broad, Multidisciplinary Knowledge of Psychology

• Majors can describe important questions, results, and theories in each of the following areas: consciousness, development, emotions and motivation, intelligence, language, learning, memory, perception, psychopathology and its treatment, sensation, social cognition and thinking.
• Majors have a foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, and/or mathematics to provide a scientific basis for the multidisciplinary study of Psychology.
• In each of four areas of more intensive study, majors can use theories in those areas to predict, evaluate, or interpret behavior in circumstances such as those they might encounter in their work or daily life.

 
Acquire understanding of the relationship between Psychology and Neuroscience

• Majors understand and can describe how aspects of mental function relate to activity in the brain.

 
Interpret and Evaluate Research Results

• Majors can evaluate critically and apply to their life and work scientifically-based information available in the media as well as research journals in psychological science.
• Majors can explain how research method and design choices constrain the possible inferences from data.
• Majors understand the issues surrounding reproducibility and transparency in science

 
Obtain an in-depth understanding of research methods in Psychology

• Majors have an understanding of the different research methods used in psychology including behavioral experiments, psychophysics, neuroscience methods, and mathematical modeling.