Psychology faculty and students at UC Davis generally explore the areas of perception, cognition, neuroscience, psychobiology, social psychology, personality, human development, and quantitative psychology. The main objective of all of our undergraduate programs is a broad introduction to the scope of contemporary psychology. The Bachelor of Arts (AB) program looks at psychology through a liberal arts lens. The Bachelor of Science (BS) programs offers two science-oriented perspectives of psychology: biology and math/statistics.

Psychology Majors and Minor

Psychology Major and Minor Options

The Psychology department offers 3 majors and 1 minor:

1. Psychology AB (General Emphasis)
2. Psychology BS (Biological Emphasis)
3. Psychology BS (Quantitative Emphasis)
4. Psychology Minor

How to Declare the Psychology Major

The requirements to declare the Psychology major are the same for each degree type.

1. Pass PSC 01 and PSC 41 with a combined GPA of 2.5 or better between the two courses. Both courses must be taken for a letter grade.
   • If you received a 5 on the AP Psychology exam, you will be granted credit for PSC 01 and must take PSC 41 for a letter grade with a B- or higher.
   • If you are unable to achieve either of the options above, you can take 3 upper division PSC courses with a combined GPA of 2.0 or better across the 3 courses.
2. Create a degree worksheet in OASIS for your intended PSC degree type. Input all courses you have completed towards the major and courses you are scheduled for. You do not need to input courses you plan to take.
3. Submit a Change of Major form in OASIS under the Forms & Petitions tab. 

Major Requirements for Psychology

Psychology AB (General Emphasis)

Ideal for students interested in counseling, education, business, marketing, law, social work, or other people-centered fields. This is the most flexible option and pairs well with double majors or minors.

• Major Worksheet PDF
• University Catalog
• OASIS Degree Worksheet

Psychology BS (Biological Emphasis)

Designed for students pursuing pre-health pathways such as medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, and related fields. Additional courses outside the major may be needed to meet your specific health program prerequisites.

• Major Worksheet PDF
• University Catalog
• OASIS Degree Worksheet

Psychology BS (Quantitative Emphasis)

Great for students interested in research, data analysis, and technical roles in psychology or related fields like data science. Offers a strong foundation in statistical and analytical methods.

• Major Worksheet PDF
• University Catalog
• OASIS Degree Worksheet

Psychology Degree Type Differences

Should I choose an AB or BS?

YouTube video

Minor Requirements for Psychology

The Psychology Minor is a great option for students majoring in other fields who want to explore human behavior, mental processes, and social dynamics. It can complement many majors—providing valuable insight into how people think, feel, and act.

Psychology Minor

• Minor Worksheet PDF
• University Catalog
• OASIS Degree Worksheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the difference between the Major Worksheets, University Catalog, and OASIS Degree Worksheets?

• We recommend you use all 3 tools in conjunction with each other to plan your major requirements and courses.

  The Major Worksheets are a PDF layout of the major requirements and are publicly available.

  • Benefits: includes more course options to complete your major requirements called “substitutions”. These are internally approved courses from our faculty. Another benefit is that it includes course prerequisites.

  • Limitations: does not have course descriptions and does not have a way to track your major degree progress.

  The OASIS degree worksheets are interactive and are only available for current students. They are most often used to check major degree progress.

  • Benefits: you can plug in courses you have completed or are scheduled for. It pulls courses directly from your record. Includes substitution options.

  • Limitations: does not include course descriptions or course prerequisites.

  The University Catalog, which is a university wide tool which has information on majors, courses, and more. This tool is publicly available.

  • Benefits: includes course descriptions

    Limitations: only updated once a year, and the information may be out of date. Does not include substitutions. Does not have a way to track your major degree progress.

• How many classes can I overlap between Psychology and my other major?

• There is no limit to overlapping lower division courses (001-099) between majors. 
  
  Students may only overlap 20% of upper-division units (001-199) between two majors. This is typically 8 units (2 courses), but could be more or less depending on which two majors you are pursuing. Please consult with a major advisor. 
  
  How to Calculate Overlap Allowance Between 2 Majors

  • 1. Find the minimum # of upper division units for each major. You can find this information in the University Catalog.

  • 2. Identify the major that has the fewer minimum # of upper div units and multiply by 0.20.

  • 3. The result you get is the number of overlap units allowed.

  Example - Philosophy AB General and Psychology AB General Overlap

  The minimum number of upper division units for the Philosophy AB general major is 36.
  The minimum number of upper division units for the Psychology AB General major is 40.

  The Philosophy major has fewer minimum upper division units (36).

  36 multiplied by 0.20 = 7.2. Therefore, the student can overlap 7 units between the two majors, which could be one 4-unit class, or a both 4-unit and 3-unit class.
  
  Find the overlap policy on the College of Letters and Science website.

• How many classes can I overlap between my major and the Psychology Minor?
• Students can only overlap 1 course (lower or upper division) between a major and a minor.
• Can I P/NP any of the classes I need for my Psychology Major?
• Students who are trying to declare the Psychology major must take PSC 01 and PSC 41 for a letter grade. If you have taken one of these courses for P/NP, you can take 3 upper division PSC courses with a combined GPA of 2.0 or better across the 3 courses. 
  
  Otherwise, we will accept P/NP grades for all other PSC major requirements. However, there are 3 other considerations for P/NP grading.
  
  1. All students under the College of Letters and Science are subject to a Limitation on Credits for Units Graded P.
  
  1/4 Pass/No Pass Unit Rule for College of Letters and Science Students
  Only 1/4 of your total UC Davis units can be taken as self-elected P/NP (meaning courses where you choose P/NP instead of a letter grade). This does not count courses that have P/NP grading only.
  
  1/3 Pass/No Pass Unit Rule for all UC Davis Students
  Only 1/3 of your total UC Davis units can be taken as self-elected P/NP and P/NP grading only courses.
  
  2. Some graduate programs may not accept P grades for prerequisite coursework or will view a P grade as the lowest possible equivalent (C-)
  
  3. If the course you want to P/NP is a prerequisite for another course, please check if that course requires a specific letter grade. 
  
  Also, read repeating courses with P/NP grades.
• How do I declare the Psychology Minor?
• After you complete at least one upper division course toward the minor with a grade of C or above, submit a Minor Declaration Form in the Forms & Petitions tab in OASIS.