*Attention: For those applying for Fall 2024 admissions, the prerequisite courses will not be required
We highly recommended you take these courses as the material is the foundation for first year counseling courses. If your undergrad degree did not cover the material listed; we urge you to take these courses before starting the program at any community college.
Note: Prerequisite requirements are subject to change for Fall 2025 admissions
Recommended Undergraduate Courses at San Francisco State University
3 undergraduate psychology courses. We recommend that you complete the following undergraduate courses (or equivalent courses at any junior colleges): Lifespan Development, Theories of Personality, and Abnormal Psychology (a.k.a. Psychopathology).
Lifespan Developmental Psychology. Fundamental principles of developmental psychology; origin and development of behavior. Must be a course that spans throughout the lifespan, i.e. from birth to death (you may take an equivalent course at any junior college).
Theories of Personality. Survey of the major contemporary theories of personality. Theoretical positions are compared and critically examined along various significant dimensions, including their relationships to the total field of psychology. Methods of personality assessment as related in theory construction (you may take an equivalent course at any junior college).
Abnormal Psychology, Minor Variants of Personality. The nature and development of emotional disturbances which result in a person's failure to adapt adequately in this society; contemporary theories of personality development as well as a clinical description of the neuroses. Note: Psychopathology, which is the science or study of mental disorders, is also known as Abnormal Psychology (you may take an equivalent course at any junior college).
Course Equivalents at junior colleges:
| California Institution | Theories of Personality | Lifespan Developmental | Abnormal/Psychopathology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliant International University | GEN 1005 | ||
| Allan Hancock College | PSYC 118 | ||
| American River College | PSYCH 370 | ||
| Biola University | PSYC 411 | PSYC 320 | PSYC 309 |
| Berkeley City College (aka Peralta) | PSYCH 21 | PSYCH 24 | |
| Cabrillo College | PSYCH 26 | PSYCH 31 | |
| Cal Poly Pomona State University | PSY 403 | PSY 305 | PSY 415 |
| California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) | BIS 1400 | ||
| California Poly State University, SLO | PSY 305 | PSY 256 | PSY 405 |
| Canada College | PSYC 200 | PSYC 410 | |
| Cerritos College | PSYC 150 | PSYC 251 | PSYC 271 |
| Cerro Coso Community College | PSYC C211 | PSYC C241 | |
| Chabot College | PSYC 12 | PSYC 6 | |
| Chaffey College | PSYCH 25 | PSYCH 55 | |
| Citrus College | **PSY 205 | PSY 212 | |
| City College of San Francisco | PSYC 11 | PSYC 21 | PSYC 10 |
| Claremont McKenna College | PSYC 131 | ||
| Clovis Community College | PSYC 38 | PSYC 16 | |
| Coastline Community College | PSYCHOLOGY C118 | PSYCHOLOGY C255 | |
| College of Alameda | PSY 3 | PSYCH 24 | |
| College of Marin | **PSY 111 | PSY 114 | PSY 204 |
| College of San Mateo | PSYC 225 | PSYC 200 | PSYC 410 |
| College of the Canyons | PSYC 172 | PSYC 212 | |
| College of the Redwoods | **PSYCH 11 | PSYCH 38 | |
| College of the Sequoias | PSY 034 | ||
| College of the Siskiyous | PSY 1502 | ||
| Columbia College | PSYC 10 | ||
| Contra Costa College | PSYCH 130 | PSYCH 128 | PSYCH 132 |
| Copper Mountain College | PSY 003 | ||
| Cosumnes River College | PSYC 371 | PSYC 340 | |
| Crafton Hills College | **PSYCH 103 | PSYCH 111 | **PSYCH 110 |
| CSU Bakersfield | PSYC 315 | ||
| CSU Channel Islands | PSYC 317 | PSYC 213 | PSYC 313 |
| CSU Chico | PSYC 382 | PSYC 603 or *PSYC (355) | PSYC 381 |
| CSU Dominguez Hills | PSY 360 | *PSYC (350 & 351 & 352) | PSY 363 |
| CSU East Bay | PSYC 4620 | PSYC 4420 | PSYC 4410 |
| CSU Fresno | PSYCH 154 | PSYCH 155 | PSYCH 166 |
| CSU Fullerton | PSYC 431 or PSY 331 | PSYC 361 & 103 (must be taken together) | PSYC 341 |
| CSU Long Beach | PSYC 356 | PSYC 370 | |
| CSU Humboldt | PSYC 337 | PSYC 311 | PSYC 438 |
| CSU Monterey Bay | PSYC 340 | PSYC320 | |
| CSU Northridge | **PSYC 200 or PSY 313 | **PSYC 310 | |
| CSU Sacramento | PSYC 130 | PSYC 168 | |
| CSU San Bernardino | PSYC 385 | PSYC 201 | PSYC 390 |
| CSU Stanislaus | PSYC 3320 | PSYC (3140 & 3240) | PSYC 3350 |
| Cuyamaca College | PSYC 150 | PSYC 170 | |
| DeAnza College | PSYC 5 | PSY 14 | PSYC 4 |
| Diablo Valley College | PSY 220 | PSY 200 | PSY 230 |
| East Los Angeles College | PSY 41 | PSY 14 | |
| El Camino College | PSY16 | PSY 15 | |
| Evergreen Valley College | PSY 092 | PSY 099 | |
| Folsom Lake College | PSY 370 | ||
| Foothill College | PSYC 33 | PSYC 40 | PSYC 25 |
| Fresno City College | PSY 38 | PSY 16 | |
| Fullerton College | PSY 139 | PSY 222 | |
| Glendale Community College | PSY 106 | ||
| Golden West College | PSY G118 | PSY G255 | |
| Grossmont College | **PSY 150 | PSY 170 | |
| Hartnell College | **PSY 25 | PSY 22 | |
| Holy Names University | PSY 160 | PSY 168 | |
| Imperial Valley College | PSY 204 | **PSY 208 | |
| Irvine Valley College | PSY 32 | PSY 6 or 106 | PSY 37 |
| Lake Tahoe Community College | PSY 107 | PSY 202 | |
| Las Positas College | PSYC 12 | PSYC 6 | |
| Laney College | PSY 21 | PSYCH 24 | |
| Long Beach City College | PSY 33 | PSY 14 | |
| Los Angeles City College | PSYC 3 | PSY 41 | PSY 14 |
| Los Angeles Harbor College | **PSY 3 | PSY 41 | PSY 14 |
| Los Angeles Mission College | PSY 41 | PSY 14 | |
| Los Angeles Pierce College | PSY 41 | PSY 14 | |
| Los Angeles Southwest College | PSY 41 | PSY 14 | |
| Los Angeles Valley College | **PSY 3 | PSY 41 | PSY 14 |
| Marymount University | **PSY 240 | PSY 220 | PSY 218 |
| Mendocino College | PSY 212 | PSY 210 | PSY 218 |
| Merced College | PSY 09 | PSY 25 | |
| Merritt College | **PSY 24 | ||
| Mills College | PSY 148 | PSY 040 | PSY 118 |
| MiraCosta College | PSY 121 | PSY 114 | |
| Mission College | PSY 012 | PSY 025 | |
| Modesto Junior College | **PSY 141 | PSY 105 | |
| Monterey Peninsula College | PSY 25 | PSY 35 | |
| Moorpark College | PSY M07 | PSY M08 | |
| Mount San Antonio College | PSY 14 | PSY 19 | |
| Mt. San Jacinto College | **PSYC 103 | **PSYC 108C | |
| Napa Valley College | PSYC 175 | PSYC 125 or CSF 120 | |
| Norco College | PSYC 33 | PSYC 9 | PSYC 35 |
| Ohlone College | PSY 108 | PSY 115 | |
| Orange Coast College | Psychology A220 | Psychology A130 | Psychology A255 |
| Oxnard College | PSY R108 | ||
| Palo Verde College | **PSY 201 | PSY 210 | |
| Palomar College | PSYC 110 | PSYC 225 | |
| Pasadena City College | PSYCH 24 | ||
| Porterville College | PSYC C211 | **PSYCH 241 | |
| Reedley College | PSY 38 | **PSY 16 | |
| Rio Hondo College | PSY 112 | PSY 114 | |
| Sacramento City College | PSYC 370 | PSYC 340 | |
| Saddleback College | PSYC 37 | ||
| San Bernardino Valley College | PSYCH 111 | PSYCH 110 | |
| San Diego City College | PSYC 230 | PSYC 245 | |
| San Diego Mesa College | PSYC 155 | PSYC 230 | PSYC 245 |
| San Diego Miramar College | PSYC 245 | ||
| San Diego State University | PSY 351 | PSY 230 | PSY 350 |
| San Joaquin Delta College | **PSYCH 003 | **PSYCH 006 | PSYCH 007 |
| San Jose City College | PSYCH 092 | PSYCH 099 | |
| San Jose State University | PSYC 110 | ||
| Santa Ana College | *PSY (140 & 157) | PSY 250 | |
| Santa Barbara City College | PSY 145 | PSY 170 | |
| Santa Clara University | PSY 185** | PSY 115 | |
| Santa Monica College | PSY 3 | PSY 19 | PSY 14 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College | PSY 7 | *PSY (4 & 56) or PSYC 8 | PSY 5 |
| Santiago Canyon College | **PSY 230 | PSY 250 | |
| Shasta College | PSYC 17 | ||
| Sierra College | **PSY 0104 | PSY 107 | |
| Skyline College | PSY 200 | PSY 410 | |
| Solano Community College | PSYC 005 | ||
| Sonoma State University | PSY 461 | PSY 302 | PSY 425 |
| Southwestern College | PSY 250 | ||
| University of California: Berkeley | PSYCH 150 or x176 | PSYCH 140 or x140 | PSYCH 130, 131 or x146 |
| University of California: Boulder | PSYC 3456 | PSYC 3033 | |
| University of California: Davis | PSYCH 142 or 162 | *HDE 100 (A-B-C) or PSYC 140 | PSYC 168 |
| University of California: Irvine | PSYCH 120P or 170S | PSYCH 120D | PSYCH 120A or C |
| University of California: Los Angeles | PSYCH 129D | PSYC 130 | PSYCH 127A (only) |
| University of California: Merced | **PSY 290 | ||
| University of California: Riverside | **PSYC 160 | ||
| University of California: Santa Barbara | **PSY 104 | PSY 103 | |
| University of California: Santa Cruz | PSYC 170 | ||
| University of Phoenix | PSY 230 or 250 | BSHS 342 | PSY 410 |
| University of Redlands | **PSYC 445 | PSYC 344 | |
| University of San Francisco | PSYC 318 | PSY 313 | |
| Ventura College | PSYC V05 | PSY V15 | |
| Victor Valley College | **PSYCH 103 | PSYC 110 | PSYC 213 |
| West Hills College Coalinga | PSYC 3 | ||
| West Hills College Lemoore | PSYC 3 | PSYCH 2 | |
| West Los Angeles College | PSYC 41 | PSY 14 | |
| West Valley College | PSYC 012 | PSYCH 025 | |
| Yuba College | **PSYCH 33 | PSYC 41 | PSYCH 46 |
Legend:
*All courses listed must be completed to be considered equivalent to the one psychology course at SF State.
** “Not verified as a equivalent course at SF State"
Since these are undergraduate level courses, they are generally offered under similar titles across different Universities. If you are interested in taking the prerequisites at another school (not listed in the above list), please check your school’s Catalogue or Bulletin and match the appropriate courses to the psychology prerequisites at SFSU. The course title should be pretty clear as to whether or not the course would be equivalent.
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