Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology Minor


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Psychology is a social science that helps students better understand and interpret scientific information and ways to apply quantitative tools such as statistics. Psychology is often of inherent interest to students. Taking a psychology minor provides an interesting exposure to novel and exciting ideas that students would not otherwise encounter and can be of great use to students who are majoring in other fields. For example, students taking a pre-med curriculum find a psychology minor useful for understanding the social and psychological aspects of medical care or as preparation for a career in psychiatry. Students in management and economics find coursework in social psychology, decision-making and organizational and industrial psychology to be of particular use to their careers.

Minimum Requirements


To be awarded a minor in Psychology, students must successfully complete at least 25 units.

Lower Division Minor Requirements [9 units]


 Complete the following courses:

Upper Division Minor Requirements [16 units]


Students must complete a minimum of four upper division PSY area courses, with at least one course each from Group A, Group B and Group C.

  • At least one course from Group A (Cognition, Brain and Behavior): PSY 160-169, PSY 180-189, or any upper division COGS course
  • At least one course from Group B (Social-Personality, Development): PSY 130-139 or PSY 150-159
  • At least one course from Group C (Applied Psychology): PSY 120-129, PSY 140-149, or PSY 170-179

More course options may be added to this list over time. Please check with the SSHA Advising Office for updates.

Guidelines Applying to all SSHA Minors


Students should consult an advisor in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts to officially declare the minor and plan their courses. The following guidelines must be adhered to:

  • To complete any SSHA minor, students must complete a minimum of five courses, at least four of which must be upper division.
  • All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
  • All minor course requirements must be completed with a C- or better.
  • A minimum overall grade point average of 2.0 (C) in upper division courses is required. The only exception is a minor in Arts, for which the minimum GPA in upper division courses is 2.7 (B-).
  • At least three of the five required courses must be taken at UC Merced.
  • Only one course may be used simultaneously to satisfy requirements for two minors.
  • Only one course may be used to satisfy both a minor and a major requirement.
  • Students must consult the UC Merced General Catalog for prerequisites to required courses.

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