Best Psychology Schools San Francisco Near Me

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" We firmly stand in support of those who have been personally impacted by the full range of reproductive health care concerns, including abortion."

Ours is a mosaic of faces and philosophies, backgrounds and beliefs. Like our faculty and staff, students are intellectually engaged and socially active. Each day brings new experiences that broaden horizons and hone critical thinking. Programs, both inside the classroom and throughout the campus, inspire creativity, nurture community, cultivate curiosity, and foster social good.

Since its founding in 1968, CIIS has been at the forefront of cutting-edge thought, integrating disciplines, redefining boundaries, and pushing the academy to look at education differently.

We offer degrees in spirituality and religion, psychology and counseling, cultural anthropology, organizational and leadership studies, health, and the arts. Our certificate programs in Psychedelic Research and Human Sexuality, among others, have earned a vanguard reputation.

Scholars, practitioners, artists, and advocates, the faculty at CIIS are innovators in their fields. More than this, they are committed teachers, inspiring mentors, and conscientious advisors to students. They are fundamental in helping our students grow in knowledge, skill, and ability to make a difference in the world.

Our approach to education is holistic and student-centered. We encourage students to look inward, while reaching out. At our core, we celebrate the multifarious aspects of people, place, and planet, and are committed to forging a more just world by giving our students the freedom and flexibility to explore.

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4worldlovers: Offering flexible, career-advancing degree programs since 1901, from the heart of downtown San Francisco.

Study business, technology, accounting, law and more to gain practical skills that will further your career.

We offer more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to prepare you for your future career.

4worldlovers:
Psychology is a broad field of study and practice comprised of several different yet complementary areas of specialization. The Bachelor of Arts in Psychology is built around a core set of courses in theory and methods plus three broad areas of study: basic psychological processes, individual differences in psychological development, social, cultural, organizational, and community contexts. Several themes of common interest extend across these broad areas including an appreciation for cultural and human diversity, ethics and values, a sense of individual empowerment, historical antecedents, critical thinking and the understanding of self and others.


The Psychology Department offers a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. There are also undergraduate roadmaps, course guides, FAQs and advising information available on our Undergraduate Students page.

In July 2009, the California State University Chancellor's Office approved impaction status for the Psychology Department. We declared impaction in order to better serve over 700 undergraduate majors by ensuring that they have seats in required courses, which will help them graduate in a timely manner.

Admission to the Psychology major is a selective and competitive process with attention given to GPA, financial need, first generation college student status, and completion of an Associate Degree for Transfer. The Department, in consultation with the University Admissions Office, reviews admissions criteria on an annual basis. The major can accomodate approximately 350-400 new students annually. Applications for admission to the major are accepted annually between October 1 and November 30.

​Once admitted, the major can be completed in 2 years by students taking 15 units per semester and following an advisor approved roadmap. Roughly half of our students take 12-14 units per semester with the remaining students split between those taking fewer than 12 units per semester and those students taking 15 or more units per semester. Declaring impaction has improved students’ time to graduation and has allowed us to lower our student to faculty ratio. Faculty are committed to fostering engaged learning and academic success among our majors, and are more available for advising and mentoring with impaction.

Though we all continue to shelter-in-place due to COVID-19, that has not stopped the learning process of our Gators. Our Study Abroad program would like to share the fruits of their labor with you: a Youtube channel featuring tips for self-care, social-emotional resources for young children, and shout-outs to all our essential workers from students like you!

We are starting you all off with their introductory video, but feel free to explore and share their channel with friends and family.

If you have any questions, please email us at psych@sfsu.edu and we will get back to you.

For updates on the status of campus operations, please visit the Campus Comeback website.

Because we are understaffed, we advise you to email psych@sfsu.edu for any questions and for advising. Please try not to call or come in person.