Psychology Degree for Transfer

Description

This curriculum provides a broad perspective on the human condition and skills essential to any educated person. Courses span the areas of human behavior from birth to death, dealing with the many problems and potentialities experienced along the way. Courses examine the theories, techniques, and principles basic to the study of human behavior and psychology including such topics as perception, learning, memory, motivation, personality, psychopathology, education, human growth and development, social psychology, and experimental analysis and design.

This Psychology Program is designed to confer an Associate in Arts in Psychology degree for Transfer upon successful completion of all requirements. The curriculum provides a solid foundation upon which to build a psychology major at a four-year school. The degree guarantees transfer to a California State University (CSU) as a junior.

See Taft College’s Transfer Center. Our Transfer Admission Guarantees include many other schools. Check with your Counselor to see if this degree can transfer to other four-year schools.

Earnings Potential

An associate degree in psychology offers you the salary potential of $22,166 two years after graduation from Taft College, with expected increases to $36,122 at five years, based on five-year studies of graduates by California Community Colleges. These do not reflect salaries with a four-year degree.1

Career options are in a wide variety of fields, and a four-year degree dramatically increases your choices and earning potential. Not all positions require a four-year degree, and, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2021, these include social and human services assistant with a median annual wage of $37,610; teaching assistant with a median annual wage of $29,360; and a library technician or assistant with a median annual wage of $34,050, among others. Many other careers typically require a minimum of a four-year degree, and these include positions in management, human resources, law, community or social service, educational instruction, and healthcare practice, among others. The median annual wage is $61,820 for high school teachers; $80,850 for postsecondary teachers; $81,040 for psychologists; and $127,990 for lawyers, according to the BLS. They project five percent job growth for high school teachers, six percent for psychologists, 10% for lawyers, and 12% for postsecondary teachers from 2021 to 2031. Please note that psychologists typically need a doctoral degree in psychology; however, a master’s degree is sufficient for some positions, and most psychologists also need a license.2

1 California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Salary Surfer. 2021. https://salarysurfer.cccco.edu. Accessed 19 April 2023.

2 “Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 8 Sept. 2022. www.bls.gov/ooh. Accessed 19 April 2023.

Program Requirements

To earn an Associate in Arts in Psychology degree for Transfer (AA-T), students must complete all course requirements with a minimum grade of “C” in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis; and must complete the General Education Breadth pattern for CSUs with an overall GPA of 2.0. There are no local graduation requirements associated with this degree.

Additionally, students shall be deemed eligible for transfer into a CSU baccalaureate program when the student meets both the following requirements:

  1. Completion of a minimum of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the CSU, including both of the following:
    1. The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education Breadth Requirements.
    2. A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district.
  2. Obtain a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Psychology for Transfer major, a student will be able to demonstrate a:

  1. Knowledge Base in Psychology
  2. Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking
  3. Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World.
  4. Communication

For More Information