This program is ideal for individual seeking career opportunities in the following professions or who may already be working in the following capacities:

• Human Resources
• Social Work
• Probation and Corrections
• Professional at-home aid worker
• Caregiver for the elderly and children
• Recreational Therapy

Learn more about Financial Assistance opportunities for this program.

Cal State LA serves as a model of access and attainment—the success and graduation of our diverse student body remains our number one priority. Our success as an engine of social mobility was recently confirmed in a study by The Equality of Opportunity Project that ranked Cal State LA number one in the U.S. for the upward mobility of its students. Our goal now is to improve on this by ensuring that our admission criteria align with our commitment to provide access and a timely graduation for students. Our revised admissions criteria effective Fall 2018 was driven both by unprecedented growth in applications and an even more pressing need to align our admissions criteria with success in the major. We believe our revised admissions criteria will contribute to Cal State LA's commitment to providing a quality education to diverse communities that we serve and increasing graduates.

What are the minimum criteria to be considered for admission?

To be considered for transfer admission you must meet the following minimum requirements by the end of the prior Spring term for Fall admission, and by the end of the prior Summer term for Spring admission:

• Complete 60 transferable semester units or 90 transferable quarter units.
• Complete a minimum of 30 semester units or 45 quarter units in courses approved to meet CSU General Education (GE) requirements.
• Complete with a grade of 'C-' or better by the end of the prior Spring term for Fall admission or by the end of the prior Summer term for Spring admission the CSU GE requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, Critical Thinking*, and Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning.
• Have a minimum, overall college GPA of 2.00 or higher in all transferable college course work attempted.
• Be in good standing at the last college or university attended in a regular session.
• If your college coursework was not taught in English, you will have to satisfy the English Language Proficiency requirement.

*The CSU Critical Thinking course requirement is waived for most Engineering majors. Please see the Major-Specific Requirements for Admission for details.

Be Aware: Cal State LA does not accept Lower Division Transfer Applications (applicants who completed less than 60 transferable semester units).

How will students be considered for admission?

Applicants who meet the minimum Cal State LA criteria above will be considered for admission based their selected major and whether they are considered 'local' based on their community college or military status. Review Major-Specific Requirements for Admission to see if your major has specific requirements.

Admission Consideration for Transfers Applying to Majors without Major-Specific Admissions Requirements

Transfer students must declare a specific major on the application and may not be considered Undeclared. CSU eligible upper division transfer applicants who apply to a major without Major-Specific Admissions Requirements and who are considered 'local' based on their community college or military status will be offered admission. Other CSU eligible upper division transfer applicants, including local transfer applicants who were not offered admission to a major with major-specific admissions requirements but listed an alternate major without major-specific degree requirements, will be ranked based on transfer GPA and offered admission based on space available in the College or Department.

Be Aware: Once a student has enrolled at Cal State LA, changes of major are limited based on both the admission requirements of the major and Cal State LA's Timely Graduation policy.

Admission Consideration for Transfers Applying to Majors with Major-Specific Criteria

These majors have Major-Specific Requirements for Admission, which are focused on transfer student preparation that predicts success in the major and promotes timely degree completion. The criteria will be used for the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 admission cycles. The criteria listed will be reviewed annually for future admission cycles. For Fall term admission, coursework must be completed no later than the prior Spring term. For Spring term admission, coursework must be completed no later than the prior Summer term.

Transfer applicants must declare a specific major on the application, and may not be considered Undeclared. Local preference applicants may also list an alternate major, which does not require major-specific admission requirements for consideration. Transfer applicants must meet minimum CSU Upper Division Transfer eligibility requirements to be considered. Admission determination is then based on the major-specific criteria listed.

Use of the Major-Specific Criteria in Determining Admission

Local area applicants

Except for Nursing, CSU eligible applicants who are considered local area applicants based on their community college, or their military veteran status, will be offered admission if they meet the required minimum cumulative GPA, required major preparation, and the required general education courses listed. We encourage local area applicants to also complete any recommended courses to promote timely graduation even though they will not be used in the admission determination.

Non-local applicants

CSU eligible non-local applicants who meet the required minimum cumulative GPA, requiredmajor preparation, and the required general education courses listed will be admitted on a space-available basis based on their cumulative GPA and any recommended courses specified in the criteria.

Transfer AA/AS degree recipients

Priority consideration is granted to applicants who are track for completing the specific Transfer AA/AS degree listed by the end of spring for Fall admission, or the end of summer for Spring admission.  In this case, the Transfer AA/AS curriculum is used in lieu of the specific requiredand recommended courses listed. Under CSU guidelines, the minimum required cumulative GPA has been adjusted as indicated.  Non-local applicants will also benefit from a 0.1 GPA bonus used in the ranking of non-local applicants.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements

If space is available after all students meeting the required minimum major GPA and requiredmajor and general education preparation or the indicated Transfer AA/AS degree have been accommodated, then CSU eligible students without the minimum requirements will be considered based on a ranking of the criteria completed.

Students admitted to the major who have not completed all of the required or recommended courses must complete them in their first year at Cal State LA.

Important Notes: Students pursuing their degree on Cal State LA’s Main Campus may not take courses at Cal State LA Downtown as part of their degree program. Only students admitted to programs offered in Downtown may attend courses at Cal State LA Downtown after paying all required fees. Current Cal State LA students are welcome to pursue a program at Cal State LA Downtown in addition to their degree, but additional fees will apply. Programs offered at Cal State LA Downtown are not transferable to Cal State LA's Main Campus. Students admitted to a program at Cal State LA Downtown are welcome to pursue a program at Cal State LA's Main Campus, but an additional application is required.

Four (4) courses are offered during the Fall and Spring Semesters with each course running once per week in the evenings from 6:30 to 9:15 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. Two (2) evening courses are also offered during Summer Session. Students must attend courses in the Fall and Spring Semesters, and Summer Session to complete their degree. Program time to completion is 2-3 years depending on the load of coursework students take each term and the amount of transferable units applied towards their degree (maximum of 10 units).

Please note that students who have not yet taken PSY 1500 and PSY 1700 will be prohibited from taking certain classes in the program as these courses are perquisites. We strongly encourage all students interested in applying for the Psychology program at DTLA to complete PSY 1500 and PSY 1700 (or their equivalents) at their local community college before starting the program here. Please note that in order to successfully earn a B.A. in Psychology, students are required to complete all of the courses listed in the BA Psychology Roadmap of courses above.

Applications are no longer being accepted for the Fall 2018 Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program. Please check back soon for a new application window.

Please submit all Official Transcripts to: