Program

Psychology (Associate Degree - Pre-Bachelor's)

Domestic applications

Fall 2025: Apply Now!

Summer 2025: Apply Now!

Winter 2026: Apply Now!

International applications

Please visit the International Application Deadline page to find out when applications may be available.

Faculty

Humanities & Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Credits

60.00

Length of program

Four semesters

Credential type

Associate Degree

Admission type

Open Enrolment - Additional Admission Requirements

Offered

Fall

Winter

Summer

Overview

If you’re planning to get a bachelor’s degree in psychology, the Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology - Pre-Bachelor's program is ideal for you. You’ll focus on psychology classes while also expanding your education with courses from other disciplines. This will develop your critical-thinking, writing and oral communication skills, needed in many disciplines and careers. Explore different areas in psychology, including data analysis, research methods, brain and behaviour, as well as cognitive and abnormal psychology.

Continue your education at Douglas

The Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology - Pre-Bachelor's fulfils the course requirements for the first 60 credits (2 years) of the Douglas College BA in Applied Psychology. Students accepted into the AA Psychology Pre-Bachelor's program will receive priority registration.

What is an Associate degree?

Associate degrees take two years to complete and concentrate on one area of study. If you plan your courses carefully with a university program in mind, you’ll be able to transfer all 60 credits to university. In most cases, an associate degree will allow you to enter the third year of a four-year bachelor's degree program. To ensure your courses transfer, see the BC Transfer Guide.

Get paid, full-time work during your studies

Put your skills to work by joining the optional Co-operative Education Program, which alternates semesters of study with paid, full-time work in your field. You’ll earn money while gaining experience, building your resume and getting an employer reference, all before you graduate. To participate in Co-op you need to plan two semesters in advance, so we strongly recommend contacting the Co-op Office at the start of your program.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:

General College Admission Requirements
Foundations of Math 11 OR Pre-calculus 11 with a minimum grade of C or higher *

* Equivalent or more advanced courses also may fill this requirement.

Cost

Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.

For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.

Program Requirements

Curriculum framework

Graduation Requirements:

Successful completion of 60 University Transfer (UT) credits as listed below
A minimum program GPA of 2.00 is required
All courses must be University Transferable - a University Transferable course is a course that transfers to one of the Research Universities - SFU, UBC (UBCV or UBCO), UNBC, or UVIC in the BC Transfer Guide
50% (30 credits) of all coursework must be completed at Douglas College
Specializations are not noted on credentials but will be noted on the transcript
Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: seven (7) years

Course Requirements:

To complete an Associate of Arts Degree with a Specialization in Psychology, Pre-Bachelor students must complete:

18 or more credits (of the 60 credits required for their associate degree) in Psychology
nine of those 18 credits must be considered second-year courses. To qualify as a second-year course, a course must transfer to one of the research universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, or UVIC) at the second-year level.

The following Psychology courses are required for Admission into the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology:

Course Number	Course Title	Credits
PSYC 1100	An Introduction to Psychology I	3.00
PSYC 1200	An Introduction to Pyschology II	3.00
PSYC 2300	Data Analysis in Psychology	3.00
PSYC 2301	Research Methods in Psychology	3.00
Two of the following:
PSYC 2315	Biological Bases of Behaviour	3.00
PSYC 2341	Abnormal Psychology	3.00
PSYC 2360	Cognitive Psychology	3.00

The following are the general requirements for an Associate of Arts Degree at any BC college:

6 credits first-year English* electives
6 credits Humanities** electives
6 credits Social Sciences** electives
6 credits Arts** electives
18 credits second-year Arts** electives in 2 or more subject areas
3 credits Lab Science elective
3 credits Math, Statistics or Computing Science elective
3 credits Math, Statistics or Science elective
9 credits other University Transfer electives

* English courses include courses in written Communications and Creative Writing that transfer to one of the BC Research Universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, or UVIC) as English credit. A maximum of 3 credits can come from such an equivalent; at least 3 credits must be earned in an actual ENGL course so-named. For purposes of the Associate of Arts degree, English courses cannot be counted as Humanities courses.

** Arts courses are available in the Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Performing Arts, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. To confirm whether a course is designated as "humanities" or "social sciences," check the Associate of Arts degree graduation checklist. Economics courses are Arts courses. Arts courses may also include Mathematics courses.

Definitions:

A course is defined by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at one of the research universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, or UVIC).

An Arts course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts Degree at one of the research universities.
A Science course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science Degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science Degree at one of the research universities.
The requirements specified above are intended to provide breadth of exposure to a variety of disciplines in both Arts and Sciences. In some instances there may be some ambiguity as to whether a course is in the Humanities or Social Sciences and is an Arts course or a Science course. Most Physical Geography and Mathematics would be designated as Science courses.
A course in an "other" area is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate Degree other than in Arts, Science or Applied Science at one of the research universities.
A first-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 100-level at one of the research universities.
A second-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at one of the research universities.
A laboratory science course is one in which a substantial component of instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field.

For detailed information you should meet with a Student Success Advisor.

Co-operative Education Option:

Students enrolled in this program may be eligible for a Co-operative Education designation. Co-operative Education involves alternating full-time academic and work terms. For information contact the Co-operative Education Office.

Program Guidelines

Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

January 2026