Psychology at UBC's Vancouver campus | UBC Undergraduate Programs and Admissions

Study human and animal behaviour using scientific methods and from a variety of perspectives including behavioural neuroscience, cognition, clinical, health, developmental, social and personality psychology, and quantitative methods.

This program is also offered at UBC's Okanagan Campus

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Why this program?

UBC's Department of Psychology ranks 10th in the world and first in Canada by Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
UBC Psychology is a world leader in innovative research with over 45 laboratories across eight sub-disciplines.
Our academic programs offer enriched teaching and learning experiences to position you for success in graduate studies, as scientists, or in a career in the public and private sectors.

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Program information

Campus: Vancouver
Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Length 4 yrs
Co-op Yes
You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
Honours Yes
You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour in humans and other species. Psychologists draw on a broad range of perspectives to explore topics such as the effects of social interactions on health, language and moral development in children, the effects of drugs on consciousness and the brain, and mental illness and wellness. Psychology has many practical applications, including identifying the most effective ways to learn and remember things, designing workplaces for employees that are healthy and productive, treating disorders like depression and anxiety. Our program outcomes offer an overview of what students in this program can expect to learn.

Experiential learning and research

All psychology majors conduct a research project in their second-year course PSYC 217, and many of our students go on to conduct research with world class faculty and graduate students by volunteering in research labs and taking Directed Studies courses.

Campus features

UBC has more than 45 research labs in these sub-disciplinary specializations: Behavioural Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive Science, Developmental, Health, Quantitative Methods, and Social/Personality.

PSYC 101 - Introduction to Biological and Cognitive Psychology
Introduction to Methods and Statistics, Biopsychology, Learning, Perception, Memory, and Cognition.
PSYC 102 - Introduction to Developmental, Social, Personality, and Clinical Psychology
Introduction to methods and statistics, motivation, assessment, developmental, personality, clinical, and social psychology.

PSYC 217 - Research Methods
Focus on various research methods used in psychology, with an emphasis on critical thinking and experimental design. Restricted to students in the Faculty of Arts who have declared their major in one of Psychology, Cognitive Systems, or Speech Sciences (Linguistics Department).
PSYC 218 - Analysis of Behavioural Data
Use of inferential statistics in psychology and conceptual interpretation of data; experimental design (laboratory, field research methods); presentation of data analyses in reports. PSYC 218 excludes credit for a number of other statistics courses in various departments. Please consult the Science Exclusion List (www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=12,215,410,414) before registering.

PSYC 302 - Infancy
Human cognition, perception, motor, social, emotional needs, brain development and their interactions from birth until the emergence of language.
PSYC 304 - Brain and Behaviour
The neurobiological bases of behaviour; brain processes involved in perception, motivation, emotion, psychopathology, learning and memory. Open to all Arts and Science majors except those in the B.Sc. Psychology program.

PSYC 401 - Clinical Psychology
Theoretical and research foundations of the processes of assessment and behaviour modification in clinical psychology.
PSYC 404 - Psychology of Religion
Cognitive, emotional, and motivational underpinnings of religious behaviour; supernatural beliefs, magical thinking, ritual, sacrifice; religion's role in morality, prosociality, health, violence, and intergroup relations.
PSYC 409 - Cognitive Neuropsychology
The structure of the mind as revealed by brain injury, neurological illness, and surgical intervention. Topics include attention, memory, language, sense of self, topographic awareness, moral reasoning, emotion, theory of mind, and social awareness.

Life at UBC's Vancouver campus

The Psychology program at UBC's Vancouver campus offers a friendly and professional academic setting. Each year the department partners with the Psychology Students’ Association to host events ranging from faculty-student socials and meet-your-professor events, to workshops on resume writing and career building, to panels on expanding your UBC experience and pursuing graduate studies.

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Your future

Studying psychology not only gives you a broad range of skills spanning science and the arts, it prepares you for a number of exciting career options. Psychology graduates qualify for entry-level positions in fields as diverse as marketing, sales, government, journalism, advertising, healthcare, social work, and counselling.

Program graduates

Founder and CEO, 720 Sweets & Etc.
Master of Science candidate, The University of British Columbia
Chief scientific officer, Distill Analytics

Program requirements

Canadian high schools
International high schools
International baccalaureate

English-language requirements

English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.

General admission requirements

Completion of the IB Diploma with competitive scores, including at least three Higher Level courses and additional points for Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge.
Completion of Standard Level or Higher Level English A at a minimum score of 3, where English is the primary language of instruction. (If you are an international student with a score of less than 3 in IB English A [SL or HL], or you are taking English B [SL or HL], you may be eligible for UBC Vantage One programs.)

Degree-specific requirements: Arts

No specific courses required beyond those needed for general admission

Related courses

The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.

Language Arts
Mathematics and Computation
Second Languages
Social Studies
Visual and Performing Arts