What should I write in my application?
How many students are accepted each year?
Can international students apply?
How do I get practical experience?
How do I find a research lab to work in?
How long does the program take to complete?
Is it possible to transfer coursework from my undergraduate degree?
Can I complete this program if I work a full-time day job (e.g., 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday)?
What kind of certification will I receive?
Will this certificate guarantee admission into my first choice graduate school?
Will this certificate help me get a job?
Is health insurance available?
Are veterans benefits available?
Are international students eligible for paid employment during or after the program?
FAQs
Admissions
Required Application Components:
1) Completed online application: http://postbacc.ce.uci.edu/
2) Statement of purpose (to be uploaded with your online application; recommended length 500-750 words).
3) Resume or CV (to be uploaded with your online application)
4) College academic transcripts from all institutions attended (unofficial transcripts are OK) - you may upload unofficial transcripts with your online application OR you may arrange to have your official transcripts to be sent to Dr. Joanne Zinger via email at joanne.zinger@uci.edu
5) Two letters of recommendation (from current or former professors, graduate students, employers, supervisors, managers, and/or program directors who know you well in an academic, volunteer, and/or employment setting). If you graduated from college less than two years ago, we strongly recommend that at least one of your letters be from a professor or graduate student. You should arrange to have your letters of recommendation to be sent to Dr. Joanne Zinger via email at joanne.zinger@uci.edu
6) Submission of non-refundable $75 application fee (to be submitted with online application).
7) For international students only: (Unofficial) copy of your TOEFL score report. [Note: If the dominant language of your home country - or the country in which you earned your bachelor's degree - is English (e.g., Canada, England, USA, etc.), you can petition to waive the TOEFL score requirement (by filling out a waiver on the application form).]
Optional Application Components:
1) (Unofficial) GRE Scores (to be uploaded with your online application). If you have taken the GRE, we encourage you to upload an unofficial copy of your GRE scores with your application.
2) Diversity Statement (to be uploaded with your online application). A limited number of partial fellowships may be available to students who meet the UC definition of diversity, which includes individuals who are underrepresented in higher education with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region. For more information on the UC definition of diversity, visit: http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/governance/policies/4400.html…; If you would like to be considered for one of these fellowships, please upload a brief diversity statement (recommended length 250-500 words) in which you indicate why you believe you would be a good candidate for this fellowship. In this statement, you may wish to comment on any specific circumstances about your background (e.g., special achievements, obstacles, and/or interruptions to your schooling that you overcame to complete your education to date), and you may wish to include how these experiences, your research interests, and/or your career objectives contribute to the University’s goal of diversity.
Applications for Fall 2025 are due on April 15, 2025 at 11pm PST for domestic students and February 15, 2025 at 11pm PST for international students.
For more information, visit: http://psb.soceco.uci.edu/content/applying-post-baccalaureate-program
Applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited university prior to beginning our program. Any undergraduate major is acceptable. There is no minimum GPA requirement for the program, and the GRE is not required; however, the program is competitive, and applicants who are most likely to succeed in a post-graduate program will be selected.
What should I write in my application?
In your statement, please answer the following questions: What kind of psychology-related education or training do you have, if any? What are your academic and career goals? Why do you want to enroll in our program – what do you hope to gain from this program, and what area(s) of psychology are you most interested in? If you are interested in gaining research experience, which faculty in our department would you most like to work with, and why? (You can view our faculty directory at: https://ps.soceco.uci.edu/faculty.) If you are interested in gaining internship experience, what kind(s) of internship experiences (e.g., what kinds of position or organizations) are you looking for?
How many students are accepted each year?
Due to the individualized opportunities available in our Post-baccalaureate program, space is limited by the capacity of the department. In recent years, about 35-45 students have been admitted per year.
People seek out our Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychological Science for a variety of reasons. Some of our students have a bachelor's degree in a field other than psychology, whereas other students have a bachelor's degree in psychology. Regardless of their background, our students come to our program for one of two reasons:
1) To acquire knowledge and skills that will help them change careers or advance in their current career.
2) To prepare for a psychology-related graduate degree (e.g., M.A., Psy.D., or Ph.D.) or other relevant graduate degree (e.g., M.D., MPH)
Although completion of our program does not guarantee acceptance into the graduate program (or job) of your choice, it can provide you with the foundation of knowledge, research laboratory and/or internship experience, letters of recommendation, and personalized guidance/advising needed to make your graduate school (or job) application more competitive.
Can international students apply?
Yes, international students can apply. Our program is approved to be added to the Division of Continuing Education's I-17, so we can issue I-20 forms to international students who need to apply to F-1 Visas.
Program
You will work with your faculty advisor to determine which courses to take based on your background and career/academic goals. There are a wide variety of courses to choose from each year, including courses in research methods/statistics, social/personality psychology, health psychology, developmental psychology, clinical/counseling psychology, and psychology & the law, which will provide you with a broad understanding of the field of psychology. A total of eight courses is required to complete the program; most students take 2-3 courses per quarter.
For more information, please visit: http://psb.soceco.uci.edu/content/coursework-post-baccalaureate-program
Enroll through UCI Division of Continuing Education (http://ce.uci.edu/) during the academic year and pay fees as a Concurrent Enrollment student, currently $1236 per course** : https://ce.uci.edu/courses/concurrent/
During the summer, you may choose to take courses by registering through Summer Session and pay according to the visitor fee scale, currently $351 per unit** : http://summer.uci.edu/
**Note: tuition/fees are subject to change on an annual basis
How do I get practical experience?
Many students consider the hands-on experience they gain to be one of the most valuable parts of our certificate program. Depending on your personal goals, you may work in a research lab (collaborating with faculty and graduate students on current research projects) and/or work on-site at one of our many partners in the Field Study Internship Program (http://fieldstudy.soceco.uci.edu/). Internship locations include mental health clinics/counseling centers, non-profit agencies, and schools.
How do I find a research lab to work in?
As you prepare your application, you should review our list of faculty and identify the labs in which you are interested, and you should list those faculty on your application. The faculty advisor will assist with matching your interests and available positions in department labs.
The Field Study Internship Program (http://fieldstudy.soceco.uci.edu/) has partnerships with hundreds of organizations in Orange County (and beyond), such as the CSP Youth Shelter in Laguna Beach, NOVA Academy Early College High School in Santa Ana, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Southern California in Orange (just to name a few). The faculty advisor will assist you in identifying an appropriate internship site and guide you in the application/selection process to ensure that the internship helps you meet your goals.
How long does the program take to complete?
For domestic students, the length of the program depends on how many courses you take each quarter. The program could be completed in as few as 9 months (if you took 2-3 courses per quarter) or as long as 24 months (if you took one course per quarter). The faculty advisor will help you determine your schedule based on your availability and goals. Most students have completed the program in 9 months (3 quarters / one academic year), 12 months (4 quarters / one calendar year), or 15 monhts (5 quarters).
International students must complete the program in 9 months (3 quarters) by taking 3 courses per quarter.
Is it possible to transfer coursework from my undergraduate degree?
You must complete 32 units (8 courses) in our program in order to earn the certificate; we do not accept transferred credits from other programs. However, if you have taken psychology courses as an undergraduate or at a community college, you will not repeat those courses. Rather, the faculty advisor will assist you in selecting coursework that will best help you meet your background, interests, and goals.
You are discouraged from working full-time while you are in our program. Most (if not all) of our research labs require research assistants to be available during weekday hours, so if you are not available from 9-5 on Monday through Friday, you might not be able to participate in any hands-on research opportunities. Also, some of our courses are never offered in the evening or online, so there would be some courses that you would not have the opportunity to take if you were not available during regular business hours. That being said, a small number of students have completed our program while working full time - so, it is possible. Because the program can be completed at your own pace, it is OK to take only one course per quarter (or even occasionally take a quarter off, if things are especially busy at work). Furthermore, we do offer several night courses (and the occasional online course), and some of the field study/internship sites are willing to take on interns who can only work in the evening and on weekends. However, you would miss out on valuable opportunities and events if your work schedule was not at least a little bit flexible.
Certificate/Transcript
What kind of certification will I receive?
You will receive a certificate stating that you have completed the requirements of the Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychological Science, and your UCI transcript will show your course credits. You must have a minimum C grade in each course in order to receive a certificate.
Will this certificate guarantee admission into my first choice graduate school?
While completion of our program does not guarantee acceptance into the graduate program of your choice, it will provide you with the foundation of knowledge, laboratory and/or internship experience, and letters of recommendation that can make your application more competitive.
We expect that students who earn the certificate will be competitive applicants for graduate programs, including Master's degree, Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs in clinical/counseling psychology, social/personality psychology, health psychology, developmental psychology, school psychology, marriage and family therapy, social work, education, public health, and psychology & law. This certificate may also be helpful for students applying to medical school.
Will this certificate help me get a job?
While completion of our program does not guarantee a career change or advancement, you will be better equipped with knowledge and experience on your resume, and you may request letters of recommendation from faculty and internships supervisors with whom you have built professional relationships. In addition, your internship may give you valuable networking opportunities that introduce you to people who can help you find employment opportunities.
You may print an unofficial transcript at no cost as needed. You may request an official UCI transcript showing your coursework credits and grades for a $20. You can find more information here: https://ce.uci.edu/resources/academic/transcripts/
Financial
The cost includes a program fee of $8,000 and course fees of $1,341 per course. Completion of the entire certificate program (8 courses) totals approximately $18,728.
Private financing is available through preferred UC lenders: https://ce.uci.edu/student-resources/concurrent-enrollment/financial-assistance
Post-bacc students are not eligible for on-campus housing; however, we do have several suggestions of places you can look for housing and/or roomates: 1) The Upper Div Psych Family at UCI facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/359188447762288/?epa=SEARCH_BOX); 2) The University of California, Irvine (UCI) Housing, Sublets, and Roommates facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/819907344763028/); 3) The UCI Housing facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/424352030950046/); 4) The University HIlls Houses & Rooms for Rent website (https://uhills.org/advert-category/homes-for-rent/); 5) The UCI Off Campus Housing website (https://offcampus.housing.uci.edu/); 6) Craigslist (http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/); 7) Apartments.com (http://www.apartments.com/irvine-ca/); 8) The Apartment Guide (http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartments/California/Irvine/); 9) Zilllow (http://www.zillow.com/irvine-ca/rentals/); and 10) UCI Reddit page (https://www.reddit.com/r/UCI/). Also, if you are accepted to the program, we will help connect you with other post-bacc students who may also be looking for a place to look, in the event that you wish to search for an apartment/house together.
Is health insurance available?
UCI Health Insurance is not available for domestic students, but it is available for international students (for approximately $585 per quarter). For domestic students, we recommend that you obtain health insurance coverage through your workplace, your parents, or your spouse/domestic partner, if possible; if this is not possible, we recommend that you obtain health insurance through Covered California (https://www.coveredca.com/). For international students, more information will be provided about the UCI insurance option if you are admitted to our program.
Are veterans benefits available?
Effective August 2017, the UCI Post-Baccalaurate Program in Psychological Science (formerly named "the UCI Post-Baccalaurate Program in Psychology & Social Behavior") is a VA approved program! Students who would like to use their Chapter 35: Dependents Educational Assistance benefit or their Chapter 33: Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits may do so with our program.
Please note that although Chapter 35 and GI Bill benefits are available with our program, the Cal-Vet College Fee Waiver is not. The UCI Post-Baccalaurate Program in Psychological Science is self-supporting. Under California law and University of California Policy, Cal-Vet College Fee Waiver benefits cannot be used towards UCI Division of Continuing Education programs or self-supporting UC programs. The Cal-Vet College Fee Waiver applies only to system-wide tuition and fees charged for state supported UC programs. Please visit the California Department of Veterans Affairs website for more information about the Cal-Vet Waiver: https://www.calvet.ca.gov/veteran-services-benefits/education.
Please contact Karen Tseng, the school certifying official for UCI Division of Continuing Education, at Karen.Tseng@unx.uci.edu if you have additional questions about veterans benefits.
Are international students eligible for paid employment during or after the program?
During their time in the post-bacc program, F-1 students may work part-time (19.5 hour per week or less) on campus only. However, these position are typically for matriculated undergraudate students; as such, on campus employment for post-bacc students is limited and may not be easy to find. Full-time employment off campus is not permitted while F-1 students are enrolled. F-1 students may apply for post-completion OPT (optional practical training – a period during which students with F-1 status who have completed full-time study for one academic year (3 quarters) and receive approval from USCIS, may work in a field directly related to their most recently completed major (program of study). To do this, they must: 1) complete three (3) consecutive quarters of certificate level study (the Post-Bacc program would meet this requirement); 2) maintain F-1 status for the duration of their enrollment (e.g. enroll full-time for each quarter, do not accept off campus employment, report a change of address within 10 days, etc.); and 3) attend OPT tutorial video and attend webinar with DCE international student advising team; they host this webinar at the start of each quarter and send emails to our students with information about the OPT application process. The international student advisors in the UCI Division of Continuing Education will meet with a student to review their OPT application and walk them through the process as well as be available to answer their questions as they wait for a decision on their application. Students must report their employment, including any time they change jobs, in the SEVP (Student & Exchange Visitor Program) Portal. While on OPT, the UCI Division of Continuing Education continues to maintain the student’s I-20.