A person in a graduation cap and gown is depicted in a pop art style, with a vibrant, swirling background of psychedelic colors and repeating shaded silhouettes. Parents might worry that their children will go off to college and major in drugs, but until now that wasn’t an actual possibility. In 2025, undergraduates at the California Institute of Integral Studies will be able to declare a major in psychedelic studies. CIIS, an accredited private college in San Francisco, is launching the nation’s first bachelor of science degree in hallucinogenic drugs.
“We have incorporated psychology, cultural anthropology, neuroscience — a lot of different angles,” said CIIS psychology professor Nick Walker, who helped design the program, which has been years in the making. One module explores the history of hallucinogens and the impact of colonialism on psychedelic tourism.
Walker noted that the program caters to the growing demand for psychedelic therapy training, which is predicted to drive up the market for psychedelic drugs to upwards of $4.6 billion by 2030 . Ketamine-assisted therapy is on the cutting edge of mental health care. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard As of 2024, around 10 universities across the U.S. offer psychedelic training to specialized medical professionals and clergy. In the Bay Area, CIIS launched its 10-month certification program in 2016, and has trained 1,000 professionals and clergy in the therapeutic uses of MDMA, psilocybin, and FDA-approved ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Berkeley , Columbia University, and Naropa University in Colorado offer similar certificate courses. But these have all been for licensed professionals; CIIS’ psychedelic degree will be the first in the nation for undergraduates.
The CIIS was founded in 1968, conceptualized as a Zen-like crash pad for transcendental thinkers, with a heavy focus on Eastern mysticism. By the 1980s it had evolved into an accredited university, with a focus on psychology, philosophy, and consciousness. Offerings include master’s programs in transformative leadership and in somatic psychology.
Walker and a panel of experts from CIIS, led by Ernesto Londoño, author of Trippy: The Promise and Perils of Medicinal Psychedelics , introduced the degree during a panel discussion last Friday at the First Unitarian […]
A college degree in psychedelics? This SF university makes it reality
