This August, San Francisco’s California Institute of Integral Studies will welcome the first undergraduate students to register for coursework toward a Bachelor of Science in Psychedelic Studies.

The launch of this unique program follows growing research and interest in hallucinogens such as psilocybin and MDMA. Studies in the past few years have presented evidence suggesting that these substances can help treat psychiatric conditions such as chronic depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Legislation has followed in states like Colorado and Oregon, which have made psychedelics legal for citizens over age 21.

The First Program Of Its Kind

Several institutions of higher education have begun offering certificates, minors, and even advanced degrees on the study of psychedelics. Still, the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), a nonprofit established in 1968 in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, is the first institution in the United States to offer an undergraduate degree in psychedelics.

Nick Walker, a psychology professor at CIIS, has shared a video introducing the program and its approach. “We’re engaging with research, with scientific approaches, with cutting-edge neuroscience,” Walker explained in the video, “and also with the spiritual aspects and traditional, indigenous ethnobotany aspects of the topic.” He concludes, “Anyone who has a passion for psychedelics and for their capacity to create transformation and healing on an individual level, on a cultural and social level – there’s something for them in this program.”

CIIS is inviting students to apply after first completing at least 54 transferable semester units in general education. Their three semesters in CIIS’s program will include coursework in psychology, neuroscience, research methodology, psychopharmacology, and in the ethical and legal ramifications of psychedelic treatments. The curriculum includes courses with titles like “Global and Indigenous Knowledges and Ecopsychedelics” and “Psychedelic Advocacy, Equity, Research, and Connection.”

Studying Substances Illegal in California

One wrinkle in the new program is that the curriculum has to walk a fine line, because psilocybin remains illegal in California. The program’s website cautions, “At no time does the program promote or require the use of psychedelic drugs in any manner.”

Despite the fact that psychedelics haven’t been legalized in the program’s home state, there are over 70 clinical trials underway at research facilities in California to study the uses of psychedelics in psychiatric treatments. UCLA, UC San Francisco, UC San Diego, and UC Berkeley all have researchers working on such trials. And while the state has not legalized the use of psychedelics, several cities in California have taken that step.

Reactions from Students

Incoming students have expressed excitement for the program, with many voicing support for the course of study based on the impact that psychedelic treatments have had on their own lives. Cassie Hope, who will begin her coursework this August, shared with the San Francisco Chronicle that use of psychedelics helped her recover from postpartum depression and from depression following a diagnosis of cancer. Treatments using ayahuasca and mebufotenin (or “bufo,” a substance derived from a toad found in the nearby Sonoran desert) “give you so much perspective on life and the finite amount of time we have on this planet,” Hope shared. “And healing. Emotionally, physically. Healing from life.”

Another student entering the program this year is Michael Bochey, a Los Angeles fire inspector who used ayahuasca to help him process the trauma he had incurred as a firefighter and paramedic. “The way I live my life now, I actually experience it. I’m more present,” he said, describing the impact of psychedelics on his mental health.

When classes begin on August 28, students will be able to attend online, asynchronously. CIIS expects the program to serve students across the state of California.