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.
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 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 Universalist Church & Center. Around 200 people filled the pews; 1,100 more RSVP’d for the livestream.
“I wish they’d had this program when I was 18,” said Jonas Di Gregorio, an administrator from the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. “So many people are open to psychedelics now.”
The CIIS undergrads will consist of around 24 psychedelic-curious juniors and seniors, said Walker. The program is a “bachelor completion program,” meaning students will have fulfilled most of their general ed requirements at community colleges prior to coming to CIIS.
The curriculum is still in the works, but will likely include some version of the same classes that postgraduate certificate seekers have been taking in the preexisting program, such as immersive experiences that guide individuals through altered states of consciousness, and role-playing exercises that mimic psychedelic therapy sessions.
“This is the first Bachelor of Science in psychedelic studies. That’s what the diplomas will say,” Walker said.
The online undergraduate program will teach students about therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs, but will not offer hands-on drug experiences and will not be a professional training program in any way, said Walker, noting, “If they want to be a psychedelic assisted therapist, they’re going to have to go to grad school and get licensed.”
The Standard asked attendees of the launch event whether they would consider getting such a degree if they were undegrads. “I wouldn’t sign up for a bachelor’s in psychedelic studies — but then I’m drawn to computer science,” said Dejon Joy, the assistant director of Empowerment Avenue, a nonprofit that helps incarcerated artists get integrated into communities. “Plus, my mom would probably have some concerns.”
Concerns might stem not just from the concept of majoring in psychedelic drugs, but also from the troubling history of the program that birthed this new CIIS degree. In 2021, the podcast “Cover Story” reported sexual abuse of some CIIS students who participated in psychedelic-assisted therapy treatments that, though outside the school, were run by CIIS instructors. CIIS did not renew contracts with any of the alleged perpetrators. Today, all students and faculty are required to sign an integrity agreement, confirming they’ll not have sexual relationships with people they work with.
There was no mention of the scandal at the announcement on Friday, though the importance of consent when it comes to mind-altering drugs and therapies did come up repeatedly. “Touch in psychedelic psychotherapy is really cutting edge, but it’s high risk, high reward,” said Jason Butler, a panelist and CIIS psychology professor who specializes in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. “A number of ethical violations have surfaced. … We need to talk about consent before any psychedelic medicine is ingested.”
In addition to the new undergraduate degree, CIIS will also be opening an in-house ketamine-assisted therapy training clinic in 2025, to be staffed by the school’s postgrad students (who are all licensed clinicians or clergy) focusing on psychedelic work.
“It is a Wild West atmosphere out there, but within CIIS, we’re going to be absolutely rigorous about safety and ethics,” said Walker. “Whatever our graduates end up doing, we hope they’ll bring with them high levels of understanding, cultural humility, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and ethical integrity.”
Correction: Columbia University’s psychedelic training is offered to their MSW students.