Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. All courses for the HDS program (upper-division, lower-division, major, and minor -- ALL of them) must be taken for a letter grade.  

Note: for the 2020-21 academic year, we did make a modification to our letter grade policy during remote instruction.  Please view our announcements page for details here:
http://hdsciences.ucsd.edu/about/announcements.html 

HDS 60 is a preparatory class for the HDS major, and a prerequisite for our upper division research course, HDS 181, which focuses on applied statistics, laboratory techniques, and APA format writing.

As a prerequisite, the learning outcomes of HDS 60 extend beyond simply understanding the numerical techniques of data analysis typical of most stats classes. It incorporates a strong conceptual understanding of statistics, interpretation of research, and skill building in technical skills and software.

Petitioning the HDS 60 requirement with a different class

Fulfilling the HDS 60 requirement with a course other than HDS 60 is considered under limited conditions, with the caveat that the student may have additional outside preparation work to do when taking the subsequent course in our series, HDS 181. Stats classes that received a “Pass” or a grade of C or below are ineligible to be petitioned to waive HDS 60. AP Stats is also ineligible to be petitioned.

Petitions to waive HDS 60 will be considered under the following conditions:

• The replacement course was taken prior to declaring the HDS major.
• The class was taken less than two years ago.
• Students must show demonstrated mastery in statistical analysis
  ^{(Grades of B+ or higher will automatically meet this criteria.  For community colleges that do not utilize +/- grading, B grades will meet this criteria).}

Petitions that meet the above criteria using grades in PSYC 60, MATH 11, or their transfer equivalents (via Assist.org) will be approved automatically, otherwise additional review will be needed. 

Note: Students that transferred in a stats course that is not automatically applied as PSYC 60 or MATH 11 via Assist.org should submit an equivalency petition to PSYC, or MATH (for calculus-based statistics classes), to have their stats course equated, thus helping them automatically clear broader campus-wide stats prerequisites when enrolling in UCSD courses.

Only P/NP credit taken prior to pursuing an HDS major can be considered for credit.

Note: Using P/NP credit requires you to submit a petition to the HDS office. A P/NP grade is only approved if it meets the following conditions:

• The course is a lower-division class (upper-division courses cannot be petitioned).
• The lower division course is on our approved course list.
• The actual grade earned in the lower admission course was a C or above.
• You can verify the ACTUAL grade with the professor and submit documentation with your petition. Verification can be provided though a letter from the course professor that is on official department letterhead. E-mail verification is not acceptable.

HDS 1 is offered twice per year: Fall and Spring.

Junior college transfer students should consider the UC San Diego Cross Enrollment Program if they wish to complete this course prior to transferring. Apply to cross enroll via the UC San Diego Cross Enrollment Program Application.

Yes, with the exception of HDS 1 or 60.

Junior College courses taken for HDS must articulate to one of our approved courses via Assist.org, or be approved for HDS via petition. Classes can also be taken at another university, including abroad, but must be UC transferable and approved via petition. You MUST take it for a letter grade.