Psilocybin, found in some bags that were tested, is a psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY file Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.
San Francisco, California – The birthplace of the Summer of Love will soon be home to the nation’s first undergraduate program in psychedelic studies.
Starting this August, the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), a nonprofit university based in San Francisco’s SoMa district, will offer a Bachelor of Science in Psychedelic Studies — a groundbreaking step in the growing academic and clinical interest in psychedelics as tools for mental health treatment and personal transformation.
The new program reflects a cultural shift around substances like psilocybin and MDMA, which are gaining recognition as potential treatments for conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and treatment-resistant depression. “Anyone who has a passion for psychedelics and for their capacity to create transformation and healing… there’s something for them in this program,” said CIIS psychology professor Nick Walker in a promotional video.
To be eligible, students must first complete at least 54 transferable semester units of general education coursework elsewhere. After acceptance, they will attend three semesters at CIIS focused entirely on psychedelics, studying subjects like neuroscience, psychopharmacology, research ethics, and global and Indigenous psychedelic practices.
Courses include titles like “Global and Indigenous Knowledges and Ecopsychedelics” and “Psychedelic Advocacy, Equity, Research, and Connection.” The university emphasizes that students will not be required — or encouraged — to use psychedelics as part of the curriculum.
Despite the fact that psychedelics remain illegal at the federal level and in most of California, research in the state is booming. At least 72 clinical trials involving psychedelics are currently underway, including studies at institutions such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSF, and UC San Diego.
CIIS’s inaugural class includes students who credit psychedelics with deeply personal healing experiences. Los Angeles fire inspector Michael Bochey said ayahuasca helped him process trauma he experienced on the job. “The way I live my life now, I actually experience it. I’m more present,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Another incoming student, Cassie Hope, said ayahuasca and mebufotenin, or “bufo,” helped her recover emotionally from postpartum depression and a cancer diagnosis. “It gave me a whole new perspective… healing from life,” she said.
The program launches August 28 and will be taught online through an asynchronous platform, allowing students across California — and beyond — to participate in what may be a transformative moment in higher education.
