Enroling in Psychology

Students may major in Psychology through the Bachelor of Science (Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences) or Bachelor of Arts (Faculty of Arts). There is no difference in the psychology major. Choices should be made on the basis of the other subjects that will make up your degree.

The 3-year Bachelor of Science (Psychology) degree provides students an opportunity to combine the study of psychology with disciplines such as Exercise Science, Health Science, Nutrition, Biology, Geography and Management. Note: This degree can also be studied as part of a double degree program with the Bachelor of Commerce.

The Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) degree provides the opportunity to combine the study of psychology with disciplines such as Health Science, Commerce, Sociology, Science and Technology Studies, Languages, and Politics.

For both of these degrees, the psychology specialisation includes the social and biological basis of behaviour, cognition, learning, memory, perception, personality, social and organisational behaviour, psychophysiology, abnormal behaviour, research design and statistics.

The Bachelor of Psychology is a four year degree which provides comprehensive training in the processes basic to human psychological functioning required for qualification as a professional psychologist. These include the social and biological basis of behaviour, cognition, learning, perception, social and organisational behaviour, personality, abnormality and research and assessment tools. Students must maintain a credit average in Psychology subjects to successfully complete this degree.

More specific information about enroling is shown below:

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) (Course # 708)
In this degree you require a major in psychology (72 credit points minimum). Your other subjects can be chosen from the Arts, General or Health & Behavioural Sciences schedules.

Bachelor of Science (Psychology) (Course # 749)
In this degree you require a major in psychology, and at least 90 credit points of subjects chosen from Health & Behavioural Sciences. The remaining 54 credit points can be selected from the General schedule.

Bachelor of Psychology (Course # 866)
This is a four year degree with a performance requirement - you must achieve at least a 70% average in psychology subjects each year to remain in this program. You have 30 credit points of elective subjects in first year, and 12 credit points of electives in second year. Third and fourth year you will be taking 48 credit points of psychology subjects. Electives can be selected from the General schedule.

N.B.: A 3-year degree requires 144 cps. A full time work load is normally 48 cps per year.

Electives for Psychology Degrees
Students often ask which elective subjects are approved by the School of Psychology. We do not like to recommend specific electives, because psychology is such a broad subject that almost any subject you choose will have some interface with it. We also like to encourage our students to have as broad a general education as possible. If you do not know where to start, however, here are some suggestions for elective subjects you could take with psychology, organised by Faculty:

Arts
ABST100 Introduction to Aboriginal Cultures
ENGL121 Text & Gender
PHIL101 Knowledge, World & Values A
PHIL102 Body, Mind & Persons A
SOC103 Aspects of Australian Society
STS100 Social Aspects of Science & Technology
STS112 The Scientific Revolution: History, Philosophy & Politics of Science

Commerce
COMM100 Introduction to Employment Relations
MGMT102 Business Communications
MGMT110 Introduction to Management
MARK101 Introduction to Marketing

Health & Behavioural Sciences
BMS 101 Systemic Anatomy
BMS 103 Human Growth Nutrition & Exercise
POP 101 Population Health
POP102 Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll; public health perspectives

Informatics
CSCI112 Fundamentals of Computer Science
CSCI124 Object Programming

Science
BIOL103 Molecules, Cells & Organisms
BIOL104 Evolution, Biodiversity & Environment
EESC101 Planet Earth
EESC104 The Human Environment: Problems & Change

Note that these are SUGGESTIONS only - do not feel you cannot take an elective you are interested in simply because it is not on this list.

Last reviewed: 15 January, 2008