Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

2016 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2016 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2016 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)
Campus	Burwood (Melbourne) Waurn Ponds (Geelong) Warrnambool
Cloud Campus	Yes
Duration	4 years full-time or part-time equivalent Course available to local students only
Deakin course code	H345

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Complete an accredited four-year sequence in psychology that will get you provisional registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia.

This four-year course differs to the Bachelor of Psychological Science or Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) by providing selected students with the opportunity to complete honours in psychology as part of the final year of this degree. You will, however, have to receive excellent marks in the first three years of study.

Psychology is concerned with understanding human personality, behaviour, emotion, underlying mental processes and the factors that lead people to differ in the way they think and behave.

This course covers broad areas of psychology including behavioural and clinical neuroscience, child and adolescent psychology, relationships and the psychology of groups, cognitive psychology, forensic psychology, and psychopathology.

After graduating, you can work in areas relevant to human wellbeing, such as social work, youth work and developmental psychology among many others. You can also continue your studies by undertaking a postgraduate course.

Professional recognition

Deakin’s Bachelor of Psychology is recognised for registration purposes by the Psychology Board of Australia and is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).

Alternative exit

Bachelor of Psychological Science (H344)

Registration as a Psychologist

The current requirements for registration as a provisional psychologist include the completion of four years of academic study of psychology that is recognised by the Psychology Board of Australia. The academic program usually consists of an approved undergraduate psychology sequence followed by an approved fourth-year of study, such as Deakin’s Graduate Diploma of Psychology or honours in psychology.

Following successful completion of an approved fourth-year of psychology study, you may apply for provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia and associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS). Deakin’s Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) can lead directly to provisional registration provided the honours year is completed within this four-year course.

In order to gain full registration, provisional psychologists must then complete either two years of supervised practice, or a minimum two years of further study, which may include: Master of Psychology, Doctor of Psychology or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (with supervised practice completed outside the degree).

Note: This course is currently accredited as at the date of publishing.

Course rules

To complete the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) students must attain 32 credit points. Units (think of units as 'subjects') may be worth 1 or 4 credit points - check each unit for its credit point value in the course structure below. Most students choose to study 4 credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters each year.

The course comprises a total of 32 credit points which must include the following:

At least 21 must be Psychology (i.e., ‘HPS’) units
At level 1, three Psychology units, HPS111, HPS121 and HPS104, and two foundation health units, HBS107 and HBS110, are compulsory.
At level 2, HPS201, HPS202, HPS203 and HPS204 are compulsory.
At level 3, HPS301, HPS307, HPS308 and HPS310 are compulsory
An additional two level 3 HPS electives or one level 3 HPS and 1 level-3 HXX and one level 2 or level 3 HPS elective must also be completed.
No more than 10 credit points may be taken at level 1
Students must complete a minimum of 7 credit points at each level.
A maximum of 8 credit points (electives) may be taken outside the Faculty of Health

In summary, Bachelor of Psychological Science students must complete three Psychology (HPS) units at level 1, four at level 2, five at level 3 and one at level 2 or level 3.

Students may choose to accelerate their progress through the course by selecting from the following units that are normally offered in Trimester 3: HBS110, HBS107, HPS104, HPS111, HPS121, HPS201, HPS202, HPS203, HPS204, HPS206 (psychology elective unit), HPS301, HPS307, HPS308 and HPS310.

Following successful completion of the first 3 levels of the course (i.e., at the completion of 24 credit points), students will be considered for progression to the level-4 ‘honours’ year of the course.

There is a quota on honours places and successful applicants must achieve at least a mid-credit (65%) for Research Methods B and a sufficient mark for their remaining level-2 and level-3 psychology core units (a ‘minimum mark’ is calculated each year based on the previous year’s competition for places and the academic merit of the cohort of students who apply).

Failure to achieve an honours place results in an alternative exit from H345 with course H344 Bachelor of Psychological Science. Such students may apply for a fee-paying alternative to honours: course H650 Graduate Diploma of Psychology. Students who do not wish to complete the honours year may also opt for this alternative exit.

The four units HPS425, HPS426, HPS427, HPS428 comprise the honours sequence in psychology. All four parts must be successfully completed before a result will be obtained. 8 credit points will be achieved at the end of the sequence.

Total coursework weighting at fourth level is 50%. The research thesis at fourth level is completed across the entire level and accounts for 50% of the total weighting. Attendance and presentation at the annual School Honours Conference and attendance at the School Research Colloquia are hurdle requirements.

Course structure

Core units

Course structure applies for students who commenced in 2016 onwards. Students who commenced in 2014 and 2015 should refer to previous online Handbooks or consult your course enrolment officer