Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

2023 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2023 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2023 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)
Course Map	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2023. This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2023. This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 3 2023. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Campus	Burwood (Melbourne) Waurn Ponds (Geelong)
Online	Yes
Duration	4 years full-time or part-time equivalent Course available to local students only
Deakin course code	H345
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Join one of the strongest growth areas within the health sector^ and study the mind and its processes, behaviour and mental states with Deakin's Bachelor of Psychology (Honours). An honours year is included in this four-year degree, distinguishing it from our other psychology courses. Honours includes practical training preparing you for provisional registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and sets you on the pathway to general registration.

Deakin is the only Victorian university where you can study specialist psychology majors during your undergraduate degree, allowing you to learn what you are passionate about sooner. Core employability-orientated units and the option of undertaking 140 hours of professional placements provide valuable industry experience and strengthen your employment prospects. In your honours year, you will complete an individual research project and learn advanced studies in counselling, psychological assessment, ethics and research methods.

Do you want to become an expert in human behaviour, personality and emotion, and use those skills to help people?

Psychology is about understanding the underlying mental processes and factors behind human behaviour. This course will equip you with the skills and strategies to be able to help people, no matter which area of psychology you pursue.

This degree differs to the Bachelor of Psychological Science and the Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), as it has an honours year embedded in the course. When you graduate, you’ll have the option of two distinct career paths – further study in pursuit of general registration as a psychologist, or employment in psychology-related fields that don’t require registration, such as:

counselling
social work
youth work
careers counselling
life counselling
mental health rehabilitation
marketing
social research
human resources management
developmental psychology.

The course’s Psychology in Practice units will ensure you graduate with work-ready skills and provide you with alternative employment pathways. Careers in psychology-related fields are always evolving, visit deakin.edu.au/psychology-careers to discover the exciting range of careers that you could pursue.

During the course, you can select a specialist major in Child and Family, Organisational Studies or Forensic Studies. In addition to your chosen major sequence, you will cover a number of broad areas of psychology, including:

behavioural and clinical neuroscience
child and adolescent psychology
cognitive psychology
forensic psychology
psychopathology
relationships and the psychology of groups

As a graduate, you will be eligible to apply for provisional registration as a psychologist, as well as APAC-accredited masters or doctoral-level training programs that lead to full registration as a psychologist, including:

You will also have the opportunity to develop your counselling and coaching skills through Applied Counselling Skills core units, and/or through one of our online postgraduate counselling courses.

Deakin’s School of Psychology is one of the largest and most progressive psychology departments in Australia. The school has strong partnerships with industry, including collaborative activities with government agencies, public and private organisations, hospitals and other universities. These partnerships ensure your degree remains relevant to industry and workforce needs. You will be in high demand by employers who want graduates that are ready to face challenges with confidence.

^2021 Employment Outlook - for the five years to November 2026, Australian Government National Skills Commission

Indicative student workload

As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include classes, seminars, practicals and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Professional recognition

All of the psychology courses offered at Deakin meet the requirements of the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) translating into excellent job and career opportunities for our graduates. Upon graduation of this degree, you’ll have gained a four-year undergraduate psychology sequence that is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and recognised for registration purposes by the PBA, enabling you to undertake additional study in pursuit of provisional registration.

Career opportunities

If you are ready to take your psychology career further, the option to become a fully registered psychologist is available by undertaking a master’s or doctorate qualification in psychology.

If you choose to pursue full registration as a psychologist, you may find employment in a variety of roles, including:

clinical psychologist
cognitive neuroscientist
counsellor
criminal psychologist
educational and developmental psychologist
family therapist
forensic psychologist
health and community psychologist
mental health officer
organisational psychologist
rehabilitation counsellor
sport and exercise psychologist
youth psychologist.

The contexts in which you work may include:

private clinics and practices
public and private hospitals
business corporate organisations
schools and universities
government departments and agencies
community sporting clubs and institutes
various social research organisations.

A psychology qualification can prepare you for many diverse, exciting career paths. While some psychology graduates go on to become registered psychologists, many others will pursue roles in complementary professions or entirely different fields. If your passion is not to complete further study to become a registered psychologist, there are still many diverse career options available, including:

child protection
family support
human services
marketing and communications
not-for-profit aid
public health
social work
youth work

Additional qualifications may be required for some of the careers listed here, you can find out more about roles and responsibilities, skills, qualifications and experience at deakin.edu.au/psychology/psychology-careers

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, working with children check or other check. Refer the relevant unit guide.

Pathways

Once you have successfully completed this course, if you are interested in further study and pursing general registration as a registered psychologist, you may be eligible to apply for an accredited program such as the Master of Professional Psychology, Master of Psychology (Clinical), Master of Psychology (Organisational), or Doctor of Psychology (Clinical).

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. 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.

Alternative exit

Bachelor of Psychological Science (H344)

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, the type of fee place you hold, your commencement year, the units you choose and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. Further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods is available on our Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Integrate theoretical knowledge of the discipline of psychology in relation to: health, social, cognitive, methodology, neuroscience, development, and personality. Demonstrate understanding of advanced knowledge (theoretical, empirical and practical) in the areas of psychological assessment, counselling, advanced research methods and research practice.
Communication	Communicate psychological knowledge and arguments effectively using the most appropriate means utilising clear, discipline appropriate, coherent and well-developed communication skills. Convey complex psychological knowledge and ideas to laypeople and professionals. Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal communication and interview skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice. This includes active listening, clarifying and reflecting, effective questioning, summarising and paraphrasing, developing rapport, appropriate cultural responsiveness and empathic responding.
Digital literacy	Apply advanced skills to select appropriate digital tools to source, interpret, adapt, collate, analyse and disseminate discipline specific information in psychology to a variety of audiences relevant to pre-professional practice of psychology.
Critical thinking	Identify and critique the factors that contribute to the development of unhealthy mental processes and behaviours, develop arguments, reports, or commentaries based on empirical research and apply the results to affect healthy behaviour change in oneself or others, and; apply the skills required to affect healthy behaviour change in oneself and in others in diverse contexts. Competence in the design and conduct of research, and skills to critically evaluate, synthesise and integrate complex scientific evidence. Application of knowledge to assessment, counselling and case management to demonstrate evidence-based pre-professional practice in the field of psychology.
Problem solving	Respect and use critical and creative thinking, sceptical inquiry and the scientific approach to solve problems related to research and applied skills (psychological assessment, counselling and case-management) in the field of psychology.
Self-management	Engage in independent learning as a reflective practitioner to sustain personal and professional development in the changing world of the science and practice of psychology; and manage resources, timelines and other constraints to achieve high-quality and timely outcomes.
Teamwork	Collaborate and communicate psychological principles and practices effectively in interdisciplinary teams, in a variety of contexts with diverse ethnic and cultural partners and teams, to work and learn in a range of environments including communities of practice, research and professional practice.
Global citizenship	Embody the values and attitudes of the scientist-practitioner. Demonstrate, report and apply ethical principles to understand how to work productively in the field of psychology within diverse social, cultural and environmental contexts by collaborating and communicating in a self-reflective, culturally sensitive, and inclusive manner.

Course rules

To complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), students must attain 32 credit points including:

4 credit points of Foundations of Psychology
8 credit points of Psychology Essentials
4 credit points of Psychology in Practice
2 credit points of Psychology course electives
8 credit points of Psychology Honours

Plus, either:

6 credit points of electives (psychology course electives or University open electives) OR
6 credit point psychology major

Students must also ensure that they have met the following course rules to be eligible to graduate with a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours):

a maximum of 10 credit points at level 1
a minimum of 6 credit points at level 3
HAI010 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete HAI010 Academic Integrity in their first trimester of study (0 credit point compulsory unit).

Eligibility

To be eligible for a place in the Psychology Honours program, students will have:

Completed the first three levels of the course (i.e., they will have achieved 24 credit points)
Achieve a minimum of 65% in Psychology Research Methods (Intermediate)
Achieve a minimum of 80% or above across the Psychology Essentials units (8 units including Psychology Research Methods (Intermediate)). Entry will also be determined by the availability of supervisors and resources.

The 80% cut-off may vary, depending on the availability of Honours places. Students who meet the selection cut-off, and successfully complete the Honours year, will graduate with one-degree H345 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours). Failure to meet the above WAM requirements will result in an alternative exit from H345 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) with a degree of H344 Bachelor of Psychological Science provided the student meets the course requirements of H344. Students who have taken an alternative exit of H344 Bachelor of Psychological Science may apply for entry to the less competitive fee-paying alternative to Honours: H650 Graduate Diploma of Psychology. Students who do not wish to complete the honours year may also opt for the H344 Bachelor of Psychological Science alternative exit.

Major sequences

The following majors are available within the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

Refer to the details of each major sequence for availability.

Course structure

Core units

Course structure applies for students who commenced in 2023 onwards. Students who commenced prior to 2023 can refer to previous online Handbooks.

^ Foundations of Psychology unit

*Psychology in Practice unit

# Psychology Essentials unit

^^Psychology Honours unit

Level 1 - Trimester 1

HAI010

Academic Integrity (0 credit points)

HPS104

Foundations of Psychological Science ^

HPS105

Foundations of Psychological Practice ^

HPS111

Introduction to Psychology: Human Behaviour ^

plus one psychology course elective, elective or psychology major unit

Level 1 - Trimester 2

HPS121

Introduction to Psychology: Individual and Social Development ^

HBS110

Health Psychology (Behaviour Change) *

HPY107

Psychology At Work (Preparation) *

plus one psychology course elective, elective or psychology major unit

Level 2 - Trimester 1

HPS203

Cognitive Psychology #

HPS204

Social Psychology #

HPY210

Applied Counselling Skills (Introductory) *

plus one psychology course elective, elective or psychology major unit

Level 2 - Trimester 2

HPS201

Psychology Research Methods (Introductory) #

HPS202

Developmental Psychology (Child and Adolescent) #

plus two psychology course electives, electives or psychology major units

Level 3 - Trimester 1

HPS301

Psychology Research Methods (Intermediate) #

HPS310

Biological Psychology (Brain and Behaviour) #

plus two psychology course electives, electives or psychology major units

Level 3 - Trimester 2

HPY306

Applied Counselling Skills (Intermediate) *

HPS307

Personality Psychology #

HPS308

Psychopathology #

plus one psychology course elective, elective or psychology major unit

Level 4 - Trimester 1

HPS431

Principles of Psychological Assessment ^^

HPS432

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis ^^

HPS435

Research Project A ^^

Level 4 - Trimester 2

HPS433

Applied Counselling Skills (Advanced) ^^

HPS434

Psychology Research Methods (Advanced) ^^

HPS436

Research Project B ^^

Note: for Psychology 4^th year admission (Honours or equivalent), students are assessed on the WAM of Psychology Essentials

Elective units

Psychology Course Electives

Two credit points from:

Trimester 1

HPS209

Cross Cultural and Indigenous Psychology

HPS302

Developmental Psychology (Adult)

HPS325

Health Psychology (Addiction)

HPS328

Psychology At Work (Internship)

Trimester 2

HPS206

Forensic Psychology

HPS226

Health Psychology (Chronic Illness)

HPS304

Social Psychology (Human Relationships)

HPS395

Biological Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience)

Work experience

As part of this course you will have the option of undertaking 140 hours of industry placement through elective units, and our core employability-orientated units ensure you graduate work-ready. Applied Counselling Skills core units also allow you to develop your counselling and coaching skills.

Details of major sequences

Forensic Studies

Campus

Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online

Waurn Ponds (Geelong) students: some of the units are offered at Waurn Ponds and some at Waterfront. Travel between campuses may be required.

Unit set code

MJ-H000040

Overview

This major brings together complementary units from criminology and forensic psychology for students to gain an understanding of the fundamentals of crime and criminal justice issues, addiction, and how psychological knowledge is applied in legal and criminal matters.

Units

ACR101

Introducing Crime and Criminology

ACR102

Introducing Crime and Criminal Justice

ACR201

Issues in Criminal Justice

HPS206

Forensic Psychology

ACR302

Criminology Research

HPS325

Health Psychology (Addiction)

Child and Family

Campus

Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online

Waurn Ponds (Geelong) students: some of the units are offered at Waurn Ponds and some at Waterfront. Travel between campuses may be required.

Unit set code

MJ-H000041

Overview

This major brings together complementary units from within Health and Social Development and Psychology with a particular focus on the health and development of the family system and its members. It will be of particular interest to those wanting to work supporting children and/or families in the community.

Units

HSH105

Understanding Families and Health

HSH206

Human Development and Healthy Families

HSH207

Socio-Economic Status and Health

HPS202

Developmental Psychology (Child and Adolescent)

HPS302

Developmental Psychology (Adult)

HPS304

Social Psychology (Human Relationships)

Organisational Studies

Campus

Burwood (Melbourne), Online

Unit set code

MJ-H000043

Overview

This major brings together fundamental units from the disciplines of Management and Human Resource Management, to give students a grounding in organisational behaviour, recruitment and training, and change management. Students will also gain skills in counselling, mediation and negotiation.