Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

2015 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2015 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2015 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Warrnambool
Cloud Campus	No
Duration	4 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Deakin course code	H345
Course structure applies for students who commenced in 2015 onwards. Students who commenced prior to 2015 should refer to previous online Handbooks or consult your course enrolment officer. Course available to local students only.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

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. In the Bachelor of Psychology you will be exposed to a contemporary integrative approach to psychology, one that recognises the importance of, and interrelationships between, biological, developmental, social, cognitive, and developmental factors. In undertaking this course of study you will cover 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.

The Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) is designed to enable students to complete a four year sequence in psychology that complies with requirements for provisional registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and also for associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

It is comprised of the three-year undergraduate major sequence in psychology and the fourth year Honours program in psychology which are currently offered separately. Due to the stringent requirements of entry to an Honours year and the requirements for registration, students who do not attain the progression standards will exit with a three-year award, the Bachelor of Psychological Science.

An undergraduate major in psychology is also available to students enrolled in the following degrees: H344 Bachelor of Psychological Science, H300 Bachelor of Health Sciences, D387 Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Psychological Science, and D391 Bachelor of Health Sciences/Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), D390 Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Psychological Science.

Work-Integrated Learning

As part of this course, you will also be given the opportunity to undertake an internship in psychology as well as develop your counselling skills through a suite of elective units offered by the School of Psychology

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).

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

The course comprises 32 one credit point units including a minimum of 20 psychology (HPS) units.

At level 1, two Psychology units, HPS111 and HPS121, and three foundation health units, HBS107, HPS104 and HBS110, are compulsory.

At level 2, HPS201, HPS202, HPS203, HPS204, and HPS205 are compulsory.

At level 3, HPS301, HPS307 and HPS308 are compulsory, and an additional three level 3 HPS electives or two level 3 HPS and 1 level-3 HXX units must also be completed.

In summary, Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) students must complete two Psychology (HPS) units at level 1, five at level 2, and five or six at level 3.

No more than 10 credit points may be taken at level 1 and 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.

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, HPS205, HPS206, HPS301, HPS307 and HPS308.

Following successful completion of the first 3 levels of the course (i.e., at the completion of 24 credits), 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 units (an indicative ‘minimum mark’ is advertised each year based on the previous year’s competition for places). 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.