Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) (pre 2018)

On successful completion of the program students will have:

• Comprehended and applied a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including the following topics: the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social, cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology, individual differences in capacity, behaviour and personality, psychological health and well-being, psychological disorders and evidence-based interventions, learning and memory, cognition, language and perception, motivation and emotion, neuroscience and the biological bases of behaviour, lifespan developmental psychology, social psychology, culturally appropriate psychological assessment and measurement and research methods and statistics.
• Applied knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
• Analysed and critiqued theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicated these in written and oral formats.
• Demonstrated an understanding of appropriate values and ethics in psychology.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and teamwork.
• Demonstrated self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology.
• Demonstrated successful prior achievement of foundational competencies.
• Demonstrated appropriate interpersonal communication and interview skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice and research. This includes active listening, clarifying and reflecting, effective questioning, summarising and paraphrasing, developing rapport, appropriate cultural responsiveness and empathic responding.
• Demonstrated basic assessment strategies in situations appropriate to psychological practice and knowledge of psychometric theory and principles of the construction, cultural considerations, implementation and interpretation of some of the more widely used standardised psychological test instruments.
• Explained how basic psychological intervention strategies can be applied across a range of contexts.
• Investigated a substantive individual research question relevant to the discipline of psychology.

If you wish to apply for credit for studies completed at another institution, or if you are changing programs within the University and wish to transfer your credit to the new program, visit the University's credit website for more information on applying for credit.

Specified credit may be granted for courses if they can be demonstrated to be directly equivalent in terms of content and depth of study to the corresponding courses in the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) program, otherwise students may apply for unspecified credit in place of electives. All courses being assessed for credit must have been completed within the previous 10 years prior to admission. Credit will be granted by the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Science and Information Technology in accordance with the policies approved by Academic Senate.

Australian Psychology Accreditation Council

Psychology Board of Australia (under AHPRA)

2021 Revision

From 2021 the following Science Directed courses were discontinued: BIOL2020, ENVS1000, MATH1210, MATH2005, PHYS1150, and STEC2100. Students who have completed any of the discontinued courses can continue to count them towards their program.

2020 Revision

From 2020 PSYC4100 was replaced by PSYC4300. STAT2000 was removed as a Core Course and replaced with a Science Directed Course. PSYC3600 was removed as a core course and replaced with a Psychology Directed Course. For students who commenced the program prior to 2020, please refer to the 2020 Transition Arrangements in the Additional Documents section for more information.

2017 Revision

The program underwent revision in 2016, and changes were implemented for the fourth year of the program, effective 2017. The Ungraded Honours stream in the fourth year of the program was removed and will no longer be available. All students currently in the program will undertake the Graded Honours stream from 2017 onwards. PHIL1060 was removed from the core of the program. Continuing students who have not yet successfully completed PHIL1060 will be required to take an additional 10 units of electives.

Students commencing 4th year in 2015 who meet the minimum GPA requirement will be transferred into the new B Psychology (Honours) degree (Program Code 12362). Students who commence 4th year in 2014 and enrol part time over 2014/2015 will remain in the current program and be awarded a degree according to the current degree rules of B Psychology (Program Code 11394).

Students who commenced the B Psychology program (Program Code 11394) prior to 2012 will only be transferred to the new B Psychology (Honours) degree (Program Code 12362) if they meet the minimum entry requirement for 4th year which is a GPA of 5.0 over all 2000 and 3000 level Psych courses and STAT2000. Students who commenced prior to 2012 and who fail to meet this minimum GPA requirement will remain in the old B Psychology program. Due to the old 4000 level courses being discontinued from 2015, these students will undertake the 4000 level courses in the ungraded undergraduate honours stream of the new B Psychology (Honours) degree but will be awarded an ordinary B Psychology degree upon completion.

A full list of courses that are available to study as an elective can be found in the course handbook.

Calculation of Honours will be in accordance with the Bachelor Honours Policy for End-On Honours. Please refer to the Bachelor Honours Policy [Document No. 000990] found at the following link: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/about-uon/governance-and-leadership/policy-library/document?RecordNumber=D15/14443

Through the Pathways and Academic Learning Support Centre, students can access a free suite of NUPrep preparation courses as well as Academic Learning Support.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can draw on the assistance and support provided by the Indigenous Student Support and Development service through the Wollotuka Institute.

All International Students enrolled in the program will be provided with an orientation to familiarise them with the rules, expectations, facilities and services offered by the University. Please visit our International Students website to find out more about the support services available to international students.

AccessAbility provides advice and reasonable adjustments to Students with a medical or health condition or disability. If you require adjustments to undertake your program, contact the Student Support Advisors - AccessAbility before semester or early in the semester. They will work with the College or School to ensure that this happens in a timely manner.

Please note: All students must fulfil the inherent requirements of the programs and courses they are undertaking. While reasonable adjustments can be made, these adjustments cannot compromise academic integrity. It is the student's responsibility to check all the requirements of courses, and consider the effects of any medical condition or disability on their ability to complete course requirements. More information is available online.