CRICOS Code: 041143A

This program applies to students who commenced in 2022 or later.

Students should follow the program structure for the session start date relevant to the year they commenced.

For Commencement Year 2018 to 2021 - Please refer to 1865.1 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

For Commencement Year 2017 - please refer to 1834.1 Bachelor of Psychology

The Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) is a four-year degree that equips students with a thorough grounding in the scientific discipline of psychology. In the first three years, Psychology will develop students’ scientific knowledge and skills to understand and explain human behaviour and experience. Students will comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with the depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts. Areas of study include: history and philosophy of psychology, individual differences in behaviour and personality, psychological health and well-being, psychological disorders and intervention, learning and memory, cognition, language and perception, motivation and emotion, neuroscience and the biological bases of behaviour, lifespan developmental psychology, social psychology, research methods and statistics.

Students have the opportunity to study minors in the areas such as health sciences, business, education and social sciences to add the knowledge and skills of other disciplines and to enhance career options and job-readiness.

In the honours year, students will complete a 30 credit point research thesis and undertake 50 credit points of coursework including: counselling communication and interview skills; an introduction to the theory and practice of psychological assessment and intervention, an understanding of working in psychology in complex Australian society, and advanced research methods and analytical techniques and tools.

This program is designed for students intending to undertake postgraduate studies that lead to registration as a psychologist, and/or progression to Higher Degree Research.

This degree is also available for graduate entry.

Students who do not meet the entry requirements for entry into fourth year, or who do not wish to continue to fourth year, must transfer to 1904 Bachelor of Psychological Science (exit only) to graduate.

Early Exit

Students may exit this program on completion of 240 credit points with a 1904 Bachelor of Psychological Science (exit only)

Study Mode

Four years full-time or eight years part-time.

Program Advice

Undergraduate Psychology Academic Program Advisor

Prospective students should visit the following websites for general enquiries about this program.

Enquire about this program| Local Admission | International Admission |

Location

Location

Campus	Attendance	Mode	Advice
Bankstown Campus	Full Time	Internal	See above
Bankstown Campus	Part Time	Internal	See above
Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road	Full Time	Internal	See above
Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road	Part Time	Internal	See above
Penrith Campus	Full Time	Internal	See above
Penrith Campus	Part Time	Internal	See above

Accreditation

This program is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) on the basis that it meets all the APAC Accreditation Standards (June 2010) for a four year sequence of study in psychology. This program has been submitted for re-accreditation for five years from 2022.

Admission

UAC entry: A competitive ATAR; or equivalent rank for school leavers and non-recent school leavers. Western Sydney University applicants with a completed or partially completed university degree must have achieved a GPA of 5 or above.

Graduate entry for students with a prior bachelor degree who have achieved a GPA of 5 or above, will be granted advanced standing for non-psychology subjects (80 credit points), which means that students will complete 240 credit points, equivalent to three years full-time.

Entry to the fourth year of the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) is limited to students who have achieved an Average Admission Mark of 70+ in Level 2 and 3 Psychology subjects. Students who have successfully completed the first three years, but who do not achieve this standard, or do not accept a place in the Honours program, will graduate with program 1904 Bachelor of Psychological Science (exit only).

Applications from Australian and New Zealand citizens and holders of permanent resident visas may be made via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) or directly through the Western Portal. Use the links below to apply via UAC or Western Sydney University. Applications made directly to Western Sydney do not have an application fee.

http://www.uac.edu.au/
https://westernsydney.uac.edu.au/ws/

Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Local applicants who are applying through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) will find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on the UAC website. Local applicants applying directly to the University should also use the information provided on the UAC website.

International students currently completing an Australian Year 12 in or outside Australia, an International Baccalaureate in Australia or a New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) level 3 must apply via UAC International.

http://www.uac.edu.au/

All other International applicants must apply directly to the University via the International Office.  

International students applying to the University through the International Office can find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on their website.

International Office

Overseas qualifications must be deemed by the Australian Education International - National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) to be equivalent to Australian qualifications in order to be considered by UAC and Western Sydney University.

Program Structure

Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 320 credit points including the subjects listed under the Sequence tab.

All students must successfully complete a minimum of 60 credit points of Level 3 subjects within the degree.

All non-graduate entry students must complete:

• 140 credit points of Psychology core subjects, and
• 20 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, and
• One minor (40 credit points) and electives (40 credit points), or two minors (80 credit points), and
• An honours fourth year.

Graduate entry students must complete:

• 140 credit points of Psychology core subjects,  and
• 20 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, and
• An honours fourth year.

Graduate entry students will receive advanced standing for 80 credit points and will not be required to complete a minor.

Recommended Sequence

Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 320 credit points including the subjects listed below.

Full-time start-year intake

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Autumn session		Credit Points
BEHV 1018	Psychology: Human Behaviour	10
BEHV 2018	Personality	10
20 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, minor subjects or elective		20
	Credit Points	40
Spring session
BEHV 1016	Psychology: Behavioural Science	10
BEHV 1003	Introduction to Research Methods	10
20 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, minor subjects or elective		20
	Credit Points	40
Year 2
Autumn session
MATH 2006	Experimental Design and Analysis	10
BEHV 2002	Brain and Behaviour	10
BEHV 2010	Perception	10
10 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, minor subjects or elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Spring session
BEHV 3014	Motivation and Emotion	10
BEHV 2005	Human Learning	10
BEHV 3023	Social Psychology	10
10 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, minor subjects or elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Year 3
Autumn session
BEHV 3004	Advanced Research Methods	10
BEHV 3009	Developmental Psychology	10
20 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, minor subjects or elective		20
	Credit Points	40
Spring session
BEHV 3002	Abnormal Psychology	10
BEHV 3007	Cognitive Processes	10
20 credit points of Psychology Alternate subjects, minor subjects or elective		20
	Credit Points	40
	Total Credit Points	240

Psychology Alternatives

Subject List

Subject	Title	Credit Points
Students must choose 20 credit points from the following list of pool subjects.		20
BEHV 1001	Behaviour and Environment
BEHV 3010	Health Psychology
BEHV 1010	Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness, Resilience, and Wellbeing
BEHV 3018	Psychology and the Online World
BEHV 3021	Psychology, Crime and Law
BEHV 3019	Psychology of Language
BEHV 1024	Applied Psychology
BEHV 1025	Usable Design
Total Credit Points		20

Suggested Minors

Note: not all minors are available on all campuses. Please check availability.

At the end of the 3rd Year, students who successfully complete 240 credit points may exit and graduate with 1904 Bachelor of Psychological Science (exit only).

Minor elective spaces

Elective subjects may be used toward obtaining an additional approved minor (40 credit points).  Western Sydney University offers minors in a range of areas including Sustainability and Indigenous Studies.

Global Sustainability Minor 
Indigenous Australian Studies Minor

Western Sydney University also offers the following innovative transdisciplinary minors which we encourage those students who have elective space to consider.

Equitable Technologies
Urban Evolution
Migration and Global Change  
Personal Innovation    
Innovating, Creating and Problem Solving 
Eco-Socially Conscious Design and Manufacturing
Water for Life 
Climate Justice
Global Workplaces
Innovating For Humans

Search for majors and minors

Students can apply for an elective minor via MySR.

MyStudentRecords (MySR)

Honours Fourth Year (80 credit points)

Degree rules for exit and/or progression after 3rd year in the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours).

Entry into the embedded Honours is limited to students who have completed the first three years of the program and have obtained an Average Admission Mark of 70+ in Level 2 and 3 Psychology subjects.

Students who have successfully completed the first three years, but who do not achieve this standard, or do not apply for Honours, will be transferred to 1904 Bachelor of Psychological Science (exit only) to graduate with that degree.

For advice, prospective students and current students should contact the Psychology Honours/Fourth Year Academic Program Advisor.

For students progressing to the embedded Honours year, the program structure is as follows:

Full-time Embedded Honours Pathway

Please note: students must enrol in BEHV 4004 Psychology Research Thesis and BEHV 4006 Research Methods Seminar in both Autumn and Spring sessions in order to receive final grades and credit points.

Plan of Study Grid

Autumn session		Credit Points
BEHV 4009	Advanced Topics in Contemporary Psychology	10
WELF 4002	Counselling and Consultation	10
BEHV 4006	Research Methods Seminar	10
BEHV 4004	Psychology Research Thesis	15
	Credit Points	45
Spring session
BEHV 4005	Theory and Practice of Psychological Assessment and Intervention	10
BEHV 4006	Research Methods Seminar	10
BEHV 4004	Psychology Research Thesis	15
	Credit Points	35
	Total Credit Points	80

Part-time Embedded Honours Pathway

Please note: Students must enrol in in BEHV 4004 Psychology Research Thesis and BEHV 4006 Research Methods Seminar in both Autumn and Spring sessions in order to receive final grades and credit points.

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Autumn session		Credit Points
WELF 4002	Counselling and Consultation	10
BEHV 4006	Research Methods Seminar	10
	Credit Points	20
Spring session
BEHV 4005	Theory and Practice of Psychological Assessment and Intervention	10
BEHV 4006	Research Methods Seminar	10
	Credit Points	20
Year 2
Autumn session
BEHV 4009	Advanced Topics in Contemporary Psychology	10
BEHV 4004	Psychology Research Thesis	15
	Credit Points	25
Spring session
BEHV 4004	Psychology Research Thesis	15
	Credit Points	15
	Total Credit Points	80