Undergraduate courses offered by the Faculty
Bachelor of Psychological Science (SBBS) – Melbourne (Bundoora)
The Bachelor of Psychological Science (BPsySc) is a coherent program of core areas of study in psychology that includes other subjects, such as biological and social aspects of behaviour, deemed desirable to a broad education in behavioural science.
The course prepares students for careers in a range of settings including human resources, management, and mental health and human services.
It is important to emphasise that the Bachelor of Psychological Science does not qualify a graduate to work as a psychologist. Further education, training and supervised experience are required for registration as a professional psychologist with the Psychologists’ Registration Board of Victoria and for membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
Course structure
The BPsySc may be undertaken in three years of full-time or equivalent part-time study. Students intending to study part-time should note that this means enrolling in a lesser workload, rather than studying after hours, as BPsySc subjects are not available as evening classes.
The degree requires the completion of 360 credit points, consisting of 120 credit points accrued from subjects taken at each of the first, second and third year levels.
An additional requirement is that students must successfully complete a minimum of 150 credit points of psychology subjects across the three years of the degree, with no less than 120 credit points of psychology accrued from subjects at second and third year level.
Note that the four third year psychology subjects PSY3ANA, PSY3CDB, PSY3CFA, and PSY3SCB (each worth 20 credit points) will be available in alternate years. PSY3CFA and PSY3SCB will be available in 2010 and PSY3ANA and PSY3CDB will be available in 2011.
Subjects taught by the School of Psychological Science and which normally are components of the degree are PSY1PYA, PSY1PYB, PSY1BNA, PSY1BNB, PSY2PYA, PSY2PYB, PSY3PYA, PSY3PYB, PSY3RSA and PSY3RSB.
(Full details of the subjects offered by the School of Psychological Science are available in the subject handbooks produced by the School in February of each year and the School website at www.latrobe.edu.au/psy).
First year (120 credit points)
Core subjects (75 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Psychology 1A | PSY1PYA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Psychology 1B | PSY1PYB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Statistics for Psychology | STA1PSY | 15 |
| either | |||
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1A | PSY1BNA | 15 |
| and | |||
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1B | PSY1BNB | 15 |
| or |
Any other first year biological science subjects totalling not less than 30 credit points.
Electives (45 credit points)
Students must choose three elective subjects at first year, typically two first semester subjects and one second semester subject. It is recommended that students take a sequence of two subjects from the same discipline to provide them with prerequisites necessary for second year electives. Students must examine available timetables to avoid any clashes with core subjects and to determine their eligibility for elective subjects. The following discipline areas offer relevant elective subjects: Business studies, legal studies, sociology and anthropology, politics, linguistics, Asian Studies, philosophy, computer science and computer engineering, mathematics or statistics, biological sciences and genetics. Students are encouraged to see course advisers for further suggestions.
Second year (120 credit points)
Core subjects (40 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Psychology 2A | PSY2PYA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Psychology 2B | PSY2PYB | 20 |
Electives (80 credit points)
Second/third year level subjects for which prerequisites have been meet to the value of 80 credit points chosen from subjects offered by any department.
Highly Recommended subjects:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Applied Neuroscience 3A1 | PSY3ANA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Counselling and Family Psychology 3A | PSY3CFA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Cognitive and Developmental Psychology 3B1 | PSY3CDB | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Social and Community Psychology 3B | PSY3SCB | 20 |
Third year (120 credit points)
Core subjects (80 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Psychology 3A | PSY3PYA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Research Project 3A | PSY3RSA | 20 |
| TE-SEM 2 | Psychology 3B | PSY3PYB | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Research Project 3B | PSY3RSB | 20 |
Electives (40 credit points)
Students choose third year level subjects for which prerequisite requirements have been met.
Highly Recommended subjects:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Applied Neuroscience 3A1 | PSY3ANA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Counselling and Family Psychology 3A | PSY3CFA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Cognitive and Developmental Psychology 3B1 | PSY3CDB | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Social and Community Psychology 3B | PSY3SCB | 20 |
Key: 1 Not available in 2010.
Honours
Students who perform at a high standard may apply to undertake a further year of psychology study in Honours (PSY4HNA and PSY4HNB), which is a prerequisite for most postgraduate courses of study. Following the successful completion of the Honours year, these students will graduate with a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours). The Honours course is presently offered only at the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus although students from the Bendigo and Albury-Wodonga campus may apply.