Bachelor of Psychological Science
Course code/s: Bendigo (RBBS)
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 Psychology Board of Australia 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 180 credit points of psychology subjects across the three years of the degree, with no less than 135 credit points of psychology accrued from subjects at second and third year level.
Note that the five third year psychology electives (each worth 15 credit points) will be available in alternate years PSY3NBC, PSY3RTP and PSY3CSI will be available in 2012.
Subjects taught by the School of Psychological Science and which normally are components of the degree are PSY3PIN.
(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).
Course Delivery
The delivery of this Course at the Bendigo and Albury-Wodonga Campuses makes extensive use of video conferencing for lectures, including for the majority of second and third year lectures. All tutorial teaching is provided in small tutorials via face to face contact.
First year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Experimental Foundations of Psychological Science | PSY1EFP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | History, Philosophy and Methodology of Psychological Science | PSY1HPM | 15 |
| TE-SEM 2 | Clinical Foundations of Psychological Science | PSY1CFP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Statistical Methods | STA1STM | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 | First year level subjects offered by any department. | 60 |
Highly Recommended subjects:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1A | PSY1BNA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1B | PSY1BNB | 15 |
Second year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Cognition | PSY2COG | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Psychological Research Methods | PSY2PRM | 15 |
| TE-SEM 2 | Abnormal, Clinical and Health Psychology | PSY2ACH | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Developmental Psychology | PSY2DEV | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Social Psychology | PSY2SOC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 |
Second/third year level subjects offered by any department. |
45 |
Highly Recommended subjects:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Applied Neuroscience1 | New subject in 2013 | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Neural Bases of Consciousness | PSY3NBC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Close Relationships: Theory and Practice1 | PSY3RTP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Cognitive and Developmental Psychology1 | New subject in 2013 | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Cultural and Social Psychological Inquiry1 | PSY3CSI | 15 |
Third year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Psychological Assessment | PSY3PAS | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Research Project 3A | PSY3RPA | 15 |
| TE-SEM 2 | Psychological Interventions | PSY3PIN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Research Project 3B | PSY3RPB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 |
Third year level subjects. |
60 |
Highly Recommended subjects:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Applied Neuroscience1 | New subject in 2013 | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Neural Bases of Consciousness | PSY3NBC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Close Relationships: Theory and Practice1 | PSY3RTP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Cognitive and Developmental Psychology1 | New subject in 2013 | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Cultural and Social Psychological Inquiry1 | PSY3CSI | 15 |
Key: 1 These subjects will be available in alternate years and will be available as electives in the second or third year in the Bachelor of Psychological Science.
Honours
Students who perform at a high standard may apply to undertake a further year of psychology study in Honours (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.