Bachelor of Psychological Science
Course code/s: Melbourne (SBBS)
The Bachelor of Psychological Science (BPsySc) is a coherent program of study in psychology that includes a focus on all of the core content areas of the discipline, from biological foundations to social influences on affect, behaviour, and cognition, in addition to strong training in research methods, and the opportunity for study in greater depth in specific areas where staff have research expertise.
The course prepares students for careers in a range of settings including human resources, management, and mental health and human services, in addition to positions that make use of the strong research, analytical, and communication skills our students develop.
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, as well as a 15 credit point statistics subject, with no less than 135 credit points of psychology accrued from subjects at second and third year level.
Note that the six third year psychology subject electives (each worth 15 credit points) will be available in alternate years; PSY3CNN, PSY3HAR and PSY3ASD will be available in 2013. These subjects may be taken by both second and third year students in the course.
Subjects taught by the School of Psychological Science and which normally are components of the degree are PSY1EFP, PSY1HPM, PSY1CFP, PSY2COG, PSY2PRM, PSY2ACH, PSY2DEV, PSY2SOC, PSY3PAS, PSY3PIN, PSY3RPA, and PSY3RPB. Students must also take STA1PSY offered by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Course Delivery
The delivery of the course is primarily by lectures (which are recorded for later download or streaming online) and by tutorials that are delivered face-to-face to smaller groups on each campus. In line with the School's commitment to increasing flexible learning opportunities, some subjects involve online and self-directed components.
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 | Statistics for Psychology | STA1PSY | 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 electives from subjects offered by any department. |
45 |
Highly Recommended subjects:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Clinical Neuroscience and Neuropsychology1 | PSY3CNN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Psychology of Human-Animal Relationships1 | PSY3HAR | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Neural Bases of Consciousness1 | PSY3NBC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Close Relationships: Theory and Practice1 | PSY3RTP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Autism Spectrum Disorders1 | PSY3ASD | 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 in Psychology A | PSY3RPA | 15 |
| TE-SEM 2 | Psychological Interventions | PSY3PIN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Research Project in Psychology B | PSY3RPB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 | Third year level electives from subjects offered by any department | 60 |
Highly Recommended subjects:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | CP |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Clinical Neuroscience and Neuropsychology1 | PSY3CNN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Psychology of Human-Animal Relationships1 | PSY3HAR | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Neural Bases of Consciousness1 | PSY3NBC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Close Relationships: Theory and Practice1 | PSY3RTP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Autism Spectrum Disorders1 | PSY3ASD | 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 (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.
Please note: Some of these subjects may not be offered in the current year. For a full description of subjects, including the subject name, subject code, credit points, campus/location, teaching period and availability, subject coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites and readings, please click on the appropriate Subject Code or refer to the Subject Database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.