Key facts

Domestic students course information. This course is currently not available to international students.

Entry requirements

Entry is competitive and academic merit based. Entry is based on a completed degree containing a three-year sequence in Psychology accredited by APAC and minimum WAM requirements.

View full entry requirements
Duration
  • 1 year full-time
  • Up to 2 years part-time
Number of Units (Subjects)
  • 8 units (48 credit points)
View course structure
Fees
  • Commonwealth Supported Place
View more fees information
Start Dates and Campus
Trimester 1 – February 2024Trimester 2 – June 2024Trimester 3 – October 2024
OnlineOfferedNot OfferedNot Offered
Armidale CampusNot OfferedNot OfferedNot Offered
Sydney CampusNot OfferedNot OfferedNot Offered

Course information

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UNE psychology student meets with a 'client' in a professional experience setting

Pursue a career in the diverse and rapidly changing field of psychology with UNE's accredited Bachelor of Psychology with Honours. Graduate with eligibility for provisional registration as a psychologist, which will set you on the pathway to obtain general registration and develop your scientific understanding of human behaviour and psychology research. Work with our world-class academic staff to produce an original research thesis and prepare for further postgraduate training in psychology.

Applications for admission close EST 11.59pm on 31st October.

2024 Health scholarships

Starting a UNE Health course in 2024? Get up to $12,000 towards your studies. For more information about the range of health scholarships and subsidies available, register your interest now.

Why study the Bachelor of Psychology with Honours with UNE?

If you are passionate about pursuing a professional career in the rapidly evolving field of psychology, as a researcher, practising psychologist, or both, our Bachelor of Psychology with Honours gives you the opportunity to undertake training in the conduct and evaluation of scientific research, and advanced study in preparation for further professional training in psychology.

UNE's Honours course is an accredited fourth-year program that leads to eligibility for provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia. Develop specialised subject knowledge in a particular research area by completing a supervised thesis, enabling you to refine your abilities in critical thinking, data analysis and problem solving.

Future proof your career in psychology, with in-depth understanding and research experience in the scientific study of our mental states and behaviour.

What makes our course different?

Your Honours year can be completed full time (over one year) or part time, and you can choose to study on campus or online. With a collaborative approach and excellent support from your supervisor, you will produce a piece of independent professional research. In addition, the course provides you with the opportunity to:

  • Study with experienced academic staff to gain cutting-edge training in contemporary psychology research. As the third oldest School of Psychology in Australia, we rank among the best, with a strong tradition in both teaching and research.
  • Ensure you have the practical skills necessary to successfully complete your thesis, preparing you to go on to further postgraduate study if you wish. Core units include psychological assessment strategies, interpersonal communication and interview skills, psychological interventions, advanced research skills, and a seminar series, so you can identify and select appropriate methods to answer particular research questions, and have an advanced understanding of the processes that guide research design.
  • Access state-of-the-art research tools in many specialised areas of the dynamic and diverse fields of psychology. On campus, our research laboratories include those equipped to investigate biopsychology, eye-tracking, and electroencephalogram (EEG) to study brain function.

At UNE, our mission is to deliver flexible study options that support your success anytime and anywhere. For online students, our innovative approach to learning blends online delivery with mandatory intensive schools, allowing you to engage and collaborate with your peers and academic staff face-to-face, at our world-class teaching and research facilities.

By choosing UNE, you are choosing an industry leader in the provision of online lifelong learning. Year after year, our students award UNE the maximum 5-star ratings for Overall Experience and Student Support in The Good Universities Guide.

Entry to our psychology fourth year Honours program is highly competitive and places are allocated based on academic merit. You must have completed all of your three-year APAC-accredited sequence in psychology, from UNE or another institution, before applying. If you are studying these units after the application closing date, you are not eligible to apply. For more information regarding entry to Honours, refer to the full Course Rules and Plans.

Study online

Most of our students choose to study online across three study periods with 24/7 tutor support* and fit study around work and family commitments. Uniquely, our online students are mostly over 30 and bring valuable experience with them. They form a community of adults juggling the same challenges and priorities and who bring their life and work experience together at UNE in order to become future-fit and better respond to a rapidly changing world.

Study on campus

Many of our students choose to take advantage of the on-campus lifestyle in Armidale, in the beautiful New England region, with access to unparalleled support, accommodation and sporting facilities. These students are often starting their first degree and have left school recently. Through access to academic and career support they get a fantastic start to their careers.

* 24/7 tutor support includes: essay feedback (within 24 hours); live chat 24/7 for generic feedback on academic writing; and subject-specific help at a foundation or first-year level for subjects including mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, business, accounting, microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics. There are also a wide range of workshops, resources and courses available in academic skills support to assist your and help you to succeed.

Entry requirements

You can apply for this course if you have completed ONE of the following qualification pathways:

  • You have completed a Bachelor qualification (AQF Level 7) which includes a full sequence of units in Psychology accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).
  • OR you have completed a Bachelor qualification (AQF Level 7) and a Graduate Diploma (AQF Level 8) which includes a full sequence of units in Psychology accredited by APAC.

You must also meet all of the following entry requirements:

  • You have completed your APAC-accredited sequence of units in Psychology within the past ten years.*
  • You have achieved a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 75 in the following units from the accredited three-year Psychology sequence (or accredited equivalents):
    • PSYC200 Social Psychology
    • PSYC202 Research Methods and Statistics
    • PSYC206 Cognitive Psychology
    • PSYC213 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
    • PSYC363 Psychopathology
    • PSYC366/466 Biopsychology
    • PSYC371/471 Individual Differences and Assessment
    • PSYC372/472 Advanced Research Methods and Statistics

Bachelor of Psychology with Honours Quotas
Please note that meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee a place in this course. A quota applies to Psychology Honours admissions and selection is based solely on academic merit.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples
UNE is committed to increasing Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander participation in this course, so some places are reserved for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants who meet admission requirements. If you identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander we strongly encourage you to apply.

* Ten-Year Rule Waivers
You can apply for a waiver of the ten-year rule at application if you can demonstrate relevant work experience or studies within the past ten years.

Please note: all admissions are subject to UNE’s Admission, Credit and Enrolment Policy. Please read and familiarise yourself with the details of the policy. See our Glossary for help with university terms.

These requirements are in addition to the entry requirements above.

English Language Requirements

When applying you may be required to show how you satisfy the English Language Requirements for this course.

Inherent Requirements

You must meet the Inherent Requirements in order to complete this course.

Intensive Schools

Mandatory intensive schools are a requirement of some of the units in this course. Please see the UNE Course Handbook for the specific requirements of each unit.

Some courses require you to provide documentary evidence, or interviews to support your application. The following documents are required to support your application:

Please note: Unlike other UNE Honours courses, you do not need to provide a thesis proposal when applying for this course.

Advanced Standing is credit or recognition of your previous study, work and/or life experience. This can reduce the cost and length of your studies.

Individual Unit Advanced Standing
If you are admitted into this course and believe you have already completed the equivalent of one or more of the units in your Course Structure (Program of Study) within the last ten years, you can apply for Individual Unit Advanced Standing.

You can apply for up to 24 credit points of Advanced Standing based on APAC-accredited Psychology units which are not part of the qualification you used for admission.

Please note: Advanced Standing cannot be granted for the following units:

  • PSYC402H Psychology Honours Thesis
  • PSYC403H Psychology Honours Thesis: Neuroscience

> Learn how to apply for Individual Unit Advanced Standing

Course structure

To qualify for the award, a candidate must pass units to the value of 48 credit points.

48 credit points

Complete the following units:

24 credit points

And complete 24 credit points from the following units:

See UNE Handbook for more details. The Handbook contains detailed course information designed for enrolled students, including course plans, exit awards, intensive schools, and work placement requirements.

Fees and scholarships

How much will it cost?

Estimated fees for your first year of study in this course are:

Fee typeCost
Commonwealth Supported Place
$8,928*
Estimated amenities fee per year if studying full-time$351
*The costs will depend on the units you choose to study as the cost of individual units vary. “Estimated fees” are provided as a guide only based on a typical enrolment of students undertaking a study load of 48 credit points in the first year of this course. For courses that require less than 48 credit points the fees indicated are based on the total credit points required for completion of that course. For more information, please see fees and costs. If applicable, Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) Student Contribution Fees are indicative from 2023. The 2024 CSP rates are still being finalised by the Government and we will update the information as soon as we have more details.

What are the course fee payment options?

A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is a government subsidised place in a university course. The government pays part of your tuition fees, and you pay the remainder.

If you have a CSP in either an undergraduate or postgraduate (coursework) degree, you may be eligible for a HECS-HELP Loan, which allows you to defer payment of your fees until you are earning above the threshold.

UNE scholarships are open for all to apply and offer financial help while you are studying. There are scholarships for students with high academic achievement, from rural areas, studying specific degrees, in disadvantaged groups, experiencing financial hardship, who excel at sport or want to live in a UNE residential college.

UNE scholarship applications are free and confidential. You may apply for more than one scholarship.

Your career

Career outcomes

The Graduate Careers Council of Australia reports a strong demand for people with psychology qualifications in Australia. Many careers are enhanced by a knowledge of psychological principles, and the research and data analysis skills that you will develop as part of the Honours course are also highly valued in the workplace.   

In addition to careers in professional psychology, our Bachelor of Psychology with Honours graduates are employed in diverse fields where an understanding of human behaviour gives a competitive edge. Some of these include:  

  • human resource management 
  • social research 
  • business psychology 
  • policy development and advising 
  • academic research and teaching 

 If you are interested in a career as a psychologist, after successfully completing your fourth year, you will need to undertake two years of accredited postgraduate training or supervised experience. At UNE this can be done via the Master’s or PhD courses offered by the School of Psychology.  

Professional recognition

UNE’s Bachelor of Psychology with Honours is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council as a fourth-year program. 

After completing this degree, you are eligible for associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society and provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.    

As a graduate, you are eligible to apply for UNE’s Master of Professional Psychology. If you achieve First Class or Second Class (Division 1) Honours, you are eligible to apply for our Master of Psychology (Clinical) or Doctor of Philosophy degrees.   

As our course is APAC accredited, you can also continue your postgraduate training at other accredited institutions. 

Course outcomes

The Bachelor of Psychology with Honours provides an accredited fourth year in Psychology which allows students to proceed on to postgraduate studies, or otherwise undertake areas of employment requiring more than just three years of academic training in psychology.
  1. demonstrate successful achievement of the foundational competencies of Psychology;
  2. demonstrate appropriate interpersonal communication, interviewing, and counselling skills in situations appropriate to psychological practice and research;
  3. demonstrate knowledge of basic assessment strategies in situations appropriate to psychological practice and knowledge of psychometric theory, cultural considerations, implementation and interpretation of some of the more widely used standardised psychological test instruments;
  4. explain how basic psychological intervention strategies can be applied across a range of contexts and cultures;
  5. demonstrate an understanding of professional standards and ethics;
  6. describe, apply and evaluate the different research methods used by psychologists and demonstrate practical skills in psychological research design and data analysis;
  7. demonstrate a broad and coherent body of knowledge on a specialised topic in psychology, including depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts, using a scientific approach and demonstrate advanced skills in critically analysing, reflecting on and synthesising complex information, problems, concepts and theories within the topic area; and
  8. investigate a substantive individual research question relevant to the discipline of psychology.
Knowledge of a Discipline

Entry into the Bachelor of Psychology with Honours requires successful completion of an APAC-accredited qualification that gives foundational knowledge of Psychology. Graduates will obtain advanced knowledge of testing and assessment appropriate to psychological practice. They will have knowledge of basic psychological intervention strategies. Specialisation is achieved in an individual research project and advanced topic seminars. Information provided within each unit embeds current global knowledge within the discipline of psychology.

Communication Skills

Graduates will have well-developed communication skills which are taught, assessed and practised through written assignments, seminars and units in professional practice.

Problem Solving

Graduates will have advanced research skills that are developed by conducting an individual research project to address a specific empirical problem.

Information Literacy

Graduates will have developed advanced information literacy skills through literature searching, objective scientific writing, exposure to professional practice and research and analysis skills.

Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility

Graduates will be taught to understand and practise the highest standards of ethical behaviour associated with the discipline. They will understand and be open-minded about social, cultural and linguistic diversity in Australia and the world, including issues specific to first-nations Australians. They will appreciate their ethical responsibilities towards colleagues, research subjects, the wider community and the environment. The core topics components emphasise the ethics and social responsibility of research and professional practice.

Lifelong Learning

Graduates will have well developed skills associated with the access and understanding of research literature and associated with the professional practice of psychology. These skills equip students for future learning and development.

Independence and Collaboration

Graduates will be encouraged to learn and work independently, and where appropriate, to work collaboratively. These skills will be developed through on-campus and online interactive teaching. Graduates will learn the importance of participating in discussions in a professional, respectful and ethical manner. Most of the core topic components require group-based online and intensive school participation.

A five-star experience

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Five Stars,
18 Years in a Row

UNE is the only public uni in Australia awarded 18 straight years of five stars for Overall Experience

Good Universities Guide 2007-2024
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No.1 in NSW for
Student Experience

QILT (government-endorsed) ranks UNE as the top public NSW uni for Student Experience

QILT Student Experience Survey
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Five Stars for
Teaching Quality

UNE rates among the top 20 per cent of universities in Australia for Teaching Quality

Good Universities Guide 2024
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Studying online

At UNE we know it takes more than just being online to be a great online university. It takes time and experience. We pioneered distance education for working adults back in the 1950s, so we’ve been doing this longer than any other Australian university.

We understand the challenges faced by busy adults studying at home. We know that a vital part of online study is your engagement with the learning community. Communication with your classmates, teaching staff and university support staff will enhance your study experience and ensure that your skills extend beyond the subject matter. UNE’s teaching staff are experts in their field which is why UNE consistently receives five stars from students for teaching quality, support and overall experience.*

*The Good Universities Guide

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Why study with us?

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The lecturers and tutors in have a diverse range of experience and knowledge. This has given me comprehensive insight into the different topics in psychology, as well as many possible career paths.

Kaya Ra Edwards, Bachelor of Psychology with Honours

How to apply

Applying to UNE is quick and easy. If you are applying as a
, the application process may be a little different depending on who you are and what you want to study.

Preparing to apply

You should always provide the details of past or current studies in your application. You may also need to include documents to support your application.

The kind of documents you need will depend on:

  • Your preferred course/s
  • Your personal circumstances

Important Dates

Different application methods and courses can have different closing dates. To find your correct application method click the Apply Now button below. Please check the appropriate application website for opening and closing dates.

If you are applying online direct to UNE please see below for application dates.

IntakeApplication Closing DateTrimester Start Date
Trimester 131 October 2023*26 February 2024

*Early closing date

Important Notice for Prospective Students

For accurate, up-to-date details on entry requirements, course structure, and other essential information, please consult the UNE Student Handbook before applying or enrolling. The Handbook provides comprehensive guidance to assist in your decision-making process. We apologise for any inconvenience.