Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences : Guide to courses 13. Honours in psychology

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13. Honours in psychology
    13.1. Course objectives
    13.2. Admission requirements
    13.3. Course structure
    13.4. Pass criteria
    13.5. Mid-year entry

13. Honours in psychology

The Department of Psychology (School of Behavioural Science) offers a fourth year program that has been designed to meet the need for students to have flexibility and choice in coursework areas, as well as a significant research component.

Staff supervising and teaching the fourth year program have national and international recognition in research in their areas of specialisation and bring to the course the breadth and depth of that experience.

To be able to practise as a psychologist in Victoria, applicants need to register with the Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria. To be eligible for registration you are required to complete a degree with an accredited four-year sequence in psychology, followed by either two additional full-time years of postgraduate training or supervised experience. In order to be eligible for registration as a probationary psychologist, the first step to becoming a psychologist, it is necessary to complete a fourth year in psychology. The Department of Psychology offers two fourth year programs, both accredited by the Australian Psychological Society:

• honours in psychology

• Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology (please contact the Department of Psychology for further information regarding this course).

Honours in psychology is available through the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with the Faculty of Arts or Bachelor of Science (Honours) with the Faculty of Science, or through a number of combined degree honours programs.

13.1. Course objectives

The objectives of the psychology honours degree are to provide students with opportunities to develop:

• an understanding of a representative range of substantive areas in psychology;

• an ability to read and contribute to relevant research in at least one area of psychology; and

• some understanding of the practice and ethics of psychology in professional settings.

13.2. Admission requirements

Entry into the psychology honours degree must be approved by the Department of Psychology and the Faculty concerned.

To be admitted to candidature for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in psychology and Bachelor of Science (Honours) in psychology, a candidate must have:

• completed all the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science or equivalent qualification recognised by the faculties;

  (Please refer to the Faculty of Arts Eligibility section and Faculty of Science Faculty requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Honours) program for further selection criteria.)

• completed an Australian Psychological Society accredited three-year major sequence in psychology, at an honours level.

A numerical index is computed for each applicant using a combination of second and third level subjects. The index is a weighted average of all third level subjects and all second level psychology subjects. All results are converted to the University of Melbourne scale (H1=80+, H2A=75-79, etc.). Third level marks are weighted by their credit-point value, and second level psychology subjects are weighted by one third of their credit-point value. (For University of Melbourne students, second level psychology subjects usually contribute around 20 per cent of the final index.)

In the event of students completing a psychology major as part of a combined degree, the selection committee exercises judgement in the use of non-psychology third level subjects. For students completing a major as part of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology or other second degree (e.g. BLitt), the numerical score is constructed in the manner described, but using only those non-psychology subjects (if any) completed in the second degree.

Students are ranked for selection according to the index and the highest ranked students falling within the agreed quota are recommended to the faculties for selection. It should be noted that students are only considered for selection if the credit-point weighted average of all second and third level psychology subjects is at least 70 per cent (when converted to the University of Melbourne scale).

13.3. Course structure

Students must complete all the compulsory subjects and two elective subjects.

13.4. Pass criteria

Arts students are required to achieve an honours grade (i.e. H1, H2A, H2B or H3) for each component of assessment in fourth year and an overall grade of at least H3 (65 per cent) in order to meet the requirements of the BA (Honours) degree. The overall grade will be based on the weighted average of marks for each component of the fourth year studies.

Science students are required to achieve an overall weighted average of at least H3 (65 per cent) for their fourth year studies in order to qualify for the BSc (Honours) degree.

Please refer to the Faculty of Arts or Faculty of Science sections of this Handbook for more general details on the honours courses.

13.5. Mid-year entry

There is no mid-year entry into the psychology honours program.

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