Bachelor (Honours)
Join one of the strongest growth areas within the health sector and study normal and abnormal minds and behaviour with Deakin's Bachelor of Psychology (Honours). An honours year is embedded in this four-year degree, distinguishing it from our other psychology courses. Honours includes practical training preparing you for provisional registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and sets you on the pathway to general registration.
Specialise from year one with the only Victorian university to offer specialist psychology majors in an undergraduate psychology degree, allowing you to learn what you are passionate about sooner. 140 hours of professional placements provide valuable industry experience and strengthen your employment prospects. In your honours year, you will complete a group research project and learn advanced studies in counselling, psychological assessment, critical evaluation and research methods.
Do you want to become an expert in human behaviour, personality and emotion, and use those skills to help people?
Psychology is about understanding the underlying mental processes and factors behind human behaviour. This course will equip you with the skills and strategies to be able to help people, no matter which area of psychology you pursue. You will also learn from the best as we are ranked #1 in Victoria for psychology course satisfaction, teaching, facilities and undergraduate employment^.
This degree differs to our other psychology degrees such as the Bachelor of Psychological Science and the Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), as it has an additional honours year embedded in the course. When you graduate, you will have the option of two distinct career paths - further study in pursuit of general registration as a psychologist, or employment in psychology-related fields that don't require registration, such as:
The course's Psychology in Practice units will ensure you graduate with work-ready skills and provide you with alternative employment pathways. Careers in psychology-related fields are always evolving, visit deakin.edu.au/psychology-careers to discover the exciting range of careers that you could pursue.
You can pursue your interests early on with a specialist major in Child and Family, Organisational Studies or Forensic Studies. In addition to your chosen major sequence, you will cover a number of broad areas of psychology, including:
As a graduate, you will be eligible to apply for provisional registration as a psychologist, as well as APAC-accredited masters or doctoral-level training programs that lead to full registration as a psychologist, including:
You will also have the opportunity to develop your counselling and coaching skills through Applied Counselling Skills core units, and/or through one of our online postgraduate counselling courses.
Ranked in the top 1% in the world*, Deakin's School of Psychology is one of the largest and most progressive psychology departments in Australia. The school has strong partnerships with industry, including collaborative activities with government agencies, public and private organisations, hospitals and other universities. These partnerships ensure your degree remains relevant to industry and workforce needs. You will be in high demand by employers who want graduates that are ready to face challenges with confidence.
^Student Experience Survey 2020-2021 and Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022, Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT).
*2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject and 2022 Shanghai Ranking of Academic Subjects
The contexts in which you work may include:
To complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), students must attain 32 credit points including:
Plus, either:
Students must also ensure that they have met the following course rules to be eligible to graduate with a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours):
All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a place in the Psychology Honours program, students will have:
The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
Please note that a maximum of five credit points can be granted for Psychology core units.
You can also refer to the Recognition of prior learning system which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree and how to apply for credit.