Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Humanities)/Bachelor of Social Welfare


Course information

Course code: 1798
Gippsland campus
HECS fees applicable
Attendance compulsory

Aims

This course allows students to combine the study of psychology with the specific vocational qualifications available within the social welfare field. Students will graduate with a major in psychology that is recognised by the Australian Psychological Society, and will also possess a full welfare qualification, recognised by the Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers.

Entry requirements

All applicants should satisfy Tertiary Entrance Requirements (TER) as outlined in the section on entry requirements in this book.
In addition to meeting standard entry requirements all applicants are required to complete a social welfare course administration form. If you did not receive this form with the distance education guide then it can be obtained from the Course Inquiries Centre, telephone 1800 671845 or from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences on (03) 5122 6339 or (03) 9902 6339. Applicants will be shortlisted on the basis of information contained in this form, for a more detailed selection process. Applicants are strongly advised that academic criteria are not the only ones for entry into the course. Other factors such as work and life experience, personal qualities and maturity, are taken into account.

Special requirements

Work load

All applicants should be willing to undertake a normal initial work load of at least twenty-four points a year by distance education. Distance education students should note that this may have implications regarding eligibility for Austudy or similar schemes. In later years of the course the normal work load will be thirty-two points per year, but there is scope to vary this under some circumstances.

Attendance

Students must be aware of the attendance requirements for certain social welfare subjects and all psychology subjects, and should take the cost of this into account before applying for entry to the course.
Students in the double degree must attend the Gippsland campus for two residential workshops during the course, involving one two-day workshop, and one four-day workshop. Students will also be required to undertake a sixteen-day placement in their second year and a sixty-day field education placement during the final year of the program. In addition, students will be required to belong to an area group in their own locality which will have three compulsory meetings in one subject.
There is a compulsory attendance requirement for psychology subjects for distance education students. Most psychology subjects include a component requiring on-campus attendance. Details will be specified for each subject.

Course structure

The course

Students will undertake a sequence of study in social welfare, a psychology major and an arts minor which may be chosen from those available in the Bachelor of Arts degree program.
The course of study is normally a minimum of seven years part-time by distance education. In order to complete the Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Humanities)/Bachelor of Social Welfare double degree a student must:
(a) complete appropriate subjects within the course to gain at least 192 but not more than 216 points.
(b) complete the prescribed sequence in social welfare (eleven subjects = eighty-eight points), a psychology major sequence (fifty-two points), comprising a first-level sequence, sixteen points at second level and twenty-four points at third level. Students must also complete an arts minor (twenty-eight points), comprising a first-level sequence and two subjects at second level.
(c) undertake additional studies to complete the minimum 192 points needed for the double degree.

Course plan

A course plan for the Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Humanities)/Bachelor of Social Welfare may look like the one depicted below:

First semester

Second semester

Year 1

PSY1011 Psychology 1A; GSC1303 Foundations of interpersonal practice: casework & groupwork

GAS1502 Psychology 1B; GSC1304 Communication and counselling skills

Year 2

GSC1201 Sociological reflections on everyday life; PSY2011 Psychology 2A

GSC1202 Sociological issues; PSY2022 Psychology 2B;

Year 3

GSC1801 Introduction to Koorie society; GSC1601 Basic statistics for computing or Arts first-level elective

GSC1301 Social welfare issues; GSC1305 Human services organisational practice;

Year 4

GSC2303 Case management theory and practice; Arts sequence

GSC2304 Community development; Arts sequence

Year 5

PSY3031abnormal psychology; GSC2310 Social Policy: untangling the threads

PSY3032Psychological assessment and theories of ability; Arts minor sequence

Year 6

GSC3306 Field education and practice; GSC3307 Human services management and practice

GSC3306 Field education and practice cont'd; GSC3303 Insights into practice

Year 7

Arts minor sequence PSY3041 Perception and Personality;

GSC3304 Paradigms of practice; PSY3042 Psychological research and theoretical perspectives;

Initial enrolment

Students entering the double degree program should normally enrol in four subjects in the first year, two in each semester. Normally, these will all be subjects which do not require prerequisites. The following is the suggested first-year enrolment:

First semester

Second semester

Credits/exemptions

Students with previously completed or partially completed tertiary studies should complete an application for credit transfer to apply for credits and exemptions. The onus is on the student to provide course records and details of course content and duration (including extracts from relevant handbooks). Students in this category are advised to complete a course plan prior to the commencement of study to ensure they will complete the major/s or minor they intend. Students may be granted up to a maximum of twelve8 points of credits/exemptions. As a general rule, specific credits will not be granted for studies completed more than ten years prior to the date of enrolment in the current course.

Further information

For more detailed information, contact the administrative officers, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, telephone (03) 9902 6339 or (03) 5122 6339, email melanie.michie@arts.monash.edu.au.

Completed applications

Completed applications are to be forwarded to the admissions officer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Monash University Gippsland campus, Churchill, Victoria, 3842, by 18 September 1998 to be considered for a first-round offer.

Details of subjects

Details of the various arts sequences and the first-level subjects offered within them are included under the entry for the Bachelor of Arts.