Undergraduate areas of study - Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Psychology

The School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, offer students an undergraduate psychology program comprising of a 60-point major sequence which is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and approved for registration purposes by the Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria. This program provides an avenue to further study in psychology and to the training required to practise as a psychologist. It provides the option of proceeding to a degree with honours or into postgraduate programs of study. The 60-point accredited major sequence may be taken in the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience, Bachelor of Psychology (with honours), Bachelor of Psychology and Business, Bachelor of Behavioural Science, Bachelor of Psychology and Management/Marketing, Bachelor of Arts and some Bachelor of Arts degrees with specialisations. A 48-point major in psychology may be sufficient to satisfy the requirements for a major sequence in any of the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, single or double degrees, but is not APAC-accredited and will not permit entry to fourth-year programs in psychology.

The school offers a common psychology curriculum across all campuses and modes of study. The undergraduate psychology program is taught on-campus, in flexible learning mode (with on-campus laboratory classes and lecture content taught through study notes and web-based material), and in the off-campus learning mode, with compulsory on-campus attendance. At Caulfield, Clayton, Gippsland, South Africa and Sunway campus, Malaysia, the program is taught on-campus. Caulfield offers some evening as well as day classes. At Peninsula campus, the first year of the program is taught on-campus, and the second and third years are taught in flexible learning mode. At Berwick campus, only the first-year program is offered, and this is in flexible learning mode. Therefore, study in later years needs to be undertaken at another campus or in the off-campus mode.

The School's curriculum development is based on the principle that training in the discipline of psychology should follow the scientist-practitioner model, where learning about professional practice is taught within the scientific perspective. Students are then able to make informed choices about psychology-related careers and further training at the fourth year and postgraduate level.

Undergraduate units

Students wishing to take the APAC-accredited major sequence in psychology must complete 10 six-point units (nine core units and one elective unit) from the list below. The core units are available by on-campus, and off-campus learning and by flexible learning at some campuses. Some electives are available in the off-campus learning mode.

Core units

First-year

PSY1011 Psychology 1A
PSY1022 Psychology 1B

Second-year

PSY2031 Developmental and biological psychology
PSY2042 Cognitive and social psychology
PSY2051 Research design and analysis

Third-year

PSY3032 Abnormal psychology
PSY3041 Psychological testing, theories of ability and ethics
PSY3051 Perception and personality
PSY3062 Research methods and theory

Elective units

Students may take an elective unit at second year, and up to four elective units at third year (ie it is possible for students to study 100 per cent psychology units in third year). Some third-year electives may be undertaken at second year, providing prerequisites and corequisites are met. The electives offered may vary from year to year depending on staff availability.

Second year

PSY2112 Organisational psychology

Third year

PSY3100 Advanced psychobiology: brain and behaviour
PSY3120 Introduction to counselling
PSY3130 Health psychology
PSY3150 Contemporary social psychology
PSY3160 Psychology of language
PSY3170 Decision making in professional settings
PSY3180 Human neuropsychology: developmental and neurodegenerative disorders
PSY3190 Addiction studies
PSY3210 Advanced leadership
PSY3230 Psychological foundations of the law
PSY3240 Psychology of music
PSY3250 Positive psychology

Diploma of Psychology

This course is offered to undergraduates who wish to complete an APAC-accredited undergraduate major in psychology while undertaking a concurrent Monash undergraduate degree. The course is available only to students enrolled in degrees where it is not possible to study the 60-point APAC-accredited major sequence. Students must enrol in the diploma in their first year, or not later than the first semester of the second year of their concurrent degree.

Graduate Diploma in Psychology

This course is offered to graduates who have completed an undergraduate degree in any discipline and who wish to complete an APAC-accredited undergraduate major in psychology. The course structure is identical to the 60-point APAC-accredited undergraduate major sequence in psychology.

Further study in psychology

Students completing a degree with a 60-point APAC-accredited undergraduate major sequence in psychology will be eligible to apply for entry to a fourth year in psychology through an honours year, or the Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology. Masters and doctoral degrees are available by coursework and/or research after completion of a fourth year of study in psychology.