• Total units 48 Units
  • Areas of interest Psychology
  • Major code PSYC-MAJ
  • Academic career Undergraduate
Psychology Major

Description:

Psychology is the scientific study of how people behave, think and feel. It is a broad-ranging discipline that spans topics including perceiving and thinking, the biological basis of behaviour, human development, perception and cognition, social psychology, personality psychology, and research methodology. Students taking the psychology major will gain an understanding of how to apply the scientific perspective to psychological phenomena in the laboratory and in the real world. Within the major there is flexibility to select courses to meet individual career objectives. The intention of the Psychology major is to ensure the acquisition of contemporary knowledge in psychological theory and evidence across core themes in psychological science.

Learning Goals:

Students who have completed the Psychology major will be able to:

  1. Explain major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
  2. Differentiate theoretical and empirical frameworks that have defined and shaped the field.
  3. Define key concepts that characterise psychology as a field of scientific inquiry as well as things that differentiate it from other related disciplines.
  4. Relate how social (eg environmental/cultural), and biological (genes, hormones) factors jointly shape human behavior.
  5. Apply basic research methods in psychology to investigate psychological questions and to research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
  6. Use critical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
  7. Identify relevant psychological mechanisms/issues and apply to real world or other contexts.
  8. Apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organisational issues.
  9. Critically analyse data and research, including methodology, results and conclusions.
  10. Articulate some of the central questions and issues in contemporary psychology.
  11. Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media.
  12. Identify and critically evaluate appropriate disciplinary research sources
  13. Evaluate information from a statistical perspective drawing on basic statistical concepts.
  14. Develop competence in interpreting graphical data to understand what is being compared/manipulated (independent variables) and what is being measured (dependent variables).
  15. Clearly communicate psychological processes and principles to both science literate and non science literate audiences.
  16. Adapt the collaborative and independent experiences of psychology laboratory, project and course work to other contexts.
  17. Identify and reflect on the values that underpin the discipline of psychology and its practice.

Other Information

Advice to Students

What 1st year courses should you enrol in?  PSYC1003 and PSYC1004.

Students should seek further course advice from the academic convener of this Psychology major.

Students should note that the 48 unit Psychology major alone does not constitute the accredited Psychology sequence that will allow entry into honours. The accredited sequence must include at least a major and a minor in Psychology, the Psychology major and the specialisation is suggested.




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Requirements

Major Requirements

This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:

18 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code Title Units
PSYC1003 Psychology 1: Understanding Mind, Brain and Behaviour 6
PSYC1004 Psychology 2: Understanding People in Context 6
PSYC2009 Quantitative Methods in Psychology 6

12 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code Title Units
PSYC2001 Social Psychology 6
PSYC2002 Developmental Psychology 6
PSYC2007 Biological Basis of Behaviour 6
PSYC2008 Cognition 6

18 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code Title Units
PSYC3002 The Social Psychology of Group Processes and Social Change 6
PSYC3011 Perception 6
PSYC3015 Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience 6
PSYC3016 Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience 6
PSYC3018 Advanced Research Methods 6
PSYC3020 Health Psychology 6
PSYC3023 Special Topics in Psychology 6
PSYC3025 Psychopathology Across the Lifespan 6
PSYC3026 Personality Psychology 6
PSYC3028 Industrial and Organisational Psychology 6
PSYC3030 Psychology Undergraduate Research Experience 6
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