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Department of Psychology

Frequently Asked Questions - Future Undergraduate Students

If I do not meet the ATAR requirement for a psychology course, are there options available for me to gain entry?

Yes, you may choose from any of the following options:

1) Apply via UAC for a BA or BSc course. The ATAR cut-off for 2011 for BA is 75.05 and for BSc, 75.15. For more information, please visit www.uac.edu.au .

Students gaining admission into a BA or BSc are not normally eligible to study first year psychology until they have completed a minimum of 12 credit points and achieved an overall GPA of 2.5.

After meeting the above requirements students can then apply for an internal transfer to BA-Psychology or BSc-Psychology.

2) Apply as a non-award student. Applicants who have completed at least 12 credit points on a non-award basis with an overall GPA of at least 2.5 may be eligible for a place in the BA/BSc-Psychology degrees. Applicants who meet these requirements are required to submit an application for admission through Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). For further information on non-award studies, please visit: http://www.coe.mq.edu.au/

3) If you are over 21 years, apply through Mature Age/ Jubilee Scheme. Students gaining admission through this scheme are not normally eligible to study first year psychology units until they have completed a minimum of 12 credit points and achieved an overall GPA of 2.5. For further information please log on to http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/

4) Take UniTEST. UniTEST is an equity initiative which recognises that the ATAR is not always the best indicator of aptitude or ability to undertake tertiary studies. Macquarie University is trialling a new entry pathway which will consider a number of factors in the selection process including the ATAR rank, a tertiary study aptitude test, and an application. For further information please visit http://www.studentadmin.mq.edu.au/pathways/uniTest.html

How do I become a registered psychologist?

In order to gain registration as a Psychologist, you need to

  1. complete a 4-year sequence of study in psychology approved by the NSW Psychologists Registration Board (Please visit: http://www.psy.mq.edu.au/courses/c_4year.htm) and
  2. meet the Board's registration requirements (two years of supervised training and experience) while holding Provisional Registration.

For applicants who have an approved 4 year psychology degree, the Department of Psychology offers a range of options to meet registration requirements:

  • Doctor of Psychology – a 3 year full-time professional doctorate accredited by Australian Psychological Society (For more information, call +61 2 9850 8087)
  • 5th/6th year Masters degree - a 2 year full-time professional degree accredited by Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC)(Master of Counselling Psychology, Master of Clinical Psychology, Master of Organisational Psychology, Master of Clinical Neuropsychology) (For more information, call +61 2 9850 8087)
  • Psychology Registration Programs (Applied Psychology) Postgraduate Certificate (4 units) and Postgraduate Diploma (8 units) programs that are designed specifically to meet Provisional Registration requirements. The programs can be undertaken full-time or part-time and can supplement the intern's concurrent psychology work or provide the psychology work placements (Applied Psychology) required by the Registration Board.
  • Statements of Attainment Non-award or professional development enrolment in selected units or in individual workshops that cover one or more of the Registration Board's Certificates. For more information on pathways to psychology, please visit http://www.psy.mq.edu.au/pdf/pathways.pdf

 

What are my careers options if I study psychology?
For more information about careers in psychology, visit The Australian Psychological Society (APS) website: http://www.psychology.org.au/

 

I’ve completed psychology units/ general units at another university, can I get exemptions for these?
Exemptions are given only to units that are deemed equal to our Psychology Units. You can do this by applying to Macquarie University through UAC (Universities Admissions Centre): www.uac.edu.au and apply for "credit for previous study".

When do I know if I have been given credits?
Once you receive a letter of offer, you will be asked to attend an enrolment day, where exemptions officers will be available. The exemptions officers can only make a decision when they are advised that you have been granted credit for previous study. Of the units you have completed, you will receive exemptions for the ones deemed equal to the psychology units at Macquarie University.

Can I get exemption for 300 level units?
No. Exemptions are not given for units at 300-level.

What will the ATAR cut-off for the [psychology degree] be in 2012?
The ATAR cut-off for all degrees change each year. We will know the 2012 cut-offs in January 2012. For further information, please contact UAC, www.uac.edu.au

What is the definition of a full time/part time load?
A full-time undergraduate student is defined as someone enrolled in at least 9 credit points per semester. So if you enroll in less than 9 credit points, then this will be considered part time

How many contact hours will I have per week?
The number of face-to-face hours spent at university is different for each unit.

I work full time, can I study a psychology degree externally or online?

Macquarie University does not offer psychology degrees online. While we offer students the facility of listening to lectures on line, we still require them to attend a mandatory tutorial component to all courses.

We offer tutorial classes in the evenings after 6pm for most courses to cater for students who work full time.

Is HSC Mathematics a prerequisite for studying psychology?
While prior knowledge of mathematics would be beneficial--- as statistics is included in the psychology degree- there are no specific recommendations or requirements for the undergraduate psychology degrees offered at Macquarie University.

How much will a psychology degree cost?
If you require information regarding fees, you will need contact Student Enquiry Services on +61 2 9850 6410.

I have already completed another degree, can I still study psychology?
You may wish to consider our Graduate Diploma of Psychology. The details are on http://www.psy.mq.edu.au/courses/c_gdip.htm. As this is a prescribed program, no credit/exemption will be granted for previous study.

What is the difference between the BA-Psychology and the BSc-Psychology?

The main difference between the accredited Arts and Science psychology degrees are that the Bachelor of Arts - Psychology allows you to choose subjects from across the university, whereas the Bachelor of Science - Psychology requires a proportion of units undertaken to be science designated subjects. It is therefore worth noting that psychology subjects are science designated subjects.

Further information about the BA-Psychology degree can be found at: http://www.courses.mq.edu.au/2012/Undergraduate/Degree/Bachelor%20of%20Arts%20-%20Psychology#CourseInfo

Further information about the BSc-Psychology degree can be found at: http://www.courses.mq.edu.au/2012/Undergraduate/Degree/Bachelor+of+Science+-+Psychology

Does psychology degree have mid-year entry?
Whether a Psychology Degree has a mid-year entry or not changes each year

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