Department of Psychology

Fourth Year

Honours in Psychology

The degree of Bachelor of Arts-Psychology (Honours) or the degree of Bachelor of Science-Psychology (Honours)
The degree of Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

Why Undertake Honours?

For those students considering professional work in psychology, an approved fourth year of study in psychology is essential. The Honours year is one of the options. (At Macquarie, the other option is the Graduate Diploma of Advanced Psychology). For those students aiming towards postgraduate study in clinical psychology at Macquarie, an Honours degree in psychology is required. All three Honours degrees are fully accredited by the Australian Psychological Society, and there is not intended to be any difference in prestige between the BPsych(Hons) and the BA-Psychology/BSc-Psychology(Hons).

Who Can Apply for Honours Courses?

Places are normally limited to Macquarie University candidates only. They will usually be enrolled for one of the following: BA-Psych, BSc-Psych, BPsych(Hons), Graduate Diploma of Psychology. Students who are enrolled in other degrees will be considered - the important thing is to meet the requirements set out below. Students from elsewhere should see the relevant section below.

What are the Entry Requirements for Honours Courses?

Note that it is students’ responsibility to familiarise themselves with the degree rules stated in the Handbook of Undergraduate Studies, and to seek academic advice if appropriate. Students with credit for previous study often require academic advice when planning their programs.

For students who commenced their Undergraduate Program at Macquarie from 2007:

Entry to all three Honours Courses [BA-Psychology (Hons), BSc-Psychology (Hons) and the BPsych(Hons) changes from a GPA (Grade Point Average) criterion to an SNG (Standard Numerical Grade) criterion as follows:

For instructions on how to calculate your weighted average SNG, please click here.

PLUS for the BA-Psychology/BSc-Psychology(Hons) - including all Combined and Double Degrees (eg BBA BA-Psy)

A minimum of 68 credit points including a minimum of 18 credit points @ 300 level.
A pass (at P Grade or above) in the following compulsory units:

Up to 2008	From 2009	From 2010 and 2011
PSY222 Design and Statistics II 4cp	PSY248 Design and Statistics II 3cp	PSY248 Design and Statistics II 3cp
PSY234 Social and Personality Psychology 3cp	PSY234 Social and Personality Psychology 3cp	PSY234 Social and Personality Psychology 3cp
PSY235 Developmental Psychology 3cp	PSY235 Developmental Psychology 3cp	PSY235 Developmental Psychology 3cp
PSY236 Biopsychology and Learning 3cp	PSY236 Biopsychology and Learning 3cp	PSY236 Biopsychology and Learning 3cp
PSY237 Cognition and Perception 3cp	PSY246 Cognitive Processes I 3cp	PSY246 Cognitive Processes I 3cp
PSY331 Design and Statistics III 4cp	PSY247 Perception I 3cp	PSY247 Perception I 3cp
PSY332 Principles of Psychological Assessment 4cp	PSY245 Princ of Psych Assess 3cp	PSY245 Princ of Psych Assess 3cp
PSY340 Research Methods in Psychology 4cp	PSY331 Design and Statistics III 4cp	PSY349 Design and Statistics III 3cp
Plus 1 x PSY3xx unit 4cp	PSY340 Research Methods in Psychology 4cp	PSY351 Research Methods in Psychology 3cp
	Plus 2 x PSY3xx units 8cp	PSY399 Psychological Science: Putting Theory Into Practice 3cp
		Plus 3 x PSY3xx units 9cp

SNG Requirements

Degrees Commenced prior to 2007	From 2007, 2008 & 2009	From 2010	From 2011
Overall GPA 2.5, 300-Level GPA 3.25	A weighted average SNG of 70 over all Psychology units (including STAT170); AND a weighted average SNG of 70 over 300-level Psychology units	A weighted average SNG of 70 over all Psychology units (including STAT170); AND a weighted average SNG of 70 over 300-level Psychology units	A weighted average SNG of 70 over all Psychology units (including STAT170); AND a weighted average SNG of 75 over all 300-level Psychology units

PLUS for the BPsych(Honours)

A minimum of 72 credit points including a minimum of 24 credit points @ 300-level.
A pass (at P Grade or above) in the following compulsory units:

Up to 2008	From 2009	From 2010	From 2011
PSY222 Design and Statistics II 4cp	PSY248 Design and Statistics II 3cp	PSY248 Design and Statistics II 3cp	PSY248 Design and Statistics II 3cp
PSY234 Social and Personality Psychology 3cp	PSY234 Social and Personality Psychology 3cp	PSY234 Social and Personality Psychology 3cp	PSY234 Social and Personality Psychology 3cp
PSY235 Developmental Psychology 3cp	PSY235 Developmental Psychology 3cp	PSY235 Developmental Psychology 3cp	PSY235 Developmental Psychology 3cp
PSY236 Biopsychology and Learning 3cp	PSY236 Biopsychology and Learning 3cp	PSY236 Biopsychology and Learning 3cp	PSY236 Biopsychology and Learning 3cp
PSY237 Cognition and Perception 3cp	PSY246 Cognitive Processes I 3cp	PSY246 Cognitive Processes I 3cp	PSY246 Cognitive Processes I 3cp
PSY331 Design and Statistics III 4cp	PSY247 Perception I 3cp	PSY247 Perception I 3cp	PSY247 Perception I 3cp
PSY332 Principles of Psychological Assessment 4cp	PSY245 Princ of Psych Assess 3cp	PSY245 Princ of Psych Assess 3cp	PSY245 Princ of Psych Assess 3cp
PSY340 Research Methods in Psychology 4cp	PSY331 Design and Statistics III 4cp	PSY349 Design and Statistics III 3cp	PSY349 Design and Statistics III 3cp
Plus 3 x PSY3xx unit 12cp	PSY340 Research Methods in Psychology 4cp	PSY351 Research Methods in Psychology 3cp	PSY351 Research Methods in Psychology 3cp
	Plus 4 x PSY3xx units 16cp	Plus 6 x PSY3xx units 18cp	PSY399 Psychological Science: Putting Theory Into Practice 3cp
			Plus 5 x PSY3xx units 15cp

SNG Requirements

For Degrees Commenced prior to 2007	From 2007, 2008 & 2009	From 2010	From 2011
Overall GPA 2.5, 300-Level GPA 3.25	A weighted average SNG of 70 over all Psychology units (including STAT170); AND a weighted average SNG of 70 over 300-level Psychology units	A weighted average SNG of 70 over all Psychology units (including STAT170); AND a weighted average SNG of 70 over 300-level Psychology units	A weighted average SNG of 70 over all Psychology units (including STAT170); AND a weighted average SNG of 75 over all 300-level Psychology units

(These requirements apply both to those students who entered this degree at first year and to those who wish to transfer in for fourth year.)

For students who commenced their Undergraduate Program at Macquarie prior to 2007:

For the BA-Psychology(Hons) and BSc-Psychology(Hons):

An overall minimum GPA of 2.5 in at least 68 credit points and a minimum GPA over all 300-level units of 3.25.
Plus information listed under "Plus for the BA-Psychology/BSc-Psychology(Hons)" see above.

For the BPsych(Honours):

An overall minimum GPA of 2.5 in at least 72 credit points and a minimum GPA in 300-level Psychology units of 3.25.
Plus information listed under "Plus for the BPsych(Honours)" see above.

The Difference in the Admission Requirements

The BPsych(Hons) requires students to take 24 credit points of psychology at 300-level; whereas the BA-Psychology/BSc-Psychology(Hons) requires only 16 or 18 (depending on 1st year of enrolment) credit points of psychology at 300-level. This provides an opportunity for students to pursue other disciplines of interest, say linguistics or philosophy or biology etc through to 300-level
The BPsych(Hons) requires students to complete 72 credit points at the end of 300-level; whereas the BA-Psychology/BSc-Psychology(Hons) requires students to complete 68 credit points

It is the student’s responsibility to check that they have the required number of credit points for admission to the Honours program.

The Honours Program is the Same Whichever Degree you are Enrolled in

It consists of 24 credit points made up of an Empirical Research Thesis (12 credit points, which accounts for 60% of the total mark) and four coursework units. Two of the coursework units are compulsory:

PSY418 Research Design IV 3cp
PSY431 Professional Practice and Ethics 3cp

Students are required to take another two units from a varying selection of advanced topics in psychology. All units are 3 credit points. Note that not all units are available each year. Unit availability depends on staff commitments.

PSY420 Advanced Issues in Social and Personality Psychology
PSY421 Advanced Topics in Physiological Psychology
PSY422 Advanced Cognitive Processes
PSY423 Advanced Visual Perception
PSY424 History and Theory in Psychology
PSY425 Introduction to Theories of Counselling
PSY426 Advanced Issues in Health Psychology
PSY428 Advanced Issues in Developmental Psychology: Challenges across the Lifespan
PSY432 Advanced Issues in Developmental Psychology: Child Abuse and Neglect
PSY434 Psychology at Work: Theory, Research and Application
PSY435 The Psychology of Voodoo Science
PSY436 Advanced Issues in Personality
PSY437 Advanced Issues in Thinking and Reasoning
PSY438 Instrumental Hypnosis: Putting Hypnosis to Work
PSY439 Evolutionary Psychology
PSY440 Psychology of Driving
PSY441 Psychology of Reading

Psychology Honours Timetable 2011 (24kb pdf)

Empirical Thesis - Allocation of Supervisors

Students carry out work for the empirical thesis under the supervision of a staff member. It is necessary to note the staff available to supervise, and their research interests, to make sure that the area in which you wish to work can be supervised. Check the Psychology website: http://www.psy.mq.edu.au for this information.

On the supplementary application form, you are asked to list three areas of interest in which you might like to do your empirical thesis. Please try to be flexible in listing these areas in order to maximize the chances of working in an area of choice. The policy is to try to match as much as possible a student’s interests with those of a member of staff. This is not always possible, but students should be assured that any lack of matching is not a disadvantage to a successful thesis. The Department policy is such that staff are not expected to supervise topics outside their areas of expertise and interest, but it is the case that some will.

Although you can approach academic staff to discuss supervision possibilities, no commitment to supervise can be made by individual staff members.

Selection of Topic for Thesis

If you are a prospective Honours student you must have developed interests in some area of psychology. When considering possible topics read recent review articles on areas of interest. These can be found in the Annual Review of Psychology which reviews most of the major areas every two years. More specific reviews of topics can be found in Psychological Bulletin and Psychological Review. Look also at the major journals which report empirical research in your field of interest, e.g. Journal of Experimental Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology and so on.

Attendance

the program can only be commenced at the beginning of first semester;
it is not available by external study. Students are required to attend classes;
it requires one year of full-time study or (by special permission) two years of part-time study;
students enrolling full-time are advised not to take on extensive part-time work commitments as the Honours program makes far greater demands on time throughout the year than does the undergraduate program. A change in status from full-time to part-time candidature is unlikely to be approved after the first few months of the course.

Part-Time Study

Part-time enrolment is available only to applicants who can provide satisfactory reasons on the application form for not electing to take the one-year full-time course. Part-time study is normally approved on the basis of employment in excess of 25 hours per week, but extraordinary family commitments may also be considered.

Note that part-time students may have to attend late afternoon or daytime classes and that they will have to make appropriate arrangements to do so. They will also have to be prepared to attend daytime meetings with their supervisor by arrangement. Supervisors cannot undertake to be available only for evening supervisory sessions.

How To Apply

All applicants for fourth year must fill out an application form, including students who entered the BPsych(Hons) in their first year and have now completed the third year. The Application Form is available at Application Form and the required Supplementary Form.

You can also obtain forms from the Student Enquiry Service, telephone 9850 6410 or from Ms Donna Keeley in the Psychology Department, telephone (02) 9850 8113 or email donna.keeley@psy.mq.edu.au

On your supplementary form, you are asked to list three different areas/topics which would be of interest to you as your Honours thesis. Consult the list of research projects which have been nominated by Psychology Department staff as potential areas of Honours projects.

In addition, staff from the Department of Computing, Faculty of Science have provided a list of topics within Psychology that they would be able to supervise.

Many students are able to choose which of the three degrees they enter (BA-Psych(Hons), BSc-Psych(Hons), or BPsych(Hons)). Please write your order of preference on the application form. (It won't be possible to change after mid December.)

The closing date for applications is the last Friday in October. Late applications will be considered at the discretion of the Head of Department.

Applications from students who have completed their degree elsewhere will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (e.g. re-location to Sydney or a desire to work in an area not well supported at the student's home university) and such applications will only be successful where grades are high enough and there has been sufficient breadth of study of psychology. Note that we require our own students to have studied at least 24 credit points in second- and third-year psychology, plus 6 credit points in second- and third-year psychological statistics. (24 credit points = 1 year full-time) Note that this study must be spread across the various areas of psychology.

The Selection Process

Decisions are made in the second week of December and students are allocated to supervisors. In most years, we can't quite get every one allocated at this stage. If need be, we'll allocate the convenor to the 'leftover' students, so that they have someone to talk to about their research plans until we can allocate them a supervisor

All new students will be contacted and are expected to attend a meeting to be briefed on the coming year - this meeting is normally held in the 3rd week of December.

Implications of Transferring From BA-Psychology or BSc-Psychology to Fourth Year of BPsych (Hons)

Students completing the BA-Psychology or BSc-Psychology who are intending to enter the fourth year of the BPsych(Hons) degree - rather than the BA-Psychology(Hons) or BSc-Psychology(Hons) - cannot take out their BA-Psychology or BSc-Psychology degree at the end of their third year. This is a result of the fact that the BPsych(Hons) is a four-year Honours degree, not an add-on Honours year (as are the BA-Psychology (Hons) and BSc-Psychology (Hons) degrees).

Interdisciplinary Programs

Students enrolled in the following programs who wish to take the Psychology Honours program should consult the relevant section of the Macquarie University Handbook.

BA-Psychology B Health
BSc-Psychology B Health
BA-Psychology DipEd
BA-Psychology LLB
BBA BA-Psychology
BMedScs
BSpHSc

Enquiries

Ms Donna Keeley (Undergraduate Services Administrator)
C3A Level 3
Telephone: (02) 9850 8113
email: donna.keeley@mq.edu.au

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