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Department of Psychology

Choosing First Year Units

How many units do I take in my first year of a Psychology degree?

You normally take eight units in your first year if you are a full-time student:   4 in first semester and 4 in second semester.   All first-year units are three credit points each, so this means you take 24 credit points at first-year level.

What units do I have to take in my first year of a Psychology degree?

There are three first-year units you must take:

  • PSY104 Introduction to Psychology I - 1st semester
  • PSY105 Introduction to Psychology II - 2nd semester
  • PSY122 Introduction to Statistics - 1st semester, 2nd semester or for the full year

You take PSY122 with your first Psychology unit.   If you are a little concerned about your ability to study statistics, you should think about taking it over the whole year.

What other units do I take in my first year of a Psychology degree?

There are no rules about the other first-year units you take.   The Psychology Department does not recommend any particular units.   You are advised to select units which meet your individual needs and interests.  

For instance:

  • if you are interested in Biology, you could select Biology first-year units
  • if you are interested in Linguistics, you could select first-year units in Linguistics
  • you could take a mixture of units from say History, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, English Literature
  • If you enjoy studying languages, you could select units in German, or Japanese, or Italian, or Chinese, for instance

How do I find out what first-year units are available?

Look at the Undergraduate Studies Handbook, and click on 'Selecting Your Program'. This will take you to a list of all undergraduate units taught across the University. You also need to check whether the units you are interested in have any prerequisites. Most first-year units do NOT have prerequisites, but some do. If you have a copy of the Undergraduate Studies Handbook, the list of units is contained within the pages which have a coloured edging.

Proposed Program Form for BA-Psychology/ BSc-Psychology Degree

The on-line version of the Internal Undergraduate Proposed Program Form can be completed online and submitted to the Psychology Office for approval by an Academic Adviser.