Honours in Psychology
Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Psychology
Prerequisites
Completion of an ordinary degree program pursued over 3 years of full-time study (or more, on a part-time basis) with a major in Psychology in Health Sciences, Arts, Social Sciences, Science, Commerce, Economics, or Mathematics and Computer Science. It is also part of the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) program.
Applicants whose degree is older than 10 years are not eligible to apply.
The course, PSYCHOL 4000A/B Honours Psychology, is available as a program of study for the Honours degree of Bachelor of Health Sciences .
Selection into the Honours program is based on academic performance. Application forms and the 2012 Introductory Handbook will be available on this in August.
International Students need to apply via the International Office
Program Outline:
Honours Psychology is normally taken as a full-time program over one year, although it is possible, on approved grounds and subject to certain conditions, to enrol over two consecutive years. If done part-time the research project is done in the first year and the coursework is done in the second year.
Assessment Procedure
There are four major components:
- a thesis to be submitted for examination early October
- an examination in the compulsory topic “Research Methods and Statistics” during the first Semester
- an examination taken from the compulsory topic “Critical Issues in Contemporary Psychology” in the official exam period
- four coursework examinations in the official examination periods.
50% Thesis
8% Research Methods and Statistics examination
32% Four examinations in Coursework Topics at 8% each
10% Critical Issues examination
Marking Scheme
Honours examinations are graded using the following system:
First Class Honours (IA)
The student’s work demonstrates imagination, originality or flair, based on superior levels of proficiency in all program objectives.
Band 1 (90%+)
Band 2 (85 – 89%)
Band 3 (80 – 84%)
Second Class Honours Level A (2A)
The student’s work demonstrates an awareness and understanding of deeper and more subtle aspects of Psychology as a discipline, such as the ability to identify, comprehend, and generate arguments relating to critical issues or problems, the ability to solve non-routine problems with competence, the ability to apply ideas and procedures to novel situations, and the ability to evaluate critically these applications.
Band 1 (75-79%)
Band 2 (70-74%)
Second Class Honours Level B (2B) 60 – 69
The student’s work demonstrates the ability to use and apply fundamental concepts and skills, with evidence of going beyond the mere application of ideas and constructs, such as the awareness of relevance, and some evidence of analytical and evaluative skills.
Third Class Honours (3) 50 – 59
The student’s work satisfies the basic requirements relating to knowledge, and demonstrates evidence of proficiency sufficient to be considered adequate or satisfactory with respect to personal development, but not with respect to the broader aims of progression and professional development.
Honours not awarded 0-49
The student’s work falls short of demonstrating basic and essential requirements that might be considered satisfactory or adequate for the award of an Honours degree.
The Honours Examiners’ Committee meets after all results have been submitted. This Committee, comprising all examiners able to be present, considers all marks of all candidates completing the course in that year.
Supervision
The thesis supervisor will guide the choice of a project and the methods to be used. He or she will also advise on the analysis of data and about writing up the final thesis.
All students will have an internal supervisor who has the responsibility to monitor the feasibility and appropriateness of the project before its commencement, and its progress as it proceeds. Candidates gathering data for their theses from external sources e.g. schools, must have a letter of introduction signed by the Head of the School. This should be arranged through the thesis supervisor. (The Head may see it as appropriate experience for the candidate to compose the initial draft, which the Head may revise, if necessary).
Joint Supervision within the School
The division of responsibility for supervision in the case of joint supervisors should be resolved by mutual agreement at the outset of the project and spelled out for the clear understanding of the candidate (as well as of the supervisors).
Where the work for a thesis is done outside the School and supervised by other than a School staff member, the following procedures are intended to apply in 2010:
- All such theses will have an internal and an external supervisor.
- While the study may be formulated and designed in consultation with the external supervision, final responsibility for accepting the thesis design, procedures, data analysis, and for monitoring the student's progress rests entirely with the internal supervisor.
- The internal supervisor will meet with the student and external supervisor together not less than three times (at least twice in the first semester) to discuss the work of the thesis. A note of the details of these meetings should be given to the Honours Coordinator: video conferences or 3-way telephone calls are acceptable.
- The internal supervisor will be consulted if publication of the data is considered.
