4th Year Programs

Information for students intending to enter 4^th year in 2010

The Honours year in Psychology is excellent preparation for entry into the work force.  Additionally, it is one of the criteria for being accepted into postgraduate research or professional training programs offered by this School.  The School currently does NOT offer a Bachelor of Psychology 4^th year option. 

The Honours program in Psychology aims to develop your skills in:

•       Addressing advanced conceptual issues in psychology and integrating a broad range of research findings within central theoretical concepts.
  
•       Gaining a deep understanding of current research within several areas of the discipline.
  
•       Planning, implementing, and interpreting the findings of a major piece of empirical research.
  
•       Giving brief oral presentations of research findings in a manner that is understandable to people not working in the same research area.

 Enrolment information will be available at this web site

Entry Requirements & Prerequisites | How to Apply | Choice of Supervisor| FAQs

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS and PREREQUISITES

Successful completion of a Bachelor's degree (BA, BSc) which includes:

1st Year:
PSYC1101 - Psychology: Mind and Brain
PSYC1102 - Psychology: Behaviour in Context
Or the full-year unit Psychology 100 - Introduction to Psychology (140.100) if taken prior to 2004.

2nd Year:
PSYC2203 - Psychological Research Methods
PSYC2205 - Psychology: Behavioural Neuroscience
PSYC2206 - Social and Cognitive Psychology
PSYC2207 - Psychology: Normal and Abnormal Development

Or PSYC2201, PSYC2202, PSYC2203 and PSYC2204 if taken prior to 2007

3rd Year:
PSYC3301 - Psychological Research Methods: Design & Analysis

PSYC3302 - Psychological Measurement and its Application (except in cases where student has enrolled in PSYC2204 prior to 2007)

PSYC3310 - Psychology: Specialist Research Topics
PSYC3311 - Psychology: Specialist Research Topics

And four third level units from:

PSYC3312 - Psychology: Social
PSYC3313 - Psychology: Developmental
PSYC3314 - Psychology: Abnormal
PSYC3315 - Psychology: Cognitive
PSYC3316 - Psychology: Perception and Neuroscience

PSYC3317 - Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC3318 - Perception and Sensory Neuropsychology

In addition:
The system for entry to Honours requires that you achieve an average of 65% or better in your level 3 units (3^rd year).  Once you've achieved this, students will be ranked according to their marks in those 3^rd year units and students will be taken from the top of the list until the School has filled its available places.  The total number of places available will vary according to the number of staff available to supervise.  Even if you think your marks are marginal, or just below the criteria, it's worth applying.

If you have completed the Graduate Diploma in Psychology you are eligible to apply for entry into the honours program.

Applicants who hold a three year Psychology degree from another University are welcome to apply. Your degree must be APAC accredited, and you must have a double major in Psychology (a full-time year's worth of level 300 psychology units in any other credit point system). Your grades will be assessed on a case-by-case basis if they are not provided on the same scale as UWA grades.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in entering Honours in 2010, you should pursue the following steps:

(1) Do well in your current units to ensure that you meet the entry requirements.

(2) Attend the Honours conference.  It's free, you don't need to book in just turn up.  It's on September 7^th - announcements will be made via email and a timetable of talks will be made available on the web.  A lunchtime talk on Honours requirements will be held during the conference.

(3) Check out the list of academics on the Honours Supervisors 2010  webpage to find out how to contact those who you think might be potential supervisors. Make sure you primarily consider academics whose research interests overlap with your own; but also ensure that you do not define your research interests too narrowly. (If you are applying from overseas or interstate, you may have to correspond with academics by electronic communication only. Simply e-mail academics with your queries and interests during the dates specified below).

(4) If you are a UWA student, apply for entry into the Honours program using the form linked here.  Applications should be submitted by November 16th 2009. You should get a decision and be able to enrol before Christmas. Your preferences will also be taken into account for supervisor allocation.

If you are not currently a UWA student, you must make an application through the University Admissions Office  if you are a domestic student or through the International Office at UWA  if you are an international student. The deadline for external applications is also the 16^th of November, 2009.

(4) Apply for allocation of a supervisor by visiting the on-line choice facility at http://www.psy.uwa.edu.au/honsuper  which will be available October 5^th-30^th. (See below)

(5) You will get a provisional offer for Honours before you get your results. You will then be able to enrol as soon as you meet the conditions.  Students who do not meet the grade requirements will be informed in writing about their application.

CHOICE OF SUPERVISOR

As part of your application for entering Honours you will be asked to express your preferences for supervision by visiting our web-based choice form at http://www.psy.uwa.edu.au/honsuper . (Note: This link will be active October 5^th-30^th 2010).

The form will ask you to express your preferences regarding supervision by each academic in the School.   The procedure will involve two stages.  While you must still rank all the available supervisors, if you approach a supervisor and agree on a project that you will undertake with that supervisor, then the academic staff member can let the Honours coordinator know and, pending your successful application for entry to honours, you will allocated to that staff member.  Clearly you should not expect staff members to commit one of their available supervision slots if you are unlikely to meet the entry requirements to Honours.   If you do not secure an agreement from a supervisor then you will be assigned to a supervisor on the basis of your preferences, weighted by your third year academic record where there are ties. This means that the better you perform in third year, the more likely it is that you will be assigned the supervisor whom you most prefer. Note that competition for supervisors can be intense (depending on their research interests and capacity to take on students).

If you get admitted into Honours, the School will inform you about who your supervisor is. Please note that this assignment will be final, and that no further changes of supervisor will occur once you have been assigned to an academic.

What do I enrol in?

There are only 4 units in Honours and they are all compulsory.  These units are:

FAQS

Q I want to take a year off - can I apply now and defer my place?

A No, apply only for the year you want to start.

Q I want to take a long break before returning - how long can I take?

A You should have completed your level 3 Psychology units within the four years prior to applying for Honours, so most students can take several years off.

Q Can I start mid - year?

A Yes, but it takes 3 semesters to complete so you must be able to enroll part-time. Mid - year places are not offered to students who miss out on the grades at the beginning of the year.

Q Can I study part-time?

A Yes, but you must complete in 2 years.