Undergraduate
Psychology in Society
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Address
Student Central
The University of Western Australia(M355) 35 Stirling Highway Perth Western Australia 6009
Telephone
(+61 8) 6488 3939
International
1800 653 050
Hours
Frequently asked questions
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Careers and further study
This major opens up a world of future study pathways and career options.
Career Pathways
Psychology is relevant to almost any human endeavour, which means a psychology degree, or some complementary psychology studies, are relevant not only for traditional psychology careers, but for a wide range of careers. For example, there are psychologists designing cockpits for NASA, computer software interfaces, personnel selection systems, or age-appropriate toys; psychologists develop market research strategies, or train people in a variety of settings.
Traditional careers in psychology:
- Clinical Psychologist—assess, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions; design and assess treatment interventions; be involved in research, teaching and supervision; promote psychological health
- Clinical Neuropsychologist—assess and treat people with a wide range of brain injuries or disorders; design and assess treatment interventions; be involved in research, teaching and supervision; promote brain health
- Industrial and Organisational Psychologist—recruit and select personnel; design and evaluate behavioural training programs; develop leadership and management skills; optimise job design, performance, and workplace culture; foster employee wellbeing and work-life balance
- Educational and Developmental Psychologist, School Psychologist—assess developmental, learning, and behavioural difficulties; design and evaluate interventions; promote positive development
- Sport Psychologist—work with athletes and teams, addressing the wide range of psychological factors associated with sports performance (e.g., goal focus, team building, stress management, communication skills)
- Health Psychologist—assess community health issues; design, implement, and assess public-health and behaviour-change programs; promote health behaviours
- Forensic Psychologist—conduct forensic interviews; provide psychological assessments; give evidence in court proceedings
Please note these traditional career paths often require postgraduate studies and registration as a psychologist.
Non-traditional careers in psychology:
Public sector
- Government agencies
- CSIRO
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Federal and State Police Forces
Not-for-profit sector
- Mental health, addiction and disability support services
- Community and welfare services
- Children, youth and parenting services
- Charities
Private sector
- Corporate business
- Banks and financial service providers
- Professional service firms
- Market research, marketing, public relations, and advertising firms; consumer goods companies
- Employment services, and industrial relations
Education sector
- Schools and universities
Career Opportunities
Health and Welfare Services Manager
Human Resource Professional
Recruitment Consultant
Sports Scientist
Further Study
Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology
Fees and scholarships
Learn more about the fees that apply to you for this major. For fee type definitions and further assistance, see the Fee Calculator Help page. You can also search our database for scholarships that are relevant to you or your desired course.
Undergraduate – Commonwealth supported students
The Annual Fee is an estimate only based on a standard annual study load of 48 points.
For Commonwealth Supported Places, student contribution amounts are charged by unit. For an accurate fee estimate, go to the Fee Calculator and select “I want to price my units”.
For Full Fee Paying places, students are charged an annual course fee. Visit the Fee Calculator and select your course to see the annual and total course fees.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.
Cost of living
Undergraduate – onshore students
Annual course fees are calculated based on a standard annual study load of 48 credit points.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.
Cost of living
Admission requirements
The University of Western Australia welcomes applications from international and domestic school-leavers, mature-age applicants and those with previous tertiary study. If you’re interested in studying this major, find out the admission details below.
Minimum entry requirements
- 8
- 525
- 3.3
- 27
- 8
- 66
- 60
- 270
- 75
- 80
- 320
- 8
- 525
- 3.3
- 27
- 8
- 66
- 60
- 270
- 75
- 80
- 320
- 8
- 7
Admission requirements
English competency
How to apply
Ready to apply for this major? Follow the steps and you’ll be on your way to joining us at UWA.
Course details
How do groups communicate? How do attitudes to alcohol consumption develop? Can panic be controlled? These are just a few of the questions psychologists investigate. Psychology allows you to explore how and why people behave the way they do. More specifically, you will build a scientific understanding of human behaviour and its underlying psychological processes.
About the course
Quick details
- Available 2021
- Albany (Regional campus)
- Perth (Crawley campus)
- Full-time
- Part-time
- On-campus
- Semester 1, Semester 2
- 15-30 hours per week
- Undergraduate
- MJD-PSYSO
- 3 years (BSc), 4 years (BPhil[Hons])
What will I learn?
An undergraduate degree in psychology equips you with:
Specialist knowledge
- Normal and abnormal development – How do psychological abilities develop through the lifespan and how are psychological processes affected by ageing, brain damage and disease?
- Groups and organisations – How do our psychological abilities impact on relationships between people and groups in society? How do you optimise human performance in a work setting?
- Cognition and perception – How do our brains interpret inputs from the world? How do we perceive, think, remember and make decisions?
- Research methods – How do you measure psychological constructs such as intelligence, personality traits and social skills? How do you analyse data to make evidence-based decisions?
Core skills
- Apply psychological principles to personal, social and group issues
- Recognise and appreciate the impact of mental health issues
- Think critically and creatively
- Use scientific methods to solve problems
- Plan, implement, and evaluate research projects
- Communicate effectively in a variety of formats and settings
- Act professionally within an ethical framework
- Work independently and as part of a team
Specific skills
- Perform statistical analyses and use computer programs to analyse data
- Code, synthesise and interpret data
- Systematically observe and record behaviour
- Persuasive and technical writing
- Editing and proof-reading
- Peer review
- Public speaking
Course Structure
Our undergraduate degrees offer you a broad range of options allowing you to combine subjects in a way that matches your career goals and personal interests.
Popular combinations
Why study with us?
Psychology can take you anywhere and everywhere. Psychology is relevant to almost any human endeavour, meaning a psychology degree, or some complementary psychology studies, are relevant not only for traditional psychology careers, but for a wide range of careers.
Put theory into practice
Current UWA students are eligible to take one of our professional experience units. These units bridge the gap between university and the workplace by providing opportunities to gain hands-on, practical experience. You can master new skills, make connections and network, get a taste of the opportunities in the workforce and add experience to your resume, all before graduating.
Find out more about Work Integrated Learning.
Your degree options
This major is offered as a degree-specific, or first, major for these degrees. It is also offered as a second major in our other bachelor's degrees.
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
Why take a second major
- Expand your skills - Taking a second major either in a complementary area or in something like Economics or Business Law will show you have developed transferable skills such as, teamwork, critical thinking, digital literacy and presentation skills – which are highly sought after in the workforce.
- Add it to your resume – Employers are looking for graduates who have skills in a variety of areas. Two majors will expand your career prospects and help you stand out amongst the crowd.
School of Psychological Science
Kathryn Somerville
Kathryn Somerville
I chose UWA because of the opportunity to explore the things that interested me outside my chosen study path. Through my broadening and elective units I was able to explore areas of study like anthropology, human biology, linguistics, marketing and pharmacy, and I was able to have such a broad and enriching education.
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