Bachelor
Curious about what makes people think, feel and behave the way they do? Deakin's Bachelor of Psychological Science covers many aspects of human behaviour and personality. Fast-track your degree with our trimester system over two years of full-time study, all while learning from the best as Deakin is ranked #1 in Victoria for psychology course satisfaction, teaching, facilities and undergraduate employment^.
Specialise from year one with the only Victorian university to offer specialist psychology majors in an undergraduate psychology degree, so you can pursue your interests early on with a major in child and family, organisational studies or forensic studies. This course prepares you for a range of careers in the fast-growing health sector or sets you up to pursue further study towards provisional registration as a psychologist. You will also have the option of undertaking 140 hours of real-world experience with an industry placement strengthening your employment prospects.
Do you want to learn from psychology professionals and be exposed to real-world workplace experience?
Ranked in the top 1% in the world*, Deakin's School of Psychology is one of the largest in Australia. Leverage our strong partnerships with industry, including collaborative activities with government agencies, public and private organisations, hospitals and other universities.
These partnerships ensure your degree remains relevant to industry and workforce needs. Embedded practical experience and employability focused coursework ensures you graduate career-ready and ahead of the pack with transferrable skills. You will be in high demand by employers who want graduates that are ready to face real-world problems with confidence.
This course recognises the importance of, and relationships between, a range of human factors you will encounter in your future career. You will explore diverse areas of psychology, including:
You will also have the opportunity to develop your counselling and coaching skills through Applied Counselling Skills core units, and/or through one of our postgraduate counselling courses.
Graduate Certificate of Counselling
Graduate Diploma of Counselling
Master of Counselling
The Bachelor of Psychological Science is recognised for registration purposes by the Psychology Board of Australia and enables you to undertake additional study in pursuit of professional registration as a psychologist. The course is also accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).
If you want to become a psychologist, this course is a pathway to a fourth year of study in the form of either our Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) or the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced). After successfully completing a fourth year of study, you will be eligible to apply to register as a provisional psychologist. Students wishing to gain general registration can then apply to continue their studies by undertaking one of Deakin's psychology masters courses. Once you have completed a masters degree you can apply for general registration.
A psychology qualification can prepare you for many diverse, exciting career paths. While some psychology graduates go on to become registered psychologists, many others will pursue roles in complementary professions or entirely different fields. Careers in psychology-related fields are always evolving, visit deakin.edu.au/psychology-careers to discover the exciting broad range of careers that you could pursue.
*2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject and 2022 ShanghaiRankings Ranking of Academic Subjects
^Student Experience Survey 2020-2021 and Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022, Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT).
Following the completion of your bachelor's degree, taking the next step towards becoming a psychologist involves applying for an honours year, e.g. Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)) or Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced). Once completed, you will be able to register as a provisional psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia.
Additional qualifications may be required for some of the careers listed here, you can find out more about roles and responsibilities, skills, qualifications and experience at deakin.edu.au/psychology/psychology-careers
If you choose to pursue general registration as a psychologist, you may find employment in a variety of roles, including:
These positions can be found in:
To complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Psychological Science, students must attain 24 credit points including:
Plus, either:
Students must also ensure that they have met the following course rules to be eligible to graduate with a Bachelor of Psychological Science:
Following completion of the Bachelor of Psychological Science students intending to become psychologists must successfully apply for and complete a level-4 Honours year or the level-4 Graduate Diploma of Psychology.
All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete
The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
Please note that a maximum of five credit points can be granted for Psychology core units.
You can also refer to the Recognition of prior learning system which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree and how to apply for credit.