Handbook

Students must complete 48 UOC.

Assessment

As part of their research project students will be required to complete, at a minimum, a literature review and / or research proposal, present a seminar on their findings and complete a written thesis.

All students will be required to complete a written thesis. Details of thesis requirements such as word limit, format, and submission deadline will be provided by the School.

At the end of a student’s first and second terms, an EC grade will be awarded for each course (PSYC4072 and PSYC4093 in Term 1, PSYC4073 and PSYC4103 in Term 2) provided that all requirements for the term have been satisfactorily completed, and the supervisor is satisfied with a student’s progress on their project.

Where term requirements have not been completed or the supervisor feels progress on the student's project is unsatisfactory, the grade will be withheld and the student given an opportunity to complete the requirement and / or progress their project. If the outstanding requirement(s) has not been completed prior to the commencement of the following term, the supervisor will discuss this with the Honours Coordinators and the student may be required to withdraw from the program. Once withdrawn from the program, a student will need to reapply for admission to the Honours Program.

Once the Honours year is completed, a student's Final Mark (see Honours Grade Calculation, below) will be recorded against all courses across the whole year (i.e., EC grades replaced with the overall Honours mark).

Academic Rules

• Students are expected to complete all the requirements for Honours as listed in this page of the Handbook. Where a student does not complete a particular requirement of Honours, their grade and hence graduation will be withheld until the item is completed.
• Students must abide by UNSW policies and procedures with regards to Work Health & Safety, Ethics, and Research. Details of these will be provided to students in an Honours Handbook and information session by the School.
• Students will complete a research project totalling 30 UOC. Each student will have a supervisor for their project who is expected to have at least a Masters (AQF level 9) qualification.
• Students may be supervised by a person external to UNSW, especially where a research project is industry-based. However, where a student has an external supervisor a joint-supervisor must be nominated who is an employed academic of the School.
• It is not possible to take leave from the Honours program.

Honours Grade Calculation

In calculating an overall Honours mark, assessment components are given the following weight:

• Research project component [PSYC4072 Honours Research Project 6 UOC, PSYC4073 Honours Research Project 12 UOC (Term 2), PSYC4073 Honours Research Project 12 UOC (Term 3)] - 62.5%
• Coursework component (PSYC4093 Psychology 4A & PSYC4103 Psychology 4B) - 37.5%

At the completion of Honours, students will be awarded an honours grading as follows:

Final Mark ≥85 (Honours Class 1)
Final Mark 75-84 (Honours Class 2.1)
Final Mark 65-74 (Honours Class 2.2)
Final Mark 50-64 (Honours Class 3)

The calculation of class of award will be determined from the student’s weighted average mark for all of the courses (research-based and coursework) required for the program.

Note that only PSYC4XXX coded courses will be used to calculate the honours grading.

Honours marks and gradings will be scrutinised at the School level to ensure consistency across cohorts. The Faculty will also review these marks and grades prior to the release of results.

Admission Requirements

This Honours in Psychology stream is the honours pathway for students who have completed an APAC-accredited undergraduate sequence (via a pass degree with a minimum 78 UOC psychology major) or bridging sequence (via the Graduate Diploma in Psychology) in Psychology at UNSW or equivalent at another recognised institution.

Internal Applicants

An internal applicant is a student who completes an APAC-accredited undergraduate (or bridging) sequence in psychology at UNSW the year immediately prior to commencing Honours. For example: a student completing at any point during 2021 will be considered an internal applicant for the 2022 Honours year.

The minimum eligibility requirement for the Honours year for an internal applicant is to achieve a Psychology Average of at least 75.

For undergraduate bridging sequence students the Psychology Average is calculated based on first attempt marks for all courses completed (i.e., from PSYC5001 to PSYC5010).

For undergraduate sequence students the Psychology Average is calculated based on first attempt marks for psychology core courses common to all psychology programs / specialisations (see below) PLUS the three highest first attempt marks of any completed Level 3 psychology electives.

Psychology core courses common to all psychology programs / specialisations:

• Level 1: PSYC1001, PSYC1011, PSYC1111
• Level 2: PSYC2001, PSYC2061, PSYC2071, PSYC2081, PSYC2101
• Level 3: PSYC3001 and PSYC3011

NOTE:

• Neither Level 1 PSYC electives nor psychology courses taken at another institution count towards the Psychology Average.
• Completion of PSYC3371 Multivariate Data Analysis for Psychology, in conjunction with PSYC3001, is important as preparation for the Honours year. Students can take PSYC3371 as a Stream A or Stream B elective

External Applicants

The number of places available for external applicants (if any) varies from year to year and depends upon the availability of School resources.

The minimum eligibility requirement for the Honours year for an external applicant is to complete an APAC-accredited undergraduate (or bridging) sequence in psychology, with a Psychology WAM of 80 or better, within the last 10 years. Those with international psychology qualifications must have them assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) prior to submitting an application.

Admission Process

Information regarding the application process, including closing dates, can be found on the School's website.

The application process is the same for both domestic and international applicants, but differs slightly for internal and external applicants.

• Internal applicants should refer to http://www.psy.unsw.edu.au/current-students/undergraduate/honours
• External applicants should refer to http://www.psy.unsw.edu.au/future-students/undergraduate/programs/honours

Pathways

Postgraduate Study

An Honours degree is required for entry to most postgraduate psychology programs in Australian universities.

Registration as a Psychologist and APS Membership

The Honours year in psychology at UNSW is an APAC-accredited fourth-year sequence, leading to provisional registration as a psychologist (www.psychologyboard.gov.au) and associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).