Psychology Fourth Year Program

Honours in Psychology provides advanced training in the conduct and evaluation of scientific research and advanced study in preparation for further professional training in psychology. This degree can be completed full-time (over one year) or part-time (over two years).

Students must have satisfied all requirements for a degree containing a three-year APAC-accredited psychology sequence before applying for Honours in Psychology.

Our philosophy

Our teaching philosophy is based on the scientist-practitioner model and active learning principles. Our fourth year students develop interlocking competencies in psychological knowledge, skills and attributes. This equips them with evidence-based, scientifically constructed processes for application in their future profession. At fourth year, we use active learning principles such as role play, leading a seminar, and conducting a research thesis with the intention of producing researchers and practitioners who are actively engaged in and responsive to a diverse range of circumstances.

Entry Requirements

Students already enrolled in the four-year Bachelor of Psychology with Honours at UNE automatically progress into the fourth year program, provided they meet the progression requirements in the first, second and third years. These students do not need to apply for Honours entry.

Other applicants must apply for entry to the Honours program. This includes those who have completed:

  • the UNE Graduate Diploma in Psychology;
  • the UNE Bachelor of Psychological Science or other APAC accredited degree at UNE, or
  • a three year APAC accredited sequence in psychology elsewhere.

For these students, Honours in Psychology is studied as a separate Fourth Year.

Entry into Honours by application is based on academic merit. A Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is calculated from the following units:

  • PSYC200 Social Psychology
  • PSYC202 Research Methods and Statistics
  • PSYC206 Cognitive Psychology
  • PSYC213 Lifespan and Developmental Psychology
  • PSYC363 Psychopathology
  • PSYC366/466 Biopsychology
  • PSYC371/471 Psychological Testing
  • PSYC372/472 Advanced Research Methods and Statistics

(Students applying from outside UNE should use the 200 and 300-level Psychology units completed at their institution that most closely match with the UNE core units listed above.)

Students will be ranked based on their WAM calculated from these units during the selection process. The top applicants will be offered a place in the Honours program (assuming all other entry requirements have been satisfied).

Download the WAM Self-Assessment Form.

Note: If you sat a unit twice, use the most recent result for the unit.

TIP: The updated form will auto-calculate WAM once marks and credit points per unit are applied. You may need to clear your cache in order to see the new WAM form if you have previously accessed it. For more information see 'Delete cache in the new Microsoft Edge'.  If you are waiting on grades for a unit, please fill Unit Weight as "0" for that unit and the Mark as "0". This will calculate your WAM over the units that you have completed so far.

You must have achieved a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 75 for entry per the course rules. However, there are limited places in the Psychology Honours program and entry is highly competitive. The cut-off varies from year to year, depending on number of applicants and staff availability. The cut-off WAM for 2023 admission was 86.88. More than 80% of students receiving offers had an undergraduate degree from the University of New England.

Applications from students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent are not competitively assessed and a cut-off WAM of 75 is applied. Applications from students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent are strongly encouraged.

Course Structure

UNE's Psychology Honours program comprises four coursework units (24 credit points) and a thesis unit (24 credit points).

Full-time students complete all the units in one year, whereas part-time students complete the coursework in the first year and the thesis in the second year.

The coursework units make up half the Honours program. They are:

  1. PSYC421: Professional Practice 1 - Provides students with knowledge about the theoretical and empirical bases underpinning the construction, implementation and interpretation of the most widely used psychological tests and assessment approaches.
  2. PSYC422: Advanced Research Skills – Provides students with an advanced understanding of research design and research ethics, and practical skills in advanced data analysis.
  3. PSYC423: Professional Practice 2 – Provides students with the opportunity to develop basic skills related to psychological interviewing and knowledge of the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of evidence-based approaches to psychological interventions. The unit also provides students with knowledge about professional standards and ethics.
  4. PSYC424: Advanced Topics in Psychology – Students choose one topic from a range of applied or theoretical topics to develop an advanced understanding of a specific area within psychology.

Each unit may include a mandatory online intensive school. The intensive school dates can be found in the UNE Course Handbook.

PSYC402H/403H comprises the second half of the Honours program and has three components:

  • Research Proposal. Students work with a research supervisor to submit a research proposal related to their thesis topic.
  • Literature Review. Students complete a review of the literature relevant to their thesis topic.
  • Thesis. Students pursue an independent research project in psychology under the supervision of an academic staff member. Students build their knowledge and understanding of the discipline through advanced empirical research and by communicating their findings in a professional, scientific format. Group data collection may be permitted when appropriate.

PSYC402H/403H students attend a mandatory online intensive school at the start of the year.

PSYC402H and PSYC403H are similar, except for Thesis topic area. Students whose thesis is in biopsychology or neuroscience enrol in PSYC403H.

Please note that each academic staff member can supervise only a small number of Honours students each year, so you may not be able to work with your preferred supervisor.

Structure of Honours Program

UnitComponents Contribution to Honours

PSYC421

Professional Practice 1

12.5%

PSYC422

Advanced Research Skills

12.5%

PSYC423

Professional Practice 2

12.5%

PSYC424

Seminar Unit

12.5%

PSYC402H/PSYC403H

Literature Review

12.5%

Research Project

37.5%

Note: Students must achieve at least a pass grade in all components of the Fourth Year program to complete the degree.

How is my WAM Calculated?

The weighted average mark (WAM) is calculated using the following formula:

Sum of (Mark x Credit points for subjects)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- divided by

Sum of (Total of credit points for subjects)

For example, you have completed the 8 units listed in the above PDF. 4 are worth a total of 6 credit points each and the remaining 4 are worth 12 credit points each. You attained the following results 89, 96, 95, 88, 85, 90, 99 and 81. The resulting calculation would be:

(89x6) + (96x6) + (95x6) + (88x6) + (85x12) + (90x12) + (99x12) + (81x12) = 6,468

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- divided by

6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 12 + 12 + 12 + 12 = 72

This will give you a WAM of 89.

Can I study part-time or full-time?

Completing the Fourth Year program requires a substantial investment of time and effort.

Off-campus (external) enrolment in Honours is usually part-time. Individual permission from the Fourth Year Coordinator is required before a full-time enrolment is possible. The Coordinator needs to be assured that a student's circumstances will allow genuine full-time study.

Due to limitations related to student supervision capabilities, UNE reserves the right to limit the number of full-time Fourth Year places available in any given year.

How do I apply?

For further information on the application process, please refer to the Honours Psychology Application Page.

Contact details

If you require further information about the application process, please contact The Future Student Team.