Psychology Fourth Year Program

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.

Rule A: You can apply for this course if you have completed ONE of the following qualification pathways:

• You have completed a Bachelor qualification (AQF Level 7) which includes a full sequence of units in Psychology accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) 
• OR you have completed a Bachelor qualification (AQF Level 7) and a Graduate Diploma (AQF Level 8) which includes a full sequence of units in Psychology accredited by APAC.

You must also meet all of the following entry requirements:

• You have completed your APAC-accredited sequence of units in Psychology within the past ten years.*
• You have achieved a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 75 in the following units from the accredited three-year Psychology sequence (or accredited equivalents):
  • PSYC200 Social Psychology
  • PSYC202 Research Methods and Statistics
  • PSYC206 Cognitive Psychology
  • PSYC213 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
  • PSYC363 Psychopathology
  • PSYC366/466 Biopsychology
  • PSYC371/471 Individual Differences and Assessment
  • PSYC372/472 Advanced Research Methods and Statistics

NOTE: You must have achieved a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 75 for entry under rule a, as per the course rules.

Rule B: You can apply for this course if you have completed ONE of the following qualification pathways:

• You have completed a Bachelor qualification (AQF Level 7) which includes a full sequence of units in Psychology accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) 
• OR you have completed a Bachelor qualification (AQF Level 7) and a Graduate Diploma (AQF Level 8) which includes a full sequence of units in Psychology accredited by APAC.

You must also meet all of the following entry requirements:

• You identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australian
• You have completed your APAC-accredited sequence of units in Psychology within the past ten years.*
• You have achieved a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 70 in the following units from the accredited three-year Psychology sequence (or accredited equivalents):
  • PSYC200 Social Psychology
  • PSYC202 Research Methods and Statistics
  • PSYC206 Cognitive Psychology
  • PSYC213 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
  • PSYC363 Psychopathology
  • PSYC366/466 Biopsychology
  • PSYC371/471 Individual Differences and Assessment
  • PSYC372/472 Advanced Research Methods and Statistics

NOTE: You must have achieved a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 70 for entry under rule b, as per the course rules.

Important Information:

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.

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 2024 admission was 78. More than 80% of students receiving offers had an undergraduate degree from the University of New England.

UNE is committed to increasing Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander participation in this course, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. The School of Psychology engages with stakeholders to provide a pathway that aims to offer a culturally safe and connected experience for students.

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

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

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.

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

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