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Transfers Honours (fourth year) in Psychology Combined Degrees Graduate Diploma in Psychology Cross-Instituional Studies General - topics and degree structure Student Evaluations of Teaching Further Study Becoming a PsychologistQ. How many years study does it take to become a Psychologist?A. At least 6 years. You need to complete an Australian Psychology Society (APS) approved three year degree and an Honours year (e.g. BBehavSc(Psych) and BBehavSc(Hons)) or an accredited four year program (e.g. BPsych(Hons)), and two more years of training. The extra two years may be in an accredited Master of Psychology degree (e.g. MPsych(Clin) at Flinders) or as part of a clinical PhD (PhD(Clin) at Flinders) or as practice supervised by a registered psychologist under a pre-determined supervision plan approved by the Registration Board of SA. At that stage you would be eligible to apply to the Registration Board for registration as a psychologist. The Graduate Diploma in Psychology gives students the equivalent of a three year Psych program, so is equivalent in Psychology terms to the three year BBehavSc(Psych). TransfersQ. Can I transfer from another degree e.g. BA or BSc into a Psychology degree?A. Yes, you apply through SATAC. You can study PSYC1104 and PSYC1105 as elective topics in the first year of your degree and apply to transfer at the end of the year. Q. What is the transfer based on? A. If you have completed more than half of first year, it will be based on your GPA. If you have completed 18 units or less, it will be based on your TER or STAT score. Q. What GPA do I need? A. It varies from year to year depending upon how many people apply and what their GPA is. You would be competing for a limited number of places available and the GPA cut-off is likely to be around 6.0 (Distinction average). Q. If I transfer would I have to repeat first year or would I go into second year? A. If you are successful in transferring and you had completed PSYC1104 and PSYC1105 you would go into second year of the BBehavSc(Psych) or BPsych(Hons) degree. The amount of credit you would receive apart from the Psychology topics, would depend on the other topics you had studied and how well they fitted with the first year of the new degree. You would have to pick up PSCY1103 in place of some of the second year elective component. Q. Can I transfer from BBehavSc(Psych) into B.Psych(Hons)? A. Yes. If you apply to transfer from the end of first year you are competing with everyone trying to get into BPsych (Hons). If you apply to transfer from the end of second year there is a small subquota just for these transfers. To qualify for this subquota you must have completed at least 18 units of second year Psychology topics by the end of the year in which you apply to transfer. Q. What GPA do I need to be able to transfer from BBehavSc(Psych) into B.Psych(Hons)? A. It varies depending upon how many people apply and what their GPA is? For transfers at the end of first year it is likely to be around 6.0. For transfers at the end of second year it may be lower, but we will not admit students whose GPA is less than 5.25. Q. How is this transfer GPA calculated? A. The GPA for the transfer at the end of second year is based on the best 18 units of second year Psychology topics. Overall GPA may be used if students are equal on Psych GPA. Q. How do I apply to transfer? A. All applications are handled through SATAC. Q. Is there a mid-year transfer? A. No. Q. Can I apply to transfer more than once? A. Yes. Q. If I successfully transfer into BBehavSc(Psych) from the BA can I do second year Psych even though I haven't done PSYC1103? A. Yes. You would be able to pick up PSCY1103 in second year while doing a normal second year in Psychology and your second major. Honours (fourth year) in PsychologyQ. Can I do Honours in Psychology without having completed a Psychology degree.A. No. To be eligible to apply for an Honours year you would have to have completed a three year program (or its equivalent) in Psychology accredited by the Australian Psychology Society. At Flinders this would be BBehavSc(Psych) or BPsych(Hons) or Graduate Diploma in Psychology. Qualifications from other Universities are also recognised if they are accredited by the APS. Q. Can I get into Honours at the end of the three year BBehavSc(Psych) degree or after completing the Graduate Diploma? A. Yes. You would be competing against students who had completed any Flinders Psychology three year degree (or from other Uni's.), or a Flinders Graduate Diploma in Psych. Q. What GPA do I need to get into Honours at the end of third year? A. It varies depending on how many places are available above those reserved for students in the fourth year of the BPsych(Hons), the number of applicants, and their GPAs. The minimum GPA is likely to be Mid to High Credit average (i.e. a good mixture of Distinctions and Credits), however we will not admit someone with a GPA less than 5.25 (equivalent to 25% Distinctions and 75% Credits). Q. How is the Honours entry GPA calculated? A. It is based on performance in all second and third year Psychology topics. In the event that students have equal Psychology GPAs, more weight is placed on third year topics. In the calculation of GPA, high distinction = 7, distinction = 6, credit = 5, pass = 4. The grade attained for each topic result is weighted by its unit value, and the overall average is then determined. Q. Do I apply for Honours through SATAC? A. No, application is made directly to the School of Psychology and forms are available from the School of Psychology website in September. The deadline for applications is in November. Q. Can I do extra topics to increase my GPA to get into Honours? A. Yes, however, this is really only helpful for students who already have a good GPA and who have just missed out on a place. Also, doing only one or two extra topics will only increase your GPA slightly. If you do more topics than are required to complete your degree, they would be classified as non-award and are likely to require up-front payment of fees. Q. Can I repeat topics I have already attempted to get a better grade to improve my GPA? A. Yes, however they don't replace the grade for the first attempt. Your GPA is calculated on all topics attempted (successfully or not) not just your best attempt, and the Honours Selection Committee is more impressed by good first-time results than by repeated attempts in a topic. You are better off doing topics you have not already attempted, to increase your knowledge base. Q. Can I do Honours part-time? A. Yes, but only as half-time over two years and the thesis (18 units) must be completed in one calendar year. Q. Is there a mid-year intake for Honours? A. No. For equity reasons and due to the limited places available based on staff resources, there is only one intake at the beginning of each year. Q. What if I miss out on a place in the Honours year at Flinders? A. You can apply more than once, but there is no guarantee that the GPA cut-off will be lower the next year. There have been Flinders students who we have been unable to admit due to our quota, who have obtained places in Honours at the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, and interstate. It is a good idea to apply to a number of places, not just the main Uni you want to study at. All programs accredited by the APS are recognised pathways to becoming a registered psychologist or continuing in postgraduate study. Q. If I get into Honours after finishing the BBehavSc(Psych), do I have to go back and do the third year topics Interviewing and Counselling, and Work Experience in Psychology? A. No, you would just go straight into the normal Honours year which is the same topics regardless of which degree or diploma you used to get there. Combined DegreesQ. Do I apply through SATAC for the combined degrees?A. Not for the Psychology combined degrees. For the Law/BehavSc(Psych) degree you must first be accepted into Law. Then upon enrolment you will be given the option of taking up the combined degree. For BBehavSc(Psych)/BA you must first be accepted into BBehavSc(Psych) and then upon enrolment you will be given the option of taking up the combined degree. Students wishing to concurrently study the Diploma in Language need to get approval from the coordinator of the Language area and the Director of Studies for their degree. Q. If I am in the Law/Behavioural Science combined degree, can I graduate from the Behavioural Science before I finish the Law part? A. If you do not wish to complete the Law degree, but wish to take out the Behavioural Science degree, you will need to complete all the requirements of the degree, including one of the available second majors, however you can count Law topics towards the elective component of the degree. You can only count Law topics in place of the second major if you finish both parts of the combined degree. Graduate Diploma in PsychologyQ. How much credit for prior study can I get towards the Graduate Diploma?A. It is University policy that no more than two thirds credit will be granted towards a degree based on prior study. You could therefore get up to 24 units of credit towards the Graduate Diploma. However, if your aim is to get very good grades in an attempt to be admitted to the Honours year in Psychology, then applying for credit for previous topics with average grades will decrease your chance of getting a competitive Grade Point Average (GPA) for Honours entry. Q. Can I still get into the Graduate Diploma when the SATAC deadline has passed? A. Yes, but low priority is given to processing the application and you are likely to incur a late fee. Q. Can I do PSYC1105 during the year and apply for the Graduate Diploma through SATAC for next year? A. Yes. There is no difference in cost, and doing PSYC1105 in the normal way during Semester 2 may be a better re-introduction to university study than the condensed, intensive summer version of the topic. Q. Is the Graduate Diploma offered externally? A. No, as all topics are the same as those studied by students in the BPsych(Hons) and BBehavSc(Psych). However, some material might be available via flexible delivery. Q. Is there a mid-year intake for the Graduate Diploma? A. This may be possible upon application to the Director of Studies for the Graduate Diploma. Q. Apart from the required core topics (PSYC 2009, PSYC 2016 and PSYC 3001) what other second and third year topics should I do to complete the Graduate Diploma in Psychology? A. An additional 6units of second year topics and 15 units of third year topics is required. There is no other restriction in your choice of specific topics. Assuming that you want to optimize your grades for these topics and thus have a better chance at acceptance into Honours, the best advice is to do those topics in which you have greatest interest and aptitude. Q. Do the topic pre-requisite requirements apply to Graduate Diploma students? A. No. They are waived for Graduate Diploma students. This waiver was established to allow the Graduate Diploma to be completed in one year full-time, otherwise a one year completion would be almost impossible. However, it is still wise to consider the pre-requisites as recommendations since they indicate that topic coordinators have identified a pre-requisite as very important for the successful completion of their topic. Cross-Institutional StudyQ. Can I study topics at other Universities and get credit towards my Flinders degree?A. Yes, cross-institutional study is available. Within South Australia, unless there are exceptional circumstances, you would only be able to study topics that are not offered at Flinders. Interstate this restriction is removed. You still need to obtain approval from the Director of Studies before enrolment. Q. What do I do to get completed cross-institutional topics onto my academic record? A. Submit an official transcript of your results to the Faculty Student Administration office in Social Sciences South. General - topics and degree structureQ. I am in my third year of Behavioural Science. Can I do the topics Interviewing and Counselling, and Work Experience in Psychology?A. No. Due to limited teaching resources and limited availability of work experience placements, these topics are restricted to students in the BPsych(Hons). Q. I am in the Graduate Diploma. Can I do PSYC3231 Skills for Behavioural Scientists? A. No. This topic is specifically for Behavioural Science students and has an emphasis on integration of the Psychology and second major content experienced across their three year degree. This is something Graduate Diploma students generally do not have in their program. Q. What can I choose for my elective topics? A. Elective topics can be chosen from any topic offered at University provided they are available for students in the degree in which you are enrolled, and you have satisfied any prerequisites for the topic. Q. Can I take Semester One off from study and just study in Semester Two? A. Yes. Q. How part-time can I study? A. You can be as part-time as you like, even to the point of only studying one topic in a year, however there is a limit of ten years for completion of a three year degree and 6 years maximum to complete the Graduate Diploma. Q. Are the lectures videotaped or audiotaped? A. PSYC1101/1104, 1102/1105, 2009 and 3001 are taped. Most of the remaining topics are not taped. Check with the topic coordinator. Q. Are any of the Flinders Psych topics offered externally? A. No, however some topic materials may be available in flexible delivery mode via the internet. Q. Can I take leave of absence from my degree? A. Yes. You need to obtain approval from an appropriate course advisor or Director of Studies. Q. Can I do a Psychology major in a BA or BSc? A. No. You can only study 9 units of first year Psychology and up to 9 units of second year Psychology as elective topics in your degree. Q. What is the second major in the BBehavSc (Psych)? A. This is an area in the Behavioural Sciences recognised as complimentary to Psychology and is a required component in the BBehavSc(Psych) degree and compulsory at first year level in the BPsych(Hons). Q. Why do some second majors require more than the normal 33 units for the major? A. It is a requirement of the BBehavSc(Psych) degree that when completed, the student will be eligible to apply for Honours in Psychology or their second major area. Some areas deem that students need to complete more topics to meet this Honours eligibility requirement. Q. Can I do a third year topic in my second major even though I'm only in second year? A. Yes provided you satisfy any prerequisites. Unlike Psychology, other academic areas may offer topics which may be taken during second year even though they have a 'third year' topic number, or in third year even though they have a 'second year' number. Q. Can I choose a topic from the area of my second major as an elective? A. Yes, you can choose anything as an elective, i.e. Psychology, second major, or something completely different, provided you have satisfied any prerequisites and degree restrictions. Q. Can I change my second major at the end of first year? A. If you have chosen two areas in your first year then you can continue with either of those in second and third year to complete your major. If you wish to change to a completely different area, or an area in which you have only taken one topic, then you may be able to complete your degree in the minimum time or more likely it would add at least one extra Semester to your degree and possibly an extra year. Q. Can I choose topics as part of my second major that are not listed in the Behavioural Science second major guides in the Psychology undergraduate handbook? A. Possibly. Any variation to the second major sequence must be approved by the relevant representative (representatives are listed in the Undergraduate Programs in Psychology Handbook). If you wish to do this a Variation to Second Major form must be completed and signed by the representative and then the Behavioural Science Director of Studies and then lodged with the Social Sciences student administration. Forms are available from the Psychology Office. Q. I am part way through my degree in Behavioural Science. Will I graduate with the new degree name Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology)? A. Only if you complete the new topic PSYC3231 Skills for Behavioural Scientists as it is compulsory in the newly named degree. Q. I know I have completed everything for my degree but I have not received any information about graduation so what should I do? A. You should contact the Faculty of Social Sciences Student Administration Office in the Social Sciences South building just around the corner from the Assignment Office. It is possible that you may be wishing to use credit from a previous degree or cross-institutional study but have not formerly applied for that credit towards your current degree or shown evidence of successful completion of the cross-institutional topics. Q. If I take leave halfway through first year, what topics can I study when I come back the next year? A. You would have to complete the first year requirements including PSYC1102 and PSYC1103 in second semester. Depending upon your second major area you may be able to do some second year topics as well. Q. Can I overload in a Semester and across the whole year? A. Yes. It is common for students to do a 21/15 or 15/21 mix of units across the semesters due to availability of topics. You can also study more than 36 units in a year. In either case you should request approval for the overload via Web enrolment and should consult with your Course Advisor about the situation. Q. Can I get credit towards my degree for prior study? A. Yes. How much credit depends upon what topics you have completed and how they fit with the structure of the Flinders' degree. You may only receive up to two-thirds credit (72 units from a 108 unit (3 year) degree) towards a Flinders degree on the basis of topics studied elsewhere. Q. What do specified, unspecified and block credit mean? A. Specified credit refers to a direct relationship between topics, e.g. obtaining credit for PSYC1101 on the basis of having completed PSYC1104. Unspecified credit is used when the individual topics are not important but the area of study is, e.g. obtaining credit for second year Psychology on the basis of second year Psychology topics studied at another University. Block credit is relevant in situations where all topics in a year are compulsory and so credit can be given for the whole year of study. Student Evaluations of TeachingWhy SETs (Student Evaluations of Teaching) matter?It's that time of semester again! As the semester draws to a close, you will once again find that you are asked to complete evaluations of many of your lecturers, tutors and topics. This may all seem like a chore (or a bore), so we want to explain why these are important and what happens with them. The overall purpose of student evaluation of teaching is to provide staff with valid and reliable information with which to make informed decisions about improving student learning outcomes. This has got to be a good thing. In fact, in an effort to promote quality and demonstrate quality assurance, the University mandates that each lecturer collect SETs on at least one topic per year. So basically we have no choice but to collect them. Much more important is what happens with them. What happens to the evaluations I fill in? As you know, the evaluations are always conducted and collected by someone other than the lecturer or tutor. They are then sent for processing at the University of Adelaide. A summary (mean, mode, frequency distribution graph) of the responses for each quantitative question is then sent confidentially to the lecturer, as well as to the Head of the School. The actual open-ended responses are sent to the lecturer. So, at the end of the day, precisely two people know what your evaluations say - the lecturer and the Head of Psychology. What happens then? There are a number of options as to what may happen. (a) If some problem has been identified, then either the Head of School can make suggestions or the lecturer can initiate some action on their own. These can include:
(b) Certainly the SETs will be discussed in the Annual Performance Review that staff have to undertake with the Head of School. (c) The lecturer is also required to provide the SETs in any application for promotion. Thus student evaluations may be quite important to a person's career. In this light, it's also important to offer feedback about what lecturers are doing well and what is useful in a topic. (d) We need to also acknowledge that sometimes maybe nothing will happen, but on average it will. What are the benefits for students? So, even though you personally may not reap the benefits of any changes made to a topic in response to your SETs, the people behind you will be grateful. And similarly, you may reap the rewards from the feedback provided by students in the year before you. So when you get asked to do another SET, please take the time to offer thoughtful and constructive feedback to the person concerned. Most likely it will result in some change/consequence, even if you don't see them for yourself. So do it with good grace for the benefit of the lecturer and their future students. Remember your feedback is used to improve teaching and learning in the School of Psychology and in the University as a whole. Marika Tiggemann, School of Psychology
Further StudyQ. Can I do Honours in Behavioural Science then do a Masters or PhD?A. Yes. Completing BBehavSc(Hons) with a grade of IIA (Distinction average) or I (High Distinction average) enables you to apply for entry into Masters programs or PhD or PhD(Clin). Q. What if I want to specialise in Psychology e.g. become a Forensic or Sport Psychologist? A. You may be able to study some specialised topics at undergraduate level, however, you would need to complete an accredited four-year APS program before you can apply for specialised postgraduate Psychology courses. Flinders offers the MPsych(Clin) and PhD(Clin) which are Clinical courses. Other universities in SA and interstate offer specialist courses in Neuropsychology, Organisational, Forensic and Sport Psychology. Q. What other study could I do at the end of my BBehavSc(Psych) if I decide not to do Psychology? A. You could apply for Honours in the area of your second major. This path has been followed successfully by a number of students. You could also apply for postgraduate study in other areas such as Education, Social Work, Speech Pathology, Medicine etc. Q. What do I do if I want to do Honours in the area of my second major instead of Psychology? A. Even though the degree may be called Behavioural Science (Hons), the program is completely run by the other area, so you would need to approach them during your third year to express your interest and find out about how to apply to them. |
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