If you have an interest in the human mind, how it works, and how we can help it, a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Griffith might be a degree to consider! It will teach you both the practice and science behind being a good psychologist, ready to progress into the workforce or further degrees.
Today, we are going to bring you all the info you need to decide if this is the right degree for you. We will unpack exactly what it’s like to study at Griffith, by breaking down the core units, culture, assessments, and more.
Sound good? Let’s go!
What is a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Griffith University?
Core Units for this Degree
How to Get into a Bachelor of Psychology at Griffith University
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
What is a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Griffith University?
In a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Griffith, you’ll learn all the different aspects of physiological science, including practice. Half of your subjects will be counselling and therapy based, while others will look more at scientific aspects of psychology.
This is certainly a degree for an all-rounder who wants to work with others.
Honours
Like most Psychology degrees, Honours is a requirement if you’d like to progress onto further study or become a qualified psychologist. The great news is that Honours is built into your degree at Griffith.
However there are some parameters — though you will enrol for Honours from your very first year, you will need to meet some requirements to progress into this final year. These requirements will be explained throughout your study.
If these standards are not met, you will exit the degree in third year. In this case, most students graduate with a Bachelor of Psychological Science. Don’t stress too much though — you will be guided through all requirements and you take classes. If you work hard, you should be sweet!
Career Paths
There are many career paths available by studying undergrad Psychology. With a little extra study, you may go on to clinical practice. Other options include:
-
- Addictions counsellor
- Workforce manager in business
- Wellbeing officer
- HR management
- Aged care services
- Defence force or police mentoring
- Children’s safety officer
- Disability support worker
Core Units for this Degree
As we’ve discussed, this is a highly specialised degree, so there are many subjects you will be taking on! These are generally divided up by year levels.
Year One
In your first year, you’ll be taking on:
Introduction to Psychology 1 & 2
In these courses, students will learn the basics of cognitive and biological bases for human behaviour. You will learn about the role of the brain in different neural processes and get to grips with concepts like memory, behaviour and learning.
Counselling Skills
In this fairly practical subject, you will learn the core concepts to being a good counsellor, including how to maintain positive connections with your clients. You’ll be introduced to ways of developing different techniques for unique clients and reflect on key skills needed in the profession.
Psychology in Professional Contexts
This subject provides students with a great overview of how and why psychology is used in various professional settings. You will learn about how to relate your work to different jobs, especially in a changing professional environment. It will also teach you how to select appropriate work and use it to your career advantage.
You’ll also be studying Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology and Interpersonal Skills.
Year Two
Your second year units will consist of:
Social and Cultural Psychology
Ever wondered how true the concept of nature versus nurture is, or why we act differently in different environments? This course will tell you! You’ll examine how thoughts, feelings and behaviours are shaped by the people around us.
Experimental Design and Analysis
This is another practical course, where you will learn about statistical concepts and hypothesis testing to design complex experiments that take into account issues like measurement, reliability and manipulation.
Biological Psychology
Another course all about links! This time, you’ll be looking at the link between biological systems and human behaviour. You will learn about how all types of basic behaviour like sleeping, eating, memory and language are shaped by the different systems of the body.
Developmental Psychology, Group Facilitation and Coaching Skills, and Cognitive Psychology are other subjects you’ll be enrolled into.
Year Three
In third year, you’ll get to study:
Psychological Assessment of Individual Differences
This subject introduces students to the notion of psychological testing and assessment of individual differences. There is a focus on personality and intelligence assessments.
It will teach you the history of testing, and the practical implications around it. You will also come to understand the ethics of different testing techniques.
Behaviour Change Skills
This is a practical and skills-oriented subject that examines different elements of behaviour, ethics, and culture. You will learn about how effective change can be made through understanding issues such as upbringing, community intervention and behaviour change techniques.
Other subjects you’ll be taking include Abnormal Psychology and Survey and Design Analysis.
Year Four (Honours)
The final year of your degree consists almost solely of research analysis, design and your final project. You will work with accomplished professionals to come up with sophisticated thesis topics that you can then write on for your research project.
Internships and placements
There are no compulsory placements with an undergraduate Psych course at Griffith.
However, as part of your free choice electives, you may choose to take on an internship.
Once you have completed 80cp (the equivalent to one year of study), you can enrol in the ‘Community Internship’ elective. You’ll then be able to partake in at least 50 hours of volunteering in a community program that has signed with Griffith.
How to Get into a Bachelor of Psychology at Griffith University
The minimum ATAR for a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Griffith is 79 (which is a lot lower than Psych at many unis). However, there are some alternative entry points if you don’t quite reach this.
Alternative Pathways
Griffith offers a Year 12 Early Offer Guarantee, which is available if you live in Queensland or northern NSW. Entry for this varies, but you will be required to be, at a minimum, to be receiving a passing grade in all subjects.
If you are a mature student, you can also look into one of Griffith’s other pathways, including the submission of a personal statement. This can be added to your degree application, and is useful if you did not complete Year 12 or receive the required marks.
Scholarships
Griffith has a number of great scholarships on offer which you can check out here.
A particularly notable one is the Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship, which is offered to students who are expected to receive an ATAR of 95.50 or above. It’s certainly worth applying for if you think you could be in this category.
If you are moving to study at Griffith, you might also look at the George Alexander Foundation Scholarship, which can assist full-time students with cost of living.
What’s the Teaching Format?
At Griffith, you will receive a practical education that targets each different element of psychology, gearing you up for the workforce.
Importantly, Griffith is structured via trimesters, meaning you will have three key study sessions a year. This may put you on a different schedule to a lot of your friends, who might be at universities who work in semesters.
Class Structure
Within your degree, you’ll have a combo of different class types, all of which are designed to teach you and help with different aspects of your education.
Lectures
Lectures at Griffith typically have around 100 to 500 students in attendance and go for about 45 to 1 hour, but can be longer depending on the subject.
Generally, a lecturer will speak to a large group of students in a theatre or on Zoom. These are the sessions where all your content for the week is laid out. It’s a chance to go over key themes from readings and be introduced to tricky topics.
Tutorials
In these smaller, interactive classes of about 25 students, you’ll be drilling into important themes that were addressed in the lecture. It’s also a time to ask any questions you may have about content.
You may be assigned small tasks to complete so your tutor can see how you’re progressing. Tutes at Griffith are quite short, lasting only 45 minutes and they are compulsory to attend.
Labs
These lessons are kind of like a practical tute, with around 25 students in attendance too.
You may be learning key skills, conducting experiments or looking at biological concepts to better understand the brain. They can last up to an hour and 30 minutes.
Seminars
Griffith also offers optional seminars to get deeper into psych subjects. These aren’t run all the time, and the specific topics are disclosed before sign up.
How much time is spent in class?
At Griffith, you will have roughly 7 hours of face-to-face teaching a week. This includes a one hour lecture for each subject, which may be held online, and a 45 minute tutorial.
What are assessments like?
During your time studying Griffith Psychology, most assessments will be quite practical. You may be assessed on your counselling skills or group facilitation.
On top of this, there’s a number of critical evaluations of research literature to check you know your stuff. Lab reports also have to be written up for things you have learnt.
Most classes have two exams. There will be a mid trimester exam in about week 6, and Finals in week 13.
Skills Learnt in this Degree
A Psychology degree at Griffith teaches you many key skills! Some of them are:
-
- Resilience
- Time management
- Effective study skills
- Interpersonal interaction
- Empathy
Because this is such a diverse degree, you’re going to learn a huge number of skills — many of them will be highly practical.
Resilience and time management will be skills that you learn from your study schedule. You will need to be able to balance many academic subjects at once, while also considering work, social activities and a good life balance.
Your practical subjects, particularly the ones aimed at counselling, will teach you empathy and interpersonal interaction. You will understand how to read people and respond to complex situations.
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
As we’ve chatted about already, Griffith Psychology has a really great culture. The faculty are caring and invest in their students.
You’ll also be studying with other students who are genuinely passionate about their degree and want to work hard, which makes a huge difference to your uni experience!
Griffith Psychology boasts an array of accomplished staff, many of whom have practiced professionally. Because of this, the teaching is hands-on and will give you practical skills to follow into your career.
Some particular standout teachers are Dr Matt Stainer in statistics, Dr Sharon Scrafton who knows all things cognitive psychology, and Dr Rebecca Lawrence — she has great knowledge of the brain and it is always available when students need her!
Societies
Part of what will make your time at Griffith great is getting involved in the societies that are on offer. Here are some you might want to check out:
The SRC at Griffith provides a space to advocate for issues around your uni and get involved with passionate students.
If you’d like to be part of something more low-key, you might also check out Griffith Psychology Society. This group is run by students and offers social events that you can be involved in. They also organise meetings with mentors, industry experience and help you progress through your degree with confidence.
The Rainbow Society is a place that offers inclusion for students from LGBTQ backgrounds. Students say it is a great way to meet friends and have regular catch ups!
Accessibility at Griffith
Having good accessibility at university is really important for all kinds of students. You’ll find good help at Griffith. Student and disability contacts are available to students via phone, Skype, email or in person.
By getting in touch with a Senior Disability Advisor, you can be assisted with things like arrangement of alternative exam conditions, formatting of materials, captioning, access to assistive technologies or note-taking services. There are also Auslan interpreters available.
Mentoring
Griffith has some designated mentoring systems set up to benefit students.
If you’d like general study support, you can connect with one-on-one mentors or take part in drop in sessions.
There are also programs available to get you back on track if you feel like you might be failing a subject, or need an extra boost. Here, you’ll be able to identify academic goals, learn key time management skills and develop study strategies.
You can find out more about mentoring here!
And there we are! Now that you know all about studying a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Griffith, you will be well-equipped to make your own decisions about how you want to set up your degree.
Take some time to look around and find what is right for you!
Lucinda Garbutt-Young hopes to one day be writing for a big-shot newspaper… or maybe just for a friendly magazine in the arts sector. Right now, she is enjoying studying a Bachelor of Public Communication (Public Relations and Journalism) at UTS while she writes on the side. She also loves making coffees for people in her job as a barista, and loves nothing more than a sun shower.
