Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

This is a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) awarded by The Cairnmillar Institute. In the Australian system it sits at AQF level 8, the same level as an honours degree and a graduate diploma. It is a psychology qualification that includes an honours research component, which matters if you want to go on to registration or postgraduate study in psychology. The course runs for 42 weeks. The Institute is a private higher education provider based in Melbourne with a focus on psychology and counselling, and it has a clinical training arm that sees clients, which is where many students get their first taste of applied practice.

What you study

The degree covers the core psychology curriculum: developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, biological bases of behaviour, personality, abnormal psychology, research methods and statistics. The honours part is a supervised research project. You work with a supervisor, design a study, get ethics approval, collect and analyse data, and write a thesis. That thesis is the piece that separates an honours degree from a pass degree, and it is what most postgraduate psychology programmes look at when they assess applicants.

Teaching is delivered in trimesters or semesters, depending on the intake. Each unit has a credit point value, and you need to accumulate the required credit points to graduate. Assessment is a mix of exams, essays, lab reports, presentations and the thesis. The honours year is usually the final stage, and it is more research-heavy than the earlier years.

Work-integrated learning and skills

Work-integrated learning is part of many psychology degrees, and at Cairnmillar it often takes the form of placements or practical experience in the Institute's clinics or partner organisations. You are supervised while you learn to interview clients, take histories, and think about formulation and ethical practice. You also build skills in research design, statistical analysis using software like SPSS or R, academic writing, and critical thinking. If you are aiming for registration as a psychologist, you will need further study and supervised practice after this degree; the honours year is the first step on that path.

Who it suits

This course suits people who want a psychology qualification with a research component and a clear route toward postgraduate training. It also suits those who are returning to study or who want a smaller, specialist institution rather than a large university. International students should note the English requirement: IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common standard for undergraduate and coursework postgraduate courses, though some fields require 7.0–7.5. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the Institute's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. While studying, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight. After graduating, you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which lets you stay and work in Australia. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register; check the official page for current fees, intake dates and credit arrangements.

• Psychology research assistant in universities, hospitals and research institutes
• Support worker or case manager in community mental health, disability and youth services
• Human resources or organisational development roles in the public and private sectors
• Policy or program officer in government departments and NGOs
• Behaviour support practitioner in the NDIS sector
• Further study toward provisional registration as a psychologist, which requires a fifth and sixth year of study plus supervised practice