Bachelor of Psychology - Psychology (Extended Major)

The University of Western Australia

The Psychology extended major provides an advanced scientific understanding of human thoughts and behaviours, the psychological processes underlying these and the relationship of these processes to brain function. You will find an emphasis on the measurement of psychological behaviour and abilities; the social and multicultural contexts for human behaviour; and psychology in the workplace. You can also develop an understanding of the biological underpinnings of behaviour, and will learn how psychological processes are affected by ageing, brain damage and disease.

Psychology is a fascinating and diverse area of study that touches upon many aspects of daily life, seeking to answer questions about how and why people behave the way they do. The Psychology extended major will help you develop a scientific understanding of human thoughts and behaviours, the psychological processes underlying these and the relationship of these processes to brain function.

Course Structure

Extended majors enable you to dive deeper into a particular area of study and normally require 13 to 18 units studied over the course of your degree.

Why study with us?

Psychology can take you anywhere and everywhere. Psychology is relevant to almost any human endeavour, meaning a psychology degree, or some complementary psychology studies, are relevant not only for traditional psychology careers, but for a wide range of careers.

What will I learn?

An undergraduate degree in psychology equips you with:

Specialist knowledge

Normal and abnormal development – How do psychological abilities develop through the lifespan and how are psychological processes affected by ageing, brain damage and disease?

Groups and organisations – How do our psychological abilities impact on relationships between people and groups in society? How do you optimise human performance in a work setting?

Cognition and perception – How do our brains interpret inputs from the world? How do we perceive, think, remember and make decisions?

Research methods – How do you measure psychological constructs such as intelligence, personality traits and social skills? How do you analyse data to make evidence-based decisions?

Career Pathways

Psychology is relevant to almost any human endeavour, which means a psychology degree, or some complementary psychology studies, are relevant not only for traditional psychology careers, but for a wide range of careers. For example, there are psychologists designing cockpits for NASA, computer software interfaces, personnel selection systems, or age-appropriate toys; psychologists develop market research strategies, or train people in a variety of settings.