The honours program commences in Semester 1 (February). No mid-year (July) entry is possible.
Applications for BA(Hons) and BSc(Hons) in psychology close on 31st October - see application timelines for a full list of important dates.
Students in the BPsySc(Hons) do not need to apply for honours. Once all years 1-3 requirements are met, students will automatically progress into the next honours intake. Students who have not completed all year 1-3 of the BPsySc(Hons) are not permitted to enrol in fourth year or fourth year courses.
Emails are sent to eligible students in September each year confirming intentions to complete honours, followed by offers in December.
Students should note that the confirmed psychology honours cohort will be required to nominate supervisor preferences early in the year (late January). You should monitor your email throughout December - February as we are not able to accommodate late preferences.
Students enrolled in the fourth year are required to attend an orientation session scheduled in Orientation Week. Students will be advised of the date, time and location of this session. Attendance at this orientation session is compulsory.
UQ Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) students
BPsySc(Hons) students who have completed years 1 to 3 of the program are automatically eligible for the fourth year.
Students can choose one of two streams for honours – the Research Stream or the Work Integrated Stream. The Research Stream includes a one-on-one thesis supervised by a School academic and all thesis components such as data collection and analysis are done independently. The Work Integrated Stream includes a team thesis which is collaborative in nature and students will complete a placement at an organisation arranged by the School. Both streams lead to the same opportunities for postgraduate study and employment.
Students have the opportunity to opt for a stream that suits their career interests. Entry into either stream is not determined by GPA. However, if too many students choose one stream relative to the number of available places, a GPA minimum will be applied to remain in that stream.
Students can complete courses in Summer Semester prior commencing fourth year. Students who have not completed all year 1-3 of the BPsySc(Hons) are not permitted to enrol in fourth year or fourth year courses.
Students enrolled in the fourth year are required to attend an orientation session scheduled in Orientation Week. Students will be advised of the date, time and location of this session. Attendance at this orientation session is compulsory.
UQ Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science students
Applications are invited from students who have:
- A completed bachelor degree in psychology (or equivalent) completed within the past ten years.
- Completed all program requirements for their BA or BSc (#48) by the end of Semester 2 in the year preceding Honours, so that selection into Honours may be done in a timely fashion.
- Completed the extended major in psychology accredited by APAC.
- Have maintained a minimum cumulative GPA of 5.0 for the Year 2 and Year 3 courses of the psychology extended major.
- Your degree must be accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as an entry point into an honours program; e.g. Bachelor of Science or Arts (extended major in Psychology) at UQ.
If you have an overseas qualification you must provide certification with your application from the Australian Psychological Society (APS) stating your degree is equivalent to an APAC-approved, 3-year training in psychology. The Australian Psychological Society advises the average processing time is eight weeks.
Honours is a post-bachelor's qualification and therefore you must have completed a BA or BSc before you can be accepted.
Students who have completed courses in Semester 2 but have Deferred or Supplementary examinations to finalise their results will be considered.
Students may not use the Summer Semester immediately prior to the first Honours semester to complete their degrees; the only exception is a student whose GPA is 6.0 or higher in advanced psychology courses, and who is enrolling in a final course over summer to complete the BA or BSc, who may be given provisional entry on condition that they do successfully complete that course and maintain an acceptable GPA.
Students can choose one of two streams for honours – the Research Stream or the Work Integrated Stream. The Research Stream includes a one-on-one thesis supervised by a School academic and all thesis components such as data collection and analysis are done independently. The Work Integrated Stream includes a team thesis, which is collaborative in nature, and a placement where students will complete a placement at an organisation arranged by the School. Both streams lead to the same opportunities for postgraduate study and employment.
Students have the opportunity to preference a stream that suits their career interests. Entry into either stream is not initially determined by GPA. However, if too many students choose one stream relative to the number of available places, a GPA minimum will be applied to remain in that stream.
Information on lodging an application is available on the Study at UQ website.
Students from other institutions
There is provision for applications for admission to postgraduate honours programs, the BA(Hons) and BSc(Hons) for domestic and international applicants. This does not include the Bachelor of Psychological Science (BPsySc(Hons)) fourth year.
Entry into the BA(Hons) or BSc(Hons) applies to students from other institutions who:
- Have a completed bachelor degree in psychology (or equivalent) completed within the past ten years.
- Your degree must be accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as an entry point into an honours program; e.g. Bachelor of Science or Arts (extended major in Psychology) at UQ.
If you have an overseas qualification you must provide certification with your application from the Australian Psychological Society (APS) stating your degree is equivalent to an APAC-approved, 3-year training in psychology. The Australian Psychological Society advises the average processing time is eight weeks.
There is a limited number of places available to non-UQ students, and selection is determined on cumulative GPA. Entry is highly competitive with the GPA minimum selection threshold normally 6.5 or higher on a 7 point scale.
Information on lodging an application is available on the Study at UQ website.
Offer of places in the honours program
The School of Psychology processes applications for the BA(Hons) in Psychology and BSc(Hons) in Psychology by approval of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Faculty of Science, respectively.
Please refer to the Honours Application Timelines for a full list of dates.
Nominating supervisor preferences
The supervisory nomination process differs depending on whether students enter the Research Stream or Work Integrated Stream.
In January students will be emailed details of supervisors, and will be required to complete a supervisor preference form.
It’s important to check your student email address between December - February for important honours information about the program and supervision.
"I Completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology. I love people and have always been fascinated with what drives us to behave and interact in certain ways, so I thought I’m going to study something I’m interested in on a personal level. I wasn’t certain where it would take me but I knew it was something I wanted to learn about. I choose UQ to complete my degree because I was aware of UQ’s reputation as a world class university. I’m glad that I did study psychology at UQ. I was pleased with my choice because of the quality of the teaching staff and course offerings, both of which were fantastic. The course offerings were good and the content was engaging and well delivered by teaching staff who were very skilled in communicating their knowledge, which made learning all the more enjoyable."