About the Faculty

      ... of Psychology

Introduction to the Field of Psychology

Psychology, the scientific study of behavior and the mind. This definition contains three elements. The first is that psychology is a scientific enterprise that obtains knowledge through systematic and objective methods of observation and experimentation. Second is that psychologists study behavior, which refers to any action or reaction that can be measured or observed—such as the blink of an eye, an increase in heart rate, or the unruly violence that often erupts in a mob. Third is that psychologists study the mind, which refers to both conscious and unconscious mental states. These states cannot actually be seen, only inferred from observable behavior.

Many people think of psychologists as individuals who dispense advice, analyze personality, and help those who are troubled or mentally ill. But psychology is far more than the treatment of personal problems. Psychologists strive to understand the mysteries of human nature—why people think, feel, and act as they do. Some psychologists also study animal behavior, using their findings to determine laws of behavior that apply to all organisms and to formulate theories about how humans behave and think.

With its broad scope, psychology investigates an enormous range of phenomena: learning and memory, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, thinking and language, personality and social behavior, intelligence, infancy and child development, mental illness, and much more. Furthermore, psychologists examine these topics from a variety of complementary perspectives. Some conduct detailed biological studies of the brain, others explore how we process information; others analyze the role of evolution, and still others study the influence of culture and society.

Psychologists seek to answer a wide range of important questions about human nature:

• Are individuals genetically predisposed at birth to develop certain traits or abilities?
• How accurate are people at remembering faces, places, or conversations from the past?
• What motivates us to seek out friends and sexual partners?
• Why do so many people become depressed and behave in ways that seem self-destructive?
• Do intelligence test scores predict success in school, or later in a career?
• What causes prejudice, and why is it so widespread?
• Can the mind be used to heal the body?

Discoveries from psychology can help people understand themselves, relate better to others, and solve the problems that confront them.

The term psychology comes from two Greek words: psyche, which means “soul,” and logos, "the study of." These root words were first combined in the 16th century, at a time when the human soul, spirit, or mind was seen as distinct from the body.

Working in the Field

The degree offers students the opportunity of pursuing careers in a wide range of areas such as:

Advertising Manager Admissions Counselor Business Manager Career Counselor Child Welfare Worker Community Service Agency Director Customer Service Director Gerontologist Guidance Counselor Hospital Administrator Human Resources Administrator Labour Relations Specialist Market Research Analyst

Marriage Counselor Mental Health Worker Nursing Home Administrator Personnel Manager Probation/Parole Officer Psychologist Public Relations Manager Rehabilitation Counselor Sales Representative Social Worker Speech Pathologist Substance Abuse Counselor Youth Counselor

Types of Employers

An employer is a person or institution that hires employees or workers and may include everything from individuals hiring a single person to governments and businesses which hire many thousands of employees. In most western societies governments are the largest single employers, but most of the work force is employed in small and medium businesses in the private sector. The following types of employers are relevant to Psychology majors:

Adoption and Child Care Agencies Advertising Agencies Correctional Institutions Educational Institutions Financial Service Companies/Banks Hospitals Labor Unions Management Consulting Firms Market Research Firms Mental Health Institutions

Newspapers, Magazines Personnel Agencies Publishing Companies Radio and TV Stations Real Estate Agencies Religious Organizations Resort Hotels Retail Stores Substance Abuse Clinics Social Service Agencies

The Faculty

The Faculty of Psychology presents specialized programmes and courses in its particular field. The Faculty is renowned for its quality tuition and students can expect to receive professional guidance by highly qualified professors and tutors, supported by excellent learning support material throughout your period of study. The programmes and courses presented are described below.

Career-Oriented Degrees

Our undergraduate degree, with its three programmes (Cert., Dip. and Bachelor) presenting more than 15 courses are designed to educate you for a career in Psychology. The BPsych degrees will provide an excellent background in a wide field of Psychology career opportunities.

Bachelor of Psychology

The BPsych degree is suitable not only for students who wish to acquire a broad-based training for a career in the Psychology sector, but also for graduates who wish to complement their degrees with a more humanity-oriented qualification. The degree offers students the opportunity of pursuing careers in a wide range of areas.

Undergraduates with a degree in psychology find work as or more readily than degree holders in other disciplines in the sciences and social sciences, and they are more likely than other social science degree holders to find employment that is related to their undergraduate major.

Jobs in non-profit, educational and government institutions are more likely to utilize skills developed as an undergraduate major in psychology, although other areas of employment may also offer opportunities to "put the degree to work".

Individuals obtaining a degree in psychology are quite employable and are qualified to hold positions that demand many different sorts of skills and responsibilities. This doesn't mean that being a psychology major will necessarily be the best preparation for any sort of career in which you might be interested. But it is plain that this major enables many people to find useful work, which often involves skills and knowledge acquired during your major studies.

Learning Programmes

The Faculty presents the following six learning programmes:

• Certificate in Psychology (Cert Psych)
• Diploma in Psychology (Dip Psych)
• Bachelor of Psychology (BPsych)
• Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) (BPsych (Hons))
• Master of Psychology (MPsych)
• Doctor of Psychology (DPsych)

Compulsory Courses

Our 13 prescribed courses presented for the above programmes are:

• Study Skills
• General Psychology
• Psychology of Life
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Psychology of the Learner
• Family Therapy
• Personality
• Applying Psychology at Work
• Physiology of Behaviour
• Psychological Assessment
• Research Methodology

Choice of Courses

On the third and fourth year (BPsych and BPsych Hons) levels, students have a choice of 3 additional courses in order to complete the required number of credits for that particular level. Courses may also be chosen from other faculties. Students may choose from the following courses:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Experimental Psychology
• Human Sexuality

Programme Syllabi

For details on the courses presented in our learning programmes, please refer to the programme syllabi.

Further Readings

You can read more on the following related subjects:

• Faculty creed
• Psychology programmes
• Programme summaries
• The tuition model
• The course professor
• The academic tutor

The sitemap and the index place these and other valuable information at your fingertips

Postgraduate Study

The Faculty offers more than undergraduate study. Once you have obtained a degree in our Faculty, you may register for an honours degree or a postgraduate diploma. After passing your honours degree, you may register for a Master's degree for which you have to submit a dissertation. On completion of the Master's degree, a Doctor's degree represents the highest step on your academic ladder (also called academic path).

The academic ladder is schematically presented as follows:

See Psychology Course Fees

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