Study Psychology and Social Science with the online education expert

There are now many ‘johnny-come-lately’ universities in online education. UNE has been delivering distance education since 1955 – that’s longer than any other Australian university. Perhaps that’s why our students continue to rate us so highly for student satisfaction and teaching quality. 

Study across three study periods with 24/7 online tutor support. If you don’t have entry qualifications, our free Pathways Enabling Course gives you entry and credit to most of UNE’s undergraduate degrees.

If you prefer to study on-campus, UNE has a campus in Armidale.

If you’re not ready to commit to a whole degree right now, we also have our revolutionary new Bespoke Courses where you can design a short course of just 2, 3 or 4 units. Because they’re real degree units you may get credit towards a full degree later.

Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of our mental states and behaviour - how our experiences and biology interact to produce our thoughts and actions. Specific areas of study examine a range of psychological phenomena including learning, emotion, perception, memory, language, consciousness, and brain function. We also cover applied topics such as sustainability psychology, sports psychology, and the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.

Throughout all our programs we emphasise the importance of research skills, data analysis, and the writing of scientific reports. Psychology at UNE has a long and distinguished history. We offer courses that are recognised and respected by professional bodies, registration agencies and other universities throughout Australia and the world. All staff are highly qualified, conducting research and teaching in a diverse range of psychology topic areas.

Sociology

Featured Courses

Sociology is the study of society, with social relations between individuals and groups at its focus. Sociology can help us better understand who we are, what we do, and why we do it. In this way it can increase our self-knowledge and cultural awareness.

Sociologists study social life in all its forms, from everyday practices like shopping, to social institutions such as the family, health and medicine, death, beauty and fashion, gender and sexuality, the media, crime, globalisation, social and economic development and culture. Sociology can be studied at UNE as part of a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Science or Bachelor of Criminology.

Bachelor of Psychological Science

The Bachelor of Psychological Science core units of study examine a range of psychological phenomena - including learning, emotion, perception, memory, language, consciousness, and brain function. Other topics include sustainability psychology, sports psychology, and the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.

This degree provides a thorough grounding in psychology and is immediately recognisable in the workplace.

Bachelor of Social Science

The Bachelor of Social Science at UNE teaches students the techniques necessary to help formulate strategies to address a variety of issues that affect society at all levels, all over the world. With a core background in Psychology and Sociology, the degree will equip you with skills that are highly sought after in the workplace.

Students can choose either Psychology or Sociology as a major area of study, as well as further specialisation in a wide range of social science areas, including business, marketing, legal studies, health management and social philosophy.

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts gives you the flexibility to design a degree to suit your interests, strengths and career aspirations. Both Psychology and Sociology are among the 33 majors from which you can choose to study as part of a Bachelor of Arts, which equips students with creative, critical and analytical skills ideal for lifelong learning and sought after by employers.

Bachelor of Science

The Bachelor of Social Science will not only give you a whole new understanding of the world, it will expose you to a range of new ways of thinking. Psychology is one of the extensive range of majors available to choose from allowing you to be adventurous and map out a course of study in which you can immerse yourself with enthusiasm.

Bachelor of Psychology with Honours

Bachelor of Psychology with Honours is a four-year program of study for high-performing students aiming for a professional career in Psychology. Combining three years of undergraduate study with an integrated Honours year, comprising coursework and a research thesis, it allows students to gain a thorough grounding in the core areas of psychology along with an opportunity to study more specialist areas. Graduates are eligible for associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society and may apply to the Psychology Board of Australia for provisional registration and approval of an internship program. Graduates may also be eligible to proceed to the postgraduate clinical or research programs of study.

Graduate Diploma in Psychology

Students who have already completed a bachelor degree in another area can but wish to gain a qualification in psychology can apply for admission to the Graduate Diploma in Psychology. The course recognises a student's prior learning and provides a fast-track to gaining a psychology qualification, providing an accredited undergraduate sequence in Psychology.

Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced)

The Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced) allows graduates with a three-year accredited sequence in psychology to gain an accredited fourth year in psychology. Under current registration requirements, this will allow them to begin the process of professional registration as a psychologist.

The program of study includes components on psychological testing, clinical interviewing and interventions, ethics, research skills and an elective reading unit. Students also complete a supervised research thesis.

Master of Psychology (Clinical)

The Master of Psychology (Clinical) trains Psychology graduates in the professional specialisation of clinical psychology. The program is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). Completion of the degree will enable graduates to apply for general registration as a Psychologist. Subsequent supervised practice will lead to endorsement as a Clinical Psychologist by the Psychology Board of Australia.

Available Courses in Psychology and Social Science

Course

Trimester 3 
Start October 2017

Trimester 1 
Start February 2018*

Please see course details for individual course rules and admissions criteria. Note some degrees have mandatory intensive schools which require attendance on campus.

*Course list is subject to change.
**On campus only
^Early closing date

Flexibility is the key to our online learning programs. Whatever your commitments you can study at any time or place around the world - at home, travelling or at work. Your study can be balanced with the competing interests of work, family and social commitments.
UNE has been providing flexible education for over 60 years, so we know what the challenges are, and have a wide range of support services in place to help students overcome them. Our online teaching is designed to be inclusive, and to create a learning community for all students to engage with each other as well as academic staff. This is one of the reasons why we’ve been rated the best online university by Online Study Australia in its national list of top ten online universities.

How does online study work?

Instead of turning up to a lecture on campus at a designated time, the course content is provided online for you to access when it suits you each week. It might be a podcast (recorded lecture), a set of readings, questions posed in a discussion board, an online quiz or a video. Your lecturer will guide you through the unit with a weekly plan of study.

Intensive Schools

Some online units have intensive schools, which are usually held in the term breaks at our Armidale campus. Intensive schools are a valuable and enjoyable experience that enrich the learning process and help build your networks. Check the Course and Unit Catalogue to see if any units in your degree have intensive schools.
Please note: International students who wish to study wholly online are only permitted to do so if they are studying online from overseas or are studying in Australia on a visa other than a student visa.
The Pathways Enabling Course prepares you for admission to an undergraduate course at UNE. It is free from course fees and available online. The course awards you with the minimum entry requirements and can provide credit towards your UNE degree.

Why study the Pathways Enabling Course?

  • Prepare for university without paying course fees
  • Gain admission to university
  • Flexible online study
  • Develop valuable skills and knowledge
  • Complete study that can count towards your degree
  • Start in any three teaching periods
More information about the 
Pathways Enabling Course.

Getting Started

Prior to applying we suggest you:
1. Check out our 
Course and Unit Catalogue
, to see all the degrees UNE has to offer. You can search by course or for specific subjects. If you find yourself thinking 'that might be good', then have a look at which degree program is linked to those subjects.
2. Check if you need to add any 
entry requirement documentation
 to your application.
3. 
Check the closing dates for applications.
 Some courses have earlier closing dates and requirements.
4. You may also be eligible for credit for study you've previously undertaken successfully, find out about 
Advanced Standing
.

Ready to apply?

Applications are now open for Trimester 3, 2017
APPLY NOW
Please note: International students who wish to study wholly online are only permitted to do so if they are studying online from overseas or are studying in Australia on a visa other than a student visa.

Need some more information?

Use the form below to email our Future Student Team and they'll be able to help you with details about the application process, degree questions, studying at UNE and more.
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