Majoring in psychology at the undergraduate level , Mātai hinengaro hei ako matua paetahi

Find out about the options for specialising or majoring in psychology in your undergraduate qualification.

Undergraduate degrees offering a major in psychology

You can specialise in psychology within three bachelor's qualifications.

Minimum number of courses

To complete a degree with a major in psychology you need to complete a minimum number of psychology courses within your bachelor's degree.

The exact number depends on the degree. You'll also do several important non-psychology courses, often referred to as core courses.

Qualification Minimum number of psychology courses to get a major
Bachelor of Arts 8 or 9
Bachelor of Science 10
Bachelor of Health Science 9

Differences between degrees

The psychology component in all three degrees is similar. What differs is the other subjects that you include in your degree.

Some degrees have more restrictions on the subjects you may choose than others. For example, the Bachelor of Health Science degree is highly structured. You can only choose three elective subjects with the core courses and courses for your major.

Business psychology major

If you wish to complete a major in business psychology, then you need to do a Bachelor of Arts degree. The business psychology major is unusual and needs 195 credits:

  • 135 credits in psychology
  • 60 credits from courses offered by the Massey Business School.

Which qualification to take

Qualification Why choose this option
Bachelor of Arts If you want to do social science or humanities subjects such as philosophy, media studies, Māori knowledge, or geography, alongside psychology.
Bachelor of Arts (Business Psychology) If you want to a degree that combines work-related psychology with the business subjects of human resource management and management.
Bachelor of Science If you want to do science subjects, such as ecology and conservation, exercise and sports science, or human nutrition, alongside psychology.
Bachelor of Health Science If you want to a variety of health science courses, such as epidemiology, health communications, and public health, alongside psychology.

When you already have a degree

If you already have a degree in another subject area other than psychology you can get the equivalent of a major in psychology by taking a GradDipArts (Psychology) or a GDipScTech.

If you plan to do postgraduate study in psychology, we recommend all 8 courses in your graduate diploma are psychology courses.

Other options

If you want to give psychology a try without doing a whole degree, consider one of these options. You won't be able to progress to postgraduate study in psychology, but you could 'upgrade' to a degree or graduate diploma by taking extra courses in the future.

Minors

If you are doing a degree majoring in another subject area but want to do some psychology as part of your degree, then do a minor in psychology or a minor in indigenous psychology.

Diplomas and certificates

If you want to do a little bit of psychology to see what it is like but don’t want to commit to three years of full-time study just yet then you could study a:

  • certificate (in arts or science and technology) and do 4 courses
  • diploma (in arts or science and technology) and do 8 courses.

Graduate Certificate of Arts

If you already hold a degree but aren’t ready to commit to a graduate diploma you could study a Graduate Certificate of Arts endorsed in Psychology which consists of 4 courses.

Comparison between options

Qualification (Major) Prerequisite Total credits (courses) Minimum psychology credits (courses) Allows progression to postgraduate psychology
Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Normal university entry requirements 360 (24 courses) 120 (8 courses) Yes
Bachelor of Arts (Business Psychology) Normal university entry requirements 360 (24 courses) 135 (9 courses) Yes
Bachelor of Science (Psychology) Normal university entry requirements 360 (24 courses) 120 (8 courses)† Yes
Bachelor of Health Science (Psychology) Normal 360 (24 courses) 120 (8 courses)†† Yes
BA or BSc with a minor in psychology Normal 60 (4 courses) 60 (4 courses) No
Diploma in Arts (Psychology endorsement) Normal 120 (8 courses) 75 (5 courses) No
Diploma in Arts (Indigenous Psychologies endorsement) Normal 120 (8 courses) 45 (3 courses) No
Graduate Certificate in Arts (Psychology endorsement) Existing degree 60 (4 courses) 60 (4 courses) No
Graduate Diploma in Arts (Psychology endorsement) Existing degree 120 (8 courses) 90 (6 courses) but 120 (8 courses) strongly recommended Yes

†A BSc in psychology requires four 200-level psychology courses (one must be 175203) and four 300-level psychology courses. 175102 is a required prerequisite course. We strongly recommend you also complete 175101.

†† A BHlthSc in psychology requires four 200-level psychology courses and four 300-level psychology courses. 175.102 is also a required prerequisite course. 175203 is considered a required core course. We strongly recommend you also complete 175101.

Courses within your qualification

Once you've gained entry to study a qualification you can enrol in specific courses as shown on the qualification page.

We teach over 20 different undergraduate psychology courses. Many of them are available both on campus and by online distance study.

The range of psychology courses offered at Massey reflects the diversity of psychology.

As a social and applied science

Focusing on topics such as:

  • development
  • personality
  • social processes
  • gender
  • emotions.

These areas are fundamental to applied courses in areas which help us solve individual and social problems such as:

  • clinical psychology
  • forensic psychology
  • health psychology
  • security
  • work psychology

As a psychological science

As a psychological science, psychology focuses on:

  • perception and consciousness
  • cognition
  • decision making
  • problem solving
  • social cognition
  • memory
  • learning
  • evolution
  • biological bases of behaviour.

Research methods and psychological assessment

Research methods and psychological assessment are important skills you will learn. They include study of:

  • experimental design
  • surveys
  • interviews
  • data analysis
  • use of psychometric assessment tests.

Indigenous psychologies

Our courses in indigenous psychologies explore the variety of ways in which cultures understand what it is to be a person and how different communities view, respond to, and conduct psychological research and interventions.

Get advice

Academic Advice for Professional Psychology

Advice Service for initial questions, especially those related to progression options to advanced psychology qualifications.

Email: academicadvice@massey.ac.nz
Phone: +64 6 951 6118

Undergraduate Coordinator

E-mail: psych.undergrad.coordinator@massey.ac.nz

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