Psychology (Extended Major)

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Western Australia

Program Overview

The Psychology (Extended Major) at The University of Western Australia is your chance to dive deep into the science of human thought, feeling, and behaviour. It’s perfect for curious minds who love asking why people do what they do. Across three years, you’ll explore how brains work, how our social and cultural worlds shape us, and how to use evidence-based thinking to make a real difference in people’s lives.

Curriculum Structure:
Year 1 is all about laying the foundations and sparking your curiosity. You’ll start with Psychology: Mind and Brain, discovering how the nervous system drives behaviour, and Psychology: Behaviour in Context, which shows how psychological ideas play out in everyday life. You’ll also get the chance to broaden your perspective with subjects like Aboriginal Encounters or Human Biology, exploring how culture and biology shape the human experience.

Year 2 takes your curiosity to the next level with a focus on scientific thinking. Research Methods and Analysis in Psychology I will teach you how to design studies and interpret real data. You’ll also study Psychology and Social Behaviour to understand how people interact in groups, Lifespan Development to see how people grow and change, and Cognitive Neuroscience, giving you hands-on insight into how the brain supports thinking and perception.

Year 3 is where you get to specialise and follow your interests. You’ll learn to measure traits and abilities in Psychological Measurement and its Application, understand workplaces in Industrial and Organisational Psychology, and explore mental health and brain function in units like Psychopathology and Perception and Sensory Neuropsychology. By the end of the year, you’ll have a rich understanding of human behaviour in both everyday and professional contexts.

Focus Areas: Applied research methods, cognitive and social processes, development across the lifespan, biological underpinnings of behaviour.

Learning Outcomes: Graduates of this program can think critically about human behaviour, design and analyse psychological research, communicate insights clearly, and apply psychological knowledge to personal, social, and professional challenges.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation): The extended major is part of an APAC‑accredited pathway, meaning you’ll be set up for postgraduate study and the professional training needed to become a registered psychologist.

Reputation (Employability Rankings): UWA is consistently ranked among the world’s top universities, and its psychology program is recognised globally for teaching and research excellence — a strong signal to employers that you’ve trained at a top-tier institution.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Choosing the Psychology extended major at UWA means you’re signing up for more than classroom lectures — it’s about learning by doing in ways that build real, career‑ready skills. You’ll engage with the scientific side of human behaviour from day one, learning how to design studies, measure behaviour and mental processes, and make sense of real data. That means you graduate not just knowing theories, but having actually used psychological tools, frameworks, and research techniques that employers and postgraduate programs value. And if you decide to continue into Honours, you’ll undertake an original research project that stretches your ability to ask real questions and deliver meaningful answers in the psychology world:

Experiential learning in the Psychology (Extended Major) includes:

Structured training in research methods, where you learn how to measure psychological constructs, collect data, and analyse results — skills you use in real research contexts rather than just memorising facts.
Opportunities to apply psychological measurement tools and techniques to understand behaviour across the lifespan, including how ageing, brain changes and social factors influence people.
Practice in interpreting and communicating psychological data — building your ability to turn numbers and observations into insights that matter in workplaces, communities and research settings.
If you choose the Honours pathway, a substantial empirical research project where you plan, implement, analyse and present your own study — a capstone experience that mirrors real professional and academic research work.
A curriculum that embeds applied understanding of psychology in workplaces, social contexts and multicultural settings, helping you connect learning with real‑world human settings.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Progression & Future Opportunities
Graduating with a Psychology Extended Major from UWA opens doors to careers where understanding people is key. Many graduates move into roles like Clinical Psychologist, Industrial and Organisational Psychologist, Educational and Developmental Psychologist, or Health Psychologist. Others branch into research, public sector roles, or corporate positions where insights into human behaviour are valued.

Here’s what this means for you:

UWA Careers and Employability Services: The university offers tailored support, including career counselling, industry networking events, and internships to help you gain practical experience.
University–Industry Connections: UWA psychology students benefit from partnerships with hospitals, schools, community organisations, and government agencies, giving real-world exposure.
Accreditation Value: Completing an extended major in psychology lays the foundation for professional registration pathways and postgraduate study in specialised psychology fields.
Graduate Outcomes: Students leave prepared for diverse roles in clinical, organisational, educational, health, and forensic psychology, as well as research or consultancy positions.

Further Academic Progression:
After your undergraduate psychology studies at UWA, you can continue into postgraduate programs like the Master of Clinical Psychology, Master of Organisational Psychology, or research-based pathways such as a PhD in Psychology. These pathways allow you to specialise, gain professional registration, or dive deeper into research, opening doors to leadership, consultancy, or academic careers.