Psychology Major - Bachelor of Arts
Psychology is the study of human behaviour. It explores what humans need to develop and thrive. This major looks at psychology within the context of our society, where we live and work.
An understanding of psychology is useful for a wide range of careers – including career and employment counselling, community development, management, marketing and communications, politics, public health promotion, or training and development. The Psychology major can also provide the foundation for the postgraduate studies required for registration as a psychologist.
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This is part of the Bachelor of Arts.
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This major introduces you to the main areas of psychology including cognitive, personality, clinical and social psychology. It takes a hands-on approach and provides you with research, assessment and intervention skills.
Apart from the courses below you also need to complete courses from your second major, your chosen minor(s) or electives*
*The Psychology major is bigger than the other Bachelor of Arts majors and makes up half of your degree (180 points). Depending on which subjects you choose to combine with your Psychology major, it may take you a little longer to complete your degree.
Core courses
All Bachelor of Arts students need to complete core courses that help you develop transferable skills and support your work in all other courses in the degree.
Complete one course from each of the following clusters. Each cluster aligns with one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Partnerships and Reduced Inequalities
Choose one of:
- ENGL502 Reading New Zealand
- ENGL503 A Pacific Reader
- JAPA511 Speak Japanese I
- MAOR505 Te Mānutanga Beginners Māori Language 1
- MAOR506 Te Ekenga Waka Beginners Māori Language 2
- NZSL502 Deaf Community and Culture I
- NZSL510 New Zealand Sign Language I
- NZSL520 New Zealand Sign Language II
- SPAN501 Spanish 1A
- SPAN502 Spanish 1B
Peace and Justice, Climate Action and Economic World
Choose one of:
- CRIM580 Criminology and Criminal Justice
- EVNT500 Introduction to Event Management
- HIST500 Introduction to New Zealand History
- HIST501 The Holocaust: Its Causes, Character, and Legacy
- PSYC580 Introduction to Psychology A
- SOSC582 Social Thinking
- SOSC583 Social Institutions
- SOSC585 Climate Action
- TOUR511 Global Issues in Tourism
Sustainability, Health and Wellbeing
Choose one of:
- FOOD501 Food and the Senses
- CLSY513 Organisation and Human Behaviour Perspectives
- HOSP509 Hospitality Social Enterprise
- TOUR512 Tourism and Sustainability
Quality Education, Gender Equality and Reduced Poverty
Workplace experience is an important part of your degree, and the Work Integrated Learning course is the final part of your degree. This is a supervised work placement related to your major(s), for an organisation of your choice. It's a great way to get industry experience while still being able to get feedback from AUT lecturers, and for many of our students this workplace experience also leads to a job offer.
Recent placements included:
- Affinity Services
- Anxiety New Zealand
- Auckland City Mission
- Auckland District Health Board
- Idea Services
- Red Cross
- Women’s Health Action
You could also take the Capstone Psychology Research Project if you’re considering continuing into postgraduate study.
Want more info about work integrated learning at AUT?
Read more about workplace experience in AUT programmes, how it works and why it’s so beneficial when you start your career.
Psychology courses
If you're majoring in psychology, this is the main subject area you specialise in. It consists of 12 psychology-related courses you study throughout your degree.
Complete the following courses
- PSYC502 Introduction to Psychology B
- PSYC580 Introduction to Psychology A
- PSYC683 Foundations in Psychological Inquiry
- PSYC783 Advanced Psychological Inquiry
Choose from the following courses
Complete five of:
- HEAL504 Psychology and Lifespan Development
- PSYC601 Abnormal Psychology
- PSYC602 Social Psychology
- PSYC603 Psychological Assessment
- PSYC604 Personality
- PSYC605 Brain and Behaviour
- PSYC680 Individuals and Identities
- PSYC681 Cognitive Psychology
And three of:
- HEAL709 Advanced Research Methods in Psychology (with approval from the programme leader)
- PSYC701 Experimental and Applied Behaviour Analysis
- PSYC702 Critical Evaluation in Psychology
- PSYC704 Biopsychology
- PSYC705 Positive Psychology
- PSYC706 Health Psychology
- PSYC707 Approaches to Psychological Intervention
- PSYC715 Psychological Challenges in Childhood and Adolescence
- PSYC780 Emotions and Human Nature
- PSYC781 Applied Issues in Cultural and Social Psychology
- PSYC784 Developmental Psychology
Ready to enrol in your courses?
Find out how you can enrol in the courses and classes for your programme, whether you’ve just joined AUT as a new student or you’re already studying with us. If you’re looking for a course timetable or more info on a specific course use our course search.
Build your degree
Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.
https://www.aut.ac.nz/courses/bachelor-of-arts/psychology-major
- Career and employment counselling
- Community development
- Management
- Marketing and communications
- Politics
- Psychologist*
- Public health promotion
- Training and development
* Psychologists are professionals who have completed undergraduate studies in psychology, followed by postgraduate qualifications in a specialist area of professional practice in psychology. Careers include: child or educational psychologist, clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, forensic psychologist and organisational psychologist.
Become an associate psychologist: new programme under development
The recently announced associate psychologist postgraduate programme will enable graduates from an undergraduate psychology degree to continue their studies and complete a one-year postgraduate diploma to become an associate psychologist, helping more New Zealanders access mental health and addiction support.
Other psychology study options
Other majors in the Bachelor of Arts
- Creative Writing
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Culinary Arts
- Economics (not offered for new students)
- Education
- Event Management
- Global Tourism
- History
- International Studies
- Interpreting
- Māori Development
- Māori Media (not offered for new students)
- New Zealand Sign Language & Deaf Studies
- New Zealand Sign Language - English Interpreting*
- Social Sciences
*This major focuses on New Zealand Sign Language and developing the skills to become a Sign Language interpreter. It doesn’t include the option to include courses from different subjects.
- Covers the main areas of psychology: cognitive, personality, clinical and social psychology
- Opens up a wide range of careers
- Workplace experience in a community organisation or business
- Option to include subjects from across AUT in your degree
- Empathetic and ethical
- Interested in the behaviour of people
- Analytical and organised
- Questioning and enquiring
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.