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.
This is part of the Bachelor of Arts.
Start date: 2022
- Download our Culture & Society programme guide [PDF, 3.6 MB]
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.
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.
Academic Communication
Choose one of:
Culture and Society
Complete one course from each of the following clusters. Each cluster aligns with one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Choose one of:
- CHIN501 Introduction to Chinese I
- CHIN502 Introduction to Chinese II
- CHIN504 Write Chinese I
- CHIN511 Speak Chinese I
- CLSY502 Intercultural Competence
- ENGL500 Contemporary Language Studies
- ENGL501 Critical Media Studies
- ENGL502 Reading New Zealand
- ENGL503 A Pacific Reader
- JAPA511 Speak Japanese I
- JAPA512 Write Japanese I
- KORE500 Introduction to Korean Language and Culture I
- KORE501 Introduction to Korean Language and Culture II
- MAOR500 Introduction to Conversational Māori
- MAOR501 Beginners Māori Language I
- MAOR502 Beginners Māori Language II
- NZSL502 Deaf Community and Culture I
- NZSL510 New Zealand Sign Language I
- NZSL520 New Zealand Sign Language II
- SPAN501 Spanish 1A
- SPAN502 Spanish 1B
Choose one of:
- CLSY500 Culture and Society
- CRIM580 Criminology and Criminal Justice
- HIST500 Introduction to New Zealand History
- HIST501 The Holocaust: Its Causes, Character, and Legacy
- HIST503 Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou: Struggle and Resistance in Aotearoa and South Africa
- PSYC580 Introduction to Psychology A
- SOSC582 Social Thinking
- SOSC583 Social Institutions
Knowledge and Inquiry
Choose one of:
Psychology courses
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
- PSYC701 Experimental and Applied Behaviour Analysis
- PSYC702 Critical Evaluation in Psychology
- PSYC703 Experimental and Applied Behaviour Analysis II
- PSYC704 Biopsychology
- PSYC705 Positive Psychology
- PSYC706 Health Psychology
- PSYC707 Approaches to Psychological Intervention
- PSYC780 Emotions and Human Nature
- PSYC781 Applied Issues in Cultural and Social Psychology
- PSYC782 Research Project
Workplace experience
Workplace experience (Work Integrated Learning) is the final part of your degree and takes a full semester. This is a supervised work placement related to your major(s), for an organisation of your choice.
Recent placements included:
- Affinity Services
- Anxiety New Zealand
- Auckland City Mission
- Auckland District Health Board
- Idea Services
- Red Cross
- Women’s Health Action
- 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.
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Other psychology study options
Other majors in the Bachelor of Arts
- Chinese Studies
- Conflict Resolution
- Creative Writing
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Culinary Arts
- Economics
- Education
- English and New Media Studies
- Event Management
- International Studies
- Interpreting
- Japanese Studies
- Māori Development
- New Zealand Sign Language & Deaf Studies
- New Zealand Sign Language - English Interpreting
- Social Sciences
- 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
- Industry links: Mason Clinic - Forensic Psychiatry Services, Department of Corrections and Waitemata District Health Board
- 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.