An honours degree is a one year postgraduate degree. It requires both coursework and completion of a mentored research project. An honours degree is excellent preparation for either a research masters or a PhD. It is also a common pathway for students interested in completing any of our more applied postgraduate degrees and certificates, including:
- Industrial/Organisational Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Forensic Psychology (tbc)
Common career pathways for students with an honours degree include:
For more information about honours degree requirements:
Bachelor of Arts with Honours
Bachelor of Science with Honours
A masters in psychology is a two year degree. Year one is postgraduate coursework and year two is a full year research thesis. Many students choose to do an honours degree, and those who do will have completed the equivalent of the first year of their masters degree. In other words, if you’ve completed your honours degree you would need one additional year of study to earn your masters in psychology. A research masters gives students entry level postgraduate skills in conducting psychological scientific research. In this degree you will specialise in a particular subfield of psychology relating to your research topic. For that reason, it is important to choose a supervisor who conducts research in the topic area you are interested in. Available topics include:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Environmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Health Psychology
- Social and Personality Psychology
- Industrial and Organisation Psychology
Common careers for our graduates include:
- Statistician
- Researchers in government
- Policy writers
For more information on Masters Degrees please see here:
Master of Arts
Master of Science
MSc Industrial and Organisational Psychology
A PhD in psychology is a 3-year degree. All three years involve working closely with supervisor(s) from our academic staff to conduct research on the frontier of human knowledge. At the end of your degree you will be qualified to hold a position as a researcher at a university and will be considered a peer of your faculty mentors. A PhD is generally required of academic staff at major universities. To enrol in a PhD you must have a postgraduate research degree in hand—generally either an honours and/or masters in psychology, although degrees from related disciplines can be an appropriate background with permission from the graduate research coordinator and your supervisor. In this degree you will specialise in a particular subfield of psychology relating to your research topic. For that reason, it is important to choose a supervisor who conducts research in the topic area you are interested in.
Available topics include:
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Environmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Health Psychology
- Social and Personality Psychology
Common careers for our graduates include:
- University Lecturer
- Researcher in government
- Statistician
For more information on doing a PhD, please see here.
A Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology is needed to become a registered clinical psychologist in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is a three-year part-time programme. It requires both coursework and clinical internships for students to gain hands-on experience. A research masters or PhD is required alongside this programme, although these can be completed either before enrolment or concurrently with this programme of study. Common careers for our graduates include:
- Registered Clinical Psychologist
- Clinical Psychologists working at the Department of Corrections
- University Lecturers in Clinical Psychology
For more information about Clinical Psychology, click here.
UC's Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (PGDipCBT) provides professional, practical training in CBT to help with treatment of mental health and substance use issues, and support people’s wellbeing.
Graduates from this programme will be able to support the growing need for mental health and addiction treatment, and increase access to mental health services.
For more information about degree requirements, click here.
An Industrial-Organizational (I/O) psychologist specializes in applying psychological principles and methods to understand and improve workplace dynamics, well-being, and employee performance. There are many pathways you can specalise in this area.
If you have completed a Masters or PhD specialising in industrial and organisational psychology, you would be eligible for the PGDipOrgPsyc, which can lead to registration as a psychologist.
For more information on the this click here.
