Bachelor of Psychological Science (Counselling and Interpersonal Skills), Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management)

This degree provides a balance of courses in psychology theory, counselling, workplace culture, and staff health and wellbeing.

You will graduate with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively support and counsel staff and build staff recruitment, retention, and training and development strategies.

Employers look for graduates who can apply theory to real industry challenges.

By studying this degree, you will benefit from curriculum informed by world-class research, focusing on current and future workplace challenges.

Graduate with a degree accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI).

If you finish your degree with a distinction Grade Point Average (GPA), you may be eligible for the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours).

With further study you could also become a professionally practicing or research psychologist.

To follow this career path you must complete a one-year Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree, followed by a two-year Master of Psychology (Clinical) or PhD in Psychology.

Entry requirements

Admission criteria

The admission criteria have been grouped to assist you to easily find the information most relevant to your circumstances. However, you may fit into more than one and the university will consider applicants against each of the relevant criteria.

Certain conditions apply. For more information refer to Appendix 4 of the University's Selection and Entry policy.

Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:

Recent secondary education Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent AND

• Qualify for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), and achieved a competitive Selection Rank (ATAR), or
• Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or
• Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points

Applicants who have not achieved the Selection Rank required for automatic selection may be selected for any remaining places based on the grades of their year 12 subjects.

OR Higher education study

• Complete or partly complete a recognised higher education program at a recognised higher education institution, or
• Complete at least four Open Universities Australia (OUA) courses at undergraduate level or above

OR Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Certificate IV or above

OR Work and life experience

• Qualify for Special Entry, or
• Complete a UniSA Foundation Studies program or equivalent, or
• Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past

Essential requirements for admission

Prerequisites

Assumed Knowledge

Deferment

This degree is available for deferment. This option is made available by responding to your offer during the application process via the SATAC website. Applicants who receive an offer into a midyear degree are eligible to defer for six months.

This specialised double degree will provide you with a solid understanding of the theory associated with psychology and counselling, as well as the skills needed to effectively manage people. Core courses in business theory will give you a solid grasp of business fundamentals such as economics and accounting, and business operations and intelligence.

The psychology component of your studies will covers areas such as developmental psychology; cognitive psychology; psychological assessment and research; counselling skills; and work and organisational psychology. You'll also study specialist human resource management topics such as organisational behaviour, performance and compensation management, training and development, industrial relations, and occupational health and safety.

For each course you study, you will need to allocate time for various classes such as lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and practicals. Plus you will need additional hours to study in your own time to complete assignments, readings and projects and contribute to online discussion forums (independent study). So as a general rule, if you are studying full-time you would need to allocate 12 – 26 hours of study when at university and 14 – 28 hours of independent study per week.

Your studies will incorporate practical, professionally focused and research-based learning, so assessment types will vary. You can expect them to include:

You will work closely with human resource management research experts who are committed to researching current and future workplace challenges. Their scientific approach enables organisations and employees to be innovative, agile and adaptable as the global marketplace, people, and technology continue to change.

If you want to gain global experience you can take part in our student exchange program. We have more than 60 partner universities worldwide; study options range from two weeks to one year. In addition, our Business Career Mentor Program helps you to build industry networks – in 2016, we matched over 190 students with business mentors. This six-month program runs from March every year. We also host regular University-wide employee master classes and employment expos, and alumni events in Australia and overseas.

Your career

As the No.1 university in South Australia for graduate careers in Business and Management, and Psychology1, our quality teaching and experiences beyond the classroom will ensure you graduate career-ready.

Between now and 2020 employment in human resources in Australia is expected to grow. The availability of roles is expected to increase by:

• 3,200 jobs for human resource and training professionals (or 3.7 per cent)
• 3,200 jobs for human resource professionals (or 5.4 per cent)
• 6,000 jobs for human resource managers (or 12.6 per cent)2

Likewise, employment opportunities in Australia in the social, welfare and counselling sectors is also expecting strong growth – employment as a social and welfare professional is predicted to increase by 15.6 per cent2, while counselling is expected to increase by 23.2 per cent2. Careers to consider:

• human resources manager: plan, implement and enhance an organisation's employee relations, as well as an organisation's policies, programs and practices
• recruitment consultant: work on behalf of companies to source candidates for job vacancies
• training and development officer: look after an organisation's learning and professional development obligations
• community development officer: work with communities to bring about social change
• counsellor (with further study): work with individuals in a confidential setting, helping them to overcome problems

With further study you could also become a professionally practicing or research psychologist. To follow this career path you must complete a one-year Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree, followed by a two-year Master of Psychology (Clinical) or PhD in Psychology.

1QILT: Graduate Destinations Survey 2015 and Graduate Outcomes Survey 2016-17 – Full-time Employment Indicator. Public SA-founded universities only. 2Australian Government Department of Employment, Occupational Employment Projections 2015.

Applying to study with us:

• go to the top of this page and make note of the SATAC code, then click Apply
• you will be redirected through to the SATAC website to continue your application

Our campuses have fantastic facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, workshops, laboratories, and areas that simulate real work environments. But you’ll also discover that your journey at UniSA is about social experiences, healthy living and getting involved. You’ll find student sports and fitness facilities, community clinics, tech zones and chill-out spaces. There are campus sport activities to keep you active, and if you are keen to explore the social side of university life, there are movies, cooking demonstrations, parties and loads more.

Adelaide has a variety of accommodation options to suit different requirements and budgets. Options include dedicated student accommodation or private rentals. See our long-term accommodation pages for plenty of options. If you need somewhere to live, our new student accommodation by urbanest is on Bank Street in Adelaide’s lively cultural precinct, an ideal perfect location for students. It is within easy reach of UniSA’s city and metropolitan campuses, Rundle Mall shopping, the Central Market, Chinatown, and the West End’s vibrant nightlife. It is also across the road from the Adelaide train station, and on bus and tram routes.

Our student support services will make your life at university easier. We want you to be successful, and if you need help, we're here to assist. We provide a full range of support services, including:

• academic counselling
• personal counselling
• social support services, including family support and nearby childcare

We have six campuses in metropolitan and regional areas, each with advanced facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, laboratories, and areas that simulate real work environments.