The Bachelor of Psychological Science and Criminology online degree positions psychology in its social science context. Counting as a full undergraduate sequence in psychology – and the first step to becoming a practising psychologist – you’ll learn to view criminology through a psychological lens.
Explore the psychological and social issues at play in criminal behaviour. You’ll weave back and forth between psychology and criminology subjects, many of which will speak to one another in meaningful ways.
Upon completing the program, you’ll have the option to continue your training in psychology, moving onto your fourth year of accredited psychology studies, and your subsequent provisional registration as a psychologist.
This online program is fully accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), providing a foundation for psychology and behavioural studies. This accreditation also provides a pathway to continue your training in psychology towards registration as a psychologist.
There are many ways you can gain entry into a degree through Western Sydney University Online. We accept any one of the following, provided you meet the minimum requirements relating to that criteria:
As a student, you may need to pay a number of fees throughout your studies, depending on your degree and your enrolment status. These fees may include student contribution and tuition fees. If you’re eligible, you may also be able to obtain a HELP loan for payment of your student contribution or tuition fees. For more information, please visit the Student Contribution Bands page.
Fees for undergraduate International students are different than for local students (Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, NZ citizens, and holders of an Australian permanent resident humanitarian visa). For more information on fees for International students, please visit the International program fees page.
*Please note that fees are an estimation of annual fees and are subject to change.
Download the course brochure to learn more about this course and the support we offer. A Course Consultant will contact you to answer your questions and help you take the next step.
Equipped with a degree from one of the top universities in the world, you can enter the workforce with industry knowledge and confidence. Here are some of the job opportunities available to a Bachelor of Psychological Science and Criminology graduate:
This bachelor degree fulfills the undergraduate requirement for aspiring psychologists, opening a pathway to becoming a psychologist, following the Australian Psychological Society’s pathway to General Registration.
Provide advice, direction and services that will assist in the transition of men and women from prison into life.
Compile data and analyse trends in the area of criminal and community justice.
Collect and analyse data to help develop evidence-based policies. Guiding the design and implementation of government policies within local communities.
Course subjects are carefully selected and taught by industry experts and professionals to ensure a well-rounded education to all our students.
*You can choose two of the three elective subjects.
Here is a closer look at the subjects that will be covered in your 3-year degree in Bachelor of Psychological Science and Criminology:
Psychology uses a set of scientific techniques and methods to explain and understand the causes of behaviour. You will get an introduction into a range of topics in psychology, including: the history of psychology, intelligence, social psychology, developmental psychology, indigenous and cultural psychology, personality as well as abnormal psychology.
Psychology uses a set of scientific techniques and methods to explain and understand the causes of behaviour. This subject focuses on physiological basis of behaviour, memory, language and thought. It also focuses on the sensation and perception, motivation, emotion, learning, and the research methods used to scientifically study behaviour. You will explore how psychology, as a profession, applies its knowledge to practical problems in human behaviour and provides a foundation for more advanced subjects for students continuing to further studies.
This subject focuses on the scientific method with a focus on experimental design and related data analysis. While we have already dealt with some of the methods and techniques in passing in earlier subjects, we adopt a more complete approach here. Other features of the subject are: research design and methodology issues, statistical concepts and techniques, computer analysis of data and communicating research findings.
You will examine the fundamental principles underlying human perception and expand upon the sensation and perception content introduced in the foundational psychology subjects. After reviewing the biological basis of sensing and perceiving, we will explore the way this relatively raw information is processed and organised into the complex perceptions. These perceptions include the visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and somatosensory systems. This constitutes the fundamental basis of our experience of the world.
This subject is an introduction to the biological and neuroscientific bases of human behaviour. You will learn about the chemistry of life, the molecular basis of life, the cell and some of the major organ systems of the human body with particular reference to the nervous, endocrine and sensory systems. The subject has a significant laboratory component which reinforces lecture and text material. You will be introduced to the biological and neuroscientific concepts necessary for a thorough understanding of areas of psychology such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, developmental psychology, human learning, and physiological psychology.
The study of motivation and emotion attempts to understand the reasons behind people’s behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. Concepts of motivation and emotion are central to many other aspects of psychology. We will examine core research and theory in motivation and emotion, but also explores the topic’s relationship with other areas of psychology (such as learning theory, social psychology, personality, and cognition) and its relevance to central debates discussed throughout the discipline.
Human Learning focuses on the experimental analysis of human and animal behaviour and focuses upon associative learning, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning approaches. Definitions, assumptions, and basic phenomena associated with the study of learning are described and evaluated in terms of their ability to account for various aspects of human behaviour and experience.
Social psychology looks at human behaviour and mental processes in their social context. You will examine social behaviour and social thinking using scientific psychological research methods. We will consider both classic and recent theories, research and applications in core areas of social psychology such as: attitudes, stereotyping and prejudice, social cognition, group processes, cross-cultural and indigenous psychology, and social influence.
This subject advances upon the research methods and statistics covered in an earlier subject, Experimental Design and Analysis. It introduces students to nonexperimental, correlational research design, and develops skills in survey research, including questionnaire design and administration, and survey sampling. You will also learn about the construction and evaluation of psychological tests.
Structured around an overview of lifespan development including diversity, this subject looks into the holistic nature of growth and development through developmental theory and research. We will highlight the interactive nature of three main areas of development: biological, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that affect the individual from conception to end of life. We will integrate an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander development into the subject alongside an appreciation of richness in diversity within various cultural contexts.
Abnormal Psychology focuses on the study of behaviours that cause distress or dysfunction or are judged as deviant within the individual’s culture. We will examine definitions of abnormality, ways of assessing and diagnosing abnormality, theories of the causation of psychological abnormality and treatments for recognised psychological disorders.
Cognitive psychology focuses on the mental processes that underpin attention, perception, learning and memory. Some of the questions we ask include: How do we recognise speech, faces, or music? What are the structures and mechanisms of human memory? What processes underpin acquisition of language, and are the processes similar when we learn a second language? What processes are involved in reading? What factors affect attention and performance? Is creativity anything more than problem-solving?
Most of us probably use the term ‘personality’ almost every day. Yet the conceptualisation and definition of personality are far from settled. This subject introduces the controversies and debates in the psychology of personality and the major theoretical and applied approaches to its measurement. Emphasis is placed on an understanding of personality research and its implications for the practice of psychology.
This subject covers the conceptual underpinnings of research in psychology, including methodologies such as experimental, quasi-experimental, non-experimental and qualitative research. Conducting ethical research will be covered, including consideration of how research participants are positioned, issues related to research with diverse populations, as well research validity. Skills for writing research proposals and reports according to the conventions of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) are developed.
Crime, Deviance and Society introduces students to the study of criminology and the sociology of deviance. Students will examine the theories of the Chicago school, labelling and deviance theory, Marxism, feminism and queer theory in a criminal context. Using contemporary case studies, students will explore topics such as crime in the media, alcohol and drug abuse and Indigenous incarceration.
This subject introduces students to criminology, policing, and criminal justice issues and practices through an examination of the Australian criminal justice process. Students will examine how the criminal justice system works (and sometimes fails to work), and how police, courts, and corrections influence the processes of criminalisation, victimisation, and (in)justice.
The subject will focus on the criminological concern with individual offenders and the implications of this for responses to crimes. Students will analyse explanations of offending, victimisation, prevention and safety, while evaluating these matters from a perspective of unequal power, social division and exclusion.
In recent decades, models and understanding of gender have become a major way of explaining crime and victimisation. This subject will critically engage with material from feminist researchers on the impact of gendered discourses on the criminal justice system. Students will use contemporary case studies to explore links between criminal offending and different violent and non-violent masculinities.
This subject will examine the theory, politics and practice of crime prevention. Students will evaluate the effectiveness of theoretical approaches while discussing the challenges posed by unreported crime and fear of crime. Students will also investigate the relation between patterns of victimisation and social disadvantage.
In this subject, students will develop an understanding of juvenile crime complexity by exploring historical, political, cultural and socio-economic factors associated with youth crime. Students will critically assess a range of interventions for working with young people within the juvenile justice system.
This subject provides a historical and sociological examination of the models, practices and justifications for punishment and incarceration. Topics include mass imprisonment, probation and parole systems and community corrections. Students will examine how factors such as age, gender, social class and ethnic identity can influence the imprisonment and corrections of different individuals and groups of people.
This subject will explore depictions of crime in society with a focus on the value of ethnographic studies and the cultural origins of different forms of crime. Utilising comparative studies, students will examine different theoretical explanations of crime and culture in relation to topics including media, writing, film and television.
The world has experienced an enormous explosion of activity that takes place in digital environments. This includes the Internet, intranets, gaming platforms and peer-to-peer phone communication (e.g. SMS). The effects of online communications are widely debated as concerns about hacking, trolling, bullying, scamming, online addiction are appearing on a daily basis.
We live in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world which places greater emotional demands on people and organisations. This subject introduces the Positive Psychology theory, research and the practical evidence-based techniques to enhance well-being and resilience in an increasingly VUCA world.
Positive psychology is an emerging field of academic study and practical application in personal and work settings which focuses on the creation of individual resilience, strengths and virtues, creativity and other indicators of human flourishing. Throughout this subject, students will be encouraged to actively engage and apply the positive psychology concepts taught within the course and to critically reflect on these experiences to bring about personal change.
This subject introduces students to the emerging field of digital mental health. Digital mental health services, including telehealth, web-based counselling services and mobile phone apps, are increasingly being adopted in the practice of psychology and other health disciplines. This subject describes the uses of digital mental health for health promotion, prevention and treatment of mental illnesses.
Benefits and limitations of digital delivery of mental health services are described in the context of the broader public mental health system, with a focus on young people and smartphone apps. An assessment framework for mental health smartphone apps will be introduced to support students’ critical evaluation of the quality and integrity of smartphone apps. Students will also apply their understanding of digital mental health to a real-world project.
Psychology uses a set of scientific techniques and methods to explain and understand the causes of behaviour. You will get an introduction into a range of topics in psychology, including: the history of psychology, intelligence, social psychology, developmental psychology, indigenous and cultural psychology, personality as well as abnormal psychology.
Psychology uses a set of scientific techniques and methods to explain and understand the causes of behaviour. This subject focuses on physiological basis of behaviour, memory, language and thought. It also focuses on the sensation and perception, motivation, emotion, learning, and the research methods used to scientifically study behaviour. You will explore how psychology, as a profession, applies its knowledge to practical problems in human behaviour and provides a foundation for more advanced subjects for students continuing to further studies.
This subject focuses on the scientific method with a focus on experimental design and related data analysis. While we have already dealt with some of the methods and techniques in passing in earlier subjects, we adopt a more complete approach here. Other features of the subject are: research design and methodology issues, statistical concepts and techniques, computer analysis of data and communicating research findings.
You will examine the fundamental principles underlying human perception and expand upon the sensation and perception content introduced in the foundational psychology subjects. After reviewing the biological basis of sensing and perceiving, we will explore the way this relatively raw information is processed and organised into the complex perceptions. These perceptions include the visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and somatosensory systems. This constitutes the fundamental basis of our experience of the world.
This subject is an introduction to the biological and neuroscientific bases of human behaviour. You will learn about the chemistry of life, the molecular basis of life, the cell and some of the major organ systems of the human body with particular reference to the nervous, endocrine and sensory systems. The subject has a significant laboratory component which reinforces lecture and text material. You will be introduced to the biological and neuroscientific concepts necessary for a thorough understanding of areas of psychology such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, developmental psychology, human learning, and physiological psychology.
The study of motivation and emotion attempts to understand the reasons behind people’s behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. Concepts of motivation and emotion are central to many other aspects of psychology. We will examine core research and theory in motivation and emotion, but also explores the topic’s relationship with other areas of psychology (such as learning theory, social psychology, personality, and cognition) and its relevance to central debates discussed throughout the discipline.
Human Learning focuses on the experimental analysis of human and animal behaviour and focuses upon associative learning, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning approaches. Definitions, assumptions, and basic phenomena associated with the study of learning are described and evaluated in terms of their ability to account for various aspects of human behaviour and experience.
Social psychology looks at human behaviour and mental processes in their social context. You will examine social behaviour and social thinking using scientific psychological research methods. We will consider both classic and recent theories, research and applications in core areas of social psychology such as: attitudes, stereotyping and prejudice, social cognition, group processes, cross-cultural and indigenous psychology, and social influence.
This subject advances upon the research methods and statistics covered in an earlier subject, Experimental Design and Analysis. It introduces students to nonexperimental, correlational research design, and develops skills in survey research, including questionnaire design and administration, and survey sampling. You will also learn about the construction and evaluation of psychological tests.
Structured around an overview of lifespan development including diversity, this subject looks into the holistic nature of growth and development through developmental theory and research. We will highlight the interactive nature of three main areas of development: biological, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that affect the individual from conception to end of life. We will integrate an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander development into the subject alongside an appreciation of richness in diversity within various cultural contexts.
Abnormal Psychology focuses on the study of behaviours that cause distress or dysfunction or are judged as deviant within the individual’s culture. We will examine definitions of abnormality, ways of assessing and diagnosing abnormality, theories of the causation of psychological abnormality and treatments for recognised psychological disorders.
Cognitive psychology focuses on the mental processes that underpin attention, perception, learning and memory. Some of the questions we ask include: How do we recognise speech, faces, or music? What are the structures and mechanisms of human memory? What processes underpin acquisition of language, and are the processes similar when we learn a second language? What processes are involved in reading? What factors affect attention and performance? Is creativity anything more than problem-solving?
Most of us probably use the term ‘personality’ almost every day. Yet the conceptualisation and definition of personality are far from settled. This subject introduces the controversies and debates in the psychology of personality and the major theoretical and applied approaches to its measurement. Emphasis is placed on an understanding of personality research and its implications for the practice of psychology.
This subject covers the conceptual underpinnings of research in psychology, including methodologies such as experimental, quasi-experimental, non-experimental and qualitative research. Conducting ethical research will be covered, including consideration of how research participants are positioned, issues related to research with diverse populations, as well research validity. Skills for writing research proposals and reports according to the conventions of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) are developed.
Crime, Deviance and Society introduces students to the study of criminology and the sociology of deviance. Students will examine the theories of the Chicago school, labelling and deviance theory, Marxism, feminism and queer theory in a criminal context. Using contemporary case studies, students will explore topics such as crime in the media, alcohol and drug abuse and Indigenous incarceration.
This subject introduces students to criminology, policing, and criminal justice issues and practices through an examination of the Australian criminal justice process. Students will examine how the criminal justice system works (and sometimes fails to work), and how police, courts, and corrections influence the processes of criminalisation, victimisation, and (in)justice.
The subject will focus on the criminological concern with individual offenders and the implications of this for responses to crimes. Students will analyse explanations of offending, victimisation, prevention and safety, while evaluating these matters from a perspective of unequal power, social division and exclusion.
In recent decades, models and understanding of gender have become a major way of explaining crime and victimisation. This subject will critically engage with material from feminist researchers on the impact of gendered discourses on the criminal justice system. Students will use contemporary case studies to explore links between criminal offending and different violent and non-violent masculinities.
This subject will examine the theory, politics and practice of crime prevention. Students will evaluate the effectiveness of theoretical approaches while discussing the challenges posed by unreported crime and fear of crime. Students will also investigate the relation between patterns of victimisation and social disadvantage.
In this subject, students will develop an understanding of juvenile crime complexity by exploring historical, political, cultural and socio-economic factors associated with youth crime. Students will critically assess a range of interventions for working with young people within the juvenile justice system.
This subject provides a historical and sociological examination of the models, practices and justifications for punishment and incarceration. Topics include mass imprisonment, probation and parole systems and community corrections. Students will examine how factors such as age, gender, social class and ethnic identity can influence the imprisonment and corrections of different individuals and groups of people.
This subject will explore depictions of crime in society with a focus on the value of ethnographic studies and the cultural origins of different forms of crime. Utilising comparative studies, students will examine different theoretical explanations of crime and culture in relation to topics including media, writing, film and television.
The world has experienced an enormous explosion of activity that takes place in digital environments. This includes the Internet, intranets, gaming platforms and peer-to-peer phone communication (e.g. SMS). The effects of online communications are widely debated as concerns about hacking, trolling, bullying, scamming, online addiction are appearing on a daily basis.
We live in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world which places greater emotional demands on people and organisations. This subject introduces the Positive Psychology theory, research and the practical evidence-based techniques to enhance well-being and resilience in an increasingly VUCA world.
Positive psychology is an emerging field of academic study and practical application in personal and work settings which focuses on the creation of individual resilience, strengths and virtues, creativity and other indicators of human flourishing. Throughout this subject, students will be encouraged to actively engage and apply the positive psychology concepts taught within the course and to critically reflect on these experiences to bring about personal change.
This subject introduces students to the emerging field of digital mental health. Digital mental health services, including telehealth, web-based counselling services and mobile phone apps, are increasingly being adopted in the practice of psychology and other health disciplines. This subject describes the uses of digital mental health for health promotion, prevention and treatment of mental illnesses.
Benefits and limitations of digital delivery of mental health services are described in the context of the broader public mental health system, with a focus on young people and smartphone apps. An assessment framework for mental health smartphone apps will be introduced to support students’ critical evaluation of the quality and integrity of smartphone apps. Students will also apply their understanding of digital mental health to a real-world project.
Western Sydney University Online invites you to study in an advanced and flexible digital environment. Our online program allows you to study on your time, when it works for you, your work, family and life commitments.
Whilst the content and learning outcomes of your course is the same as the on-campus option, your course has been purpose-built for online learners to acknowledge the different needs and challenges for students studying virtually.
Of course. Whether you study on-campus or online, your learning outcomes and qualification are the same. Even to the point of when you graduate, you will receive the same testamur. A testamur is your graduation certificate and is does not specify your mode of study. Regardless of whether you study online or on-campus you will still be getting the same qualification from an internationally ranked university.
One of the main advantages of studying online is not having to be logged on at set times. You can log into your learning materials when it suits you and participate asynchronously to discussion boards, complete readings or any other tasks required. Every now and then, your Online Learning Advisor will facilitate a ‘webinar’ and whilst we recommend you attend, it is not mandatory. The sessions are typically recorded for you to view at your convenience.
At Western Sydney University Online, we are dedicated to helping our students. Our Student Advisors are on hand to make your transition to university as smooth as possible. They are available via phone and email 7 days a week, 8am to 9pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm on weekends. Once you are in your online classroom, your Online Learning Advisors will be there to guide your learning and there is plenty of assessment support services at your fingertips throughout your studies.
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