Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Organisational Psychology

This Honours programme is the first year of postgraduate study in Organisational Psychology. It is designed to provide the opportunity for further intensive study in Organisational Psychology, and training in concepts and research methods designed to equip the candidate with the skills necessary either for employment in organisations and self-employment or for further study at Masters level and Doctoral level in Organisational Psychology or a related subject area. Students who complete the programme are eligible for registration as psychometrics subject to passing an examination that is administered by the professional Board for Psychology.

A degree of Bachelor or its equivalent with a better than average pass in the major in the discipline or a cognate discipline.

Senior certificate with Matriculation Exemption or Equivalent university admission qualification.

First degree

BCom

Recognition of prior learning

Non-graduates who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training that they have reached a level in the subject or a cognate subject equivalent to a bachelors degree may be permitted to register for the degree.

(a) The honours graduate in Organisational Psychology is competent to

i) understand and interpret qualitative and quantitative data within this area of specialisation;

ii) design and conduct research in this area of specialisation;

iii) produce academic papers that reflect an ability to interrogate the professional literature and engage in critical debate;

iv) find information of professional relevance efficiently and independently;

v) use information-technology efficiently and independently;

vi) embark on Honours level research study under supervision.

b) General outcomes (contextually demonstrated general knowledge, skills and values of the programme)

The honours graduate in Organisational Psychology is competent to

i) articulate his or her understanding of an area of specialisation at a high level of abstraction;

ii) independently apply discipline-based knowledge and practices to an understanding of conceptual and practical problems;

iii) design and conduct research utilising the methods of the discipline;

iv) Apply the theory and research methods of the discipline to the development of research questions;

v) Produce practical, theoretical and research communications that draw on a range of information bases.

c) Specific outcomes (including professional outcomes, contextually demonstrated)

The Honours graduate in Organisational Psychology is able to

• formulate a sophisticated linguistic/literary argument drawing on appropriate theory and research.
• Produce critiques of psychological theory and research
• Design a limited scope research project to answer a psychological question
• Utilise advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to address research questions
• Use computer-based statistical packages to conduct advanced statistical analyses
• Apply theoretical knowledge to an understanding of psychological test results

(a) The achievement of these outcomes is assessed in the integrated assessment of the programme.

(b) The learner's achievement of general programme outcomes is assessed through a range of formative and summative assessments throughout the course, and particularly in the capstone activity outlined under integrated assessment.

(c) Assessments include theoretical papers, practical reports, and research projects. Formative assessment includes the preparation of papers written under supervision. Summative assessments mainly take the form of the capstone literature review, research proposal and project report.

Integrated assessment

The integrated assessment of an Organisational Psychology Honours graduate includes measurement of foundational, practical and reflective competencies taught through the formative course work components of the programme. The student is required to complete a series of exercises which integrate skills learned during the Honours year and to prepare those candidates who wish to continue to masters level. In all assignments performance will be assessed on the basis of the student's ability

1. to organise ideas and facts logically and coherently;
2. to incorporate relevant technical data into descriptive and argumentative writing; and
3. to cite references accurately and consistently.

As the summative assessment of the programme the student produces a research paper which demonstrates the capacity for independent thought and research, knowledge of the theoretical foundations of the subject and of scholarly literature. The following components are integral parts of the production of the research paper:

1. a focused literature review based on the use of a variety of text and other media which informs a potential research question. The review is written up in the form of an academic paper that accords with the publication conventions of the discipline of psychology.
2. The formulation of a research question and the development of a research proposal based on the literature review. The proposal must specify a research design and the method/s to be applied to answer the research question. It must also consider the ethical implications of the research design and method/s.
3. The demonstration of a professional working relationship by responding to the comments of the project supervisor.
4. The carrying out of the research proposed and its presentation in a manner which accords with the publication conventions of the discipline.