Degrees/Programmes

Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours)

Overview Majoring in Psychology Psychology with a 2nd Major Admission Information Advisory on Australian Postgraduate Programmes

Overview

The Psychology major and minor programmes are open to all matriculated students of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Psychology is the study of brain and behaviour, and covers a diverse range of topics from biological, cognitive, developmental, social and personality, and abnormal psychology, to specialised topics such as emotion and health psychology.

Careers for students who graduate with an Honours degree in Psychology include employment at institutions such as the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education, the Singapore Prison Service, and the Singapore Police Force.

Individuals who would like to pursue a career as a Clinical Psychologist would need a postgraduate degree in clinical psychology. The Master of Psychology (Clinical) Programme at NUS is an example of a postgraduate degree in Clinical Psychology. Individuals who would like to pursue a career as an Educational (School) or Forensic Psychologist would also need a postgraduate degree in Educational Psychology or Forensic Psychology, respectively. Details about these specialisations can be found at the website of the Singapore Psychological Society.

Majoring in Psychology

Prospective students who would like to major in Psychology at NUS have to meet the pre-requisites for Psychology.

Students from Cohort 2020 and before have to obtain a grade of B- or better for the PL1101E course and a grade of B- or better for the PL2131 course in order to major in Psychology. Students who achieved the minimum B- grades for PL1101E and PL2131 but have chosen to exercise the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option for these two courses will still be eligible to declare Psychology as their major. From Cohort 2018 to Cohort 2020 (except those who secured their place in NUS before 2018), there will be no placement tests for students who fail to attain the minimum B- grades for PL1101E and PL2131 to major in Psychology. Those (e.g., NSmen) who have secured a place in FASS before the 2018 admission exercise (i.e., not including the 2018 admission exercise) but failed to meet the B- criterion in either PL1101E or PL2131, or both, will have the opportunity to take a department-conducted placement test, the passing of which will act as an alternative prerequisite.

Students from Cohort 2021 do not require any pre-requisite to major in Psychology.

Prospective students who would like to major in Psychology at NUS are recommended to take the Introduction to Psychology course known as PL1101E and the Research and Statistical Methods I course known as PL2131 in their first academic year, not necessarily in the same semester. In PL1101E, students are introduced to the core topics in Psychology which comprise Biological, Cognitive, Developmental, Social, and Abnormal Psychology. In PL2131, students are introduced to empirical research and analytical methods that are used in the science of psychology.

A brief synopsis of the PL1101E and PL2131 are on our website. Students who have matriculated at NUS can obtain more information about PL1101E and PL2131 through Canvas.

Psychology with a 2nd Major

The Psychology Department also partners with related disciplines in other Faculties and Departments to offer double-major programmes that broaden the students' scope of training. By pursuing a second major alongside their primary major, students complement the knowledge and skills acquired in psychology with additional training that is relevant to specific sub-fields in psychology (such as biological psychology, counselling psychology, or industrial-organisational psychology), thereby allowing them to be more versatile in the job market.

For example, students may choose to pursue a Psychology and Social Work Double Major. In the video below, double-major alumni from both the Departments of Psychology and Social Work share their experiences and insights. For enquiries, please email swkbox6@nus.edu.sg.

In addition, FASS offers direct admission to the following structured double-major programme for suitably qualified FASS students:

Psychology with Business Management as a 2nd major

Please refer to http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/double-major-programmes/ for the admission requirements.

Admission Information

Advisory on Australian Postgraduate Programmes

In 2019, the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) introduced new accreditation standards necessary for entry into postgraduate psychology courses in Australia. The relevant details and other information can be found here. For graduates to gain access to any Australian postgraduate degree, they must meet the APAC foundational competencies. And for most postgraduate degrees, including the Australian Clinical Master of Psychology, graduates must also meet the APAC pre-professional competencies. Graduates of NUS Psychology are broadly expected to meet the foundational competencies, although there may be exceptions depending on the precise route taken through the degree and depending exactly how the Australian Psychological Society (APS) interpret the APAC competencies. Graduates of NUS Psychology are broadly not expected to meet the pre-professional competencies, and so will not be eligible for many Australian postgraduate degrees. Students considering Australia for a postgraduate degree should study the APAC requirements carefully, and should be aware that they might need to supplement their NUS degree with a foundational course approved by the APS.

The above applies only to Australian post-graduate degrees. NUS Psychology graduates have successfully enrolled in post-graduate degrees in other parts of the world.

We will not be altering our curriculum to fit Australian requirements.