Bachelor of Arts In Psychology

Just look at our track record! A BA in Psychology at HCHE is a highly sought-after degree which can lead you into a prestigious career as a professional psychologist. Our graduates have a competitive advantage when studying further.

They testify to the fact that when they go on to do an Honours degree, they are streets ahead of their peers with their superior research skills and rigorous academic preparation. You will need to work hard, but the end result will be sweet!

Programme Purpose:

• To help you understand how and why humans think and behave as they do, within a Christian values framework
• To grant you the knowledge and skills needed to do professional counselling, therapy, work in mental health care and in related fields such as industrial psychology, or to study further in psychology
• To give you an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the core subfields of psychology: health and stress; positive psychology; human development; social psychology; personology; counselling skills and therapy; community psychology; abnormal psychology; psychometric theory and testing, and the history of philosophy and psychology, including the major schools and paradigms
• To encourage you to think critically
• To empower you with research and analytical skills
• To give you opportunities to develop a passion for service and the knowledge and skills to ensure you will be prepared to really help people in the community

Qualification Outcomes:

• When you have graduated, you will have gained the following knowledge and abilities:
• Industrial Psychology Stream Students 
• A deep knowledge of behaviour at work, including:
• Job analysis
• Employee selection, training and motivation
• Performance appraisal
• The principles of management and human resources management
• Industrial relations
• Performance and diversity management
• Group dynamics 
• Counselling Psychology Stream Students
• Knowledge of substance abuse, addictions and treatment
• Cognitive and neurological processes, structures, and functions
• Human sexuality
• Family and marriage therapeutic interventions
• Exceptionality, special education and related services
• The skill of working on your own as well as in a group
• The ability to read academic books, journals and online material in a critical way, and to carry out your own research

Further Studies:

Once you have completed an Honours degree, you can apply for an internship Master’s degree in Psychology or do a BPsych equivalence programme and internship. Thereafter, you will write the National Board examination.

Once you pass this exam, you may register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to become a professional psychologist. Otherwise, after you have completed your Honours degree, you may apply for a research Master’s degree, so that you can become a lecturer or a field researcher.