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

Degree Details

3 YEARS NQF Level 7
SAQA Qualification ID Number: 58334

Career opportunities

Once you hold a BA in Psychology, these are some of the jobs you could do after post-graduate study:

  • Counselling Psychologist
  • Industrial Psychologist
  • Lecturer / School Teacher
  • Field Researcher
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Employment in areas related to psychology such as:
    • social services
    • health work
    • community work
    • public relations
    • sales or market research
    • ergonomics
    • advertising

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.

Alumni

We think you will like to hear that our Psychology graduates do particularly well in their post-graduate studies and some have advanced to Master’s or Doctoral degrees. In a very competitive space, you will have an edge on the competition if you hold a BA Psychology degree from Helderberg College of Higher Education.

DEGREE CURRICULUM

CONCENTRATION: COUNSELLING

YEAR 1 | SEMESTER 1

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
BHS 151
Philos of Education & Serv
8
COM 102
Communication Theory
8
CPT 118
End User Computing l
8
ENG 142
Academic Writing
16
PSY 105
Principles of Psychology
16
REB 117
Values, Char & Pers Enrich I
8
ENG 111
Principles of English l
16
MTH 049
Basic Maths l
16

YEAR 1 | SEMESTER 2

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
HLD 126
Principles of Health
8
PSY 108
Health Psychology
12
PSY 140
Faith & Psychology
8
PSY 170
Stress Management
12
PSY 180
Positive Psychology
12
SOC 101
Sociology l
12
ENG 112
Principles of English ll
16

YEAR 2 | SEMESTER 1

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
PSY 211
Developmental Psych l
12
PSY 215
Statistics
16
PSY 221
Treatment of Substance Abuse
12
PSY 231
Research Methods l
12
REB 217
Values, Char & Pers Enrich II
8

YEAR 2 | SEMESTER 2

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
PSY 208
Cognitive & Neuropsychology
16
PSY 209
Human Sexuality
12
PSY 212
Developmental Psych ll
12
PSY 229
Social Psychology
12
PSY 232
Research Methods II
12
PSY 249
Work Integrated Learning
12

YEAR 3 | SEMESTER 1

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
PSY 307
Marriage & Family
12
PSY 311
Theories of Personality
16
PSY 315
Counselling Skills
16
PSY 323
Community Psychology
12
PSY 371
Psyc of Except Child
12

YEAR 3 | SEMESTER 2

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
PSY 312
Psychopathology
16
PSY 316
Psychotherapy
16
PSY 320
Psychological Assessment
12
PSY 341
History & Systems of Psych
16
REB 317
Values, Char & Pers Enrich III
8

CONCENTRATION: INDUSTRIAL  PSYCHOLOGY

YEAR 1 | SEMESTER 1

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
BHS 151
Philos of Education & Serv
8
CPT 118
End User Computing l
8
ENG 142
Academic Writing
16
MGT 141
Principles of Management
12
PSY 105
Principles of Psychology
16
REB 117
Values, Char & Pers Enrich I
8
ENG 111
Principles of English l
16
MTH 049
Basic Maths l
16

YEAR 1 | SEMESTER 2

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
CPT 125
End User Computing ll
12
HLD 126
Principles of Health
8
PSY 108
Health Psychology
12
PSY 170
Stress Management
12
PSY 180
Positive Psychology
12
SOC 101
Sociology l
12
ENG 112
Principles of English ll
16

YEAR 2 | SEMESTER 1

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
MGT 245
Human Resourses Mgnt
12
PSY 211
Developmental Psych l
12
PSY 215
Statistics
16
PSY 231
Research Methods l
12
REB 217
Values, Char & Pers Enrich II
8

YEAR 2 | SEMESTER 2

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
LAW 219
Employee Relations Management
12
PSY 212
Developmental Psych ll
12
PSY 225
Industrial Psychology
12
PSY 229
Social Psychology
12
PSY 232
Research Methods II
12
PSY 249
Work Integrated Learning
12

YEAR 3 | SEMESTER 1

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
MGT 310
Performance Management
12
MGT 366
Diversity Management
12
PSY 311
Theories of Personality
16
PSY 315
Counselling Skills
16
PSY 323
Community Psychology
12

YEAR 3 | SEMESTER 2

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
COM 350
Group Dynamics
12
PSY 312
Psychopathology
16
PSY 320
Psychological Assessment
12
PSY 341
History & Systems of Psych
16
REB 317
Values, Char & Pers Enrich III
8

FOUNDATION – YEAR

SEMESTER 1

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
CPT 033
Fundamental Computing I
8
ENG 020
Basic English - Lang & Voc
20
MTH 052
Foundation Mathematics I
16
REB 017
Values, Char & Pers Enrich
4

SEMESTER 2

CODE
TITLE
CREDITS
INFO
CPT 034
Fundamental Computing II
8
EDU 070
Study Skills
12
ENG 082
Academic Language Skills
20
ENG 084
Academic Reading Skills
8
PSY 089
Study Essentials for Psychology
12

Faculty of Social Sciences & Education

Prof. Olivia Bomester, Associate Professor
Dean

Carol Sutcliffe
Professor

Linda Griff-Griffiths
Lecturer

Debbie Naicker
Lecturer

Celeste Prinsloo
Junior Lecturer

Sherelle Naidu
Lecturer

Mieke Scarrott
Lecturer

Xan-Lee Fraser
Lecturer

Tarryn Fortuin
Lecturer

Contract Lecturers

Jilian Appollis
Contract Lecturer

Kimberly Hendricks
Contract Lecturer

Amy Sickle
Contract Lecturer

Colin Lawrence
Junior Lecturer

Chrisna Richard
Contract Lecturer

Philasande Mrwebo
Contract Lecturer

Rina Sharp
Contract Lecturer

Tomaso Fiscaletti
Contract Lecturer

Dr. Frans Everson
Contract Lecturer

Heather Combrinck
Contract Lecturer

Melissa Fowler
Contract Lecturer

Conrad Zygmont
Professor

Rozario Oliver
Contract Lecturer

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
Counselling

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
Industrial Psychology