IIE Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology

Admission requirements

Minimum Admission Requirements:

An appropriate Bachelor’s Degree OR

An appropriate Advanced Diploma provided that a 360 credit Diploma or appropriate equivalent has been completed.

Candidates must have completed Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Social Science or equivalent qualification(s), with one of the psychology disciplines at NQF Level 7 and a foundation research module at the undergraduate level, preferably at NQF Level 7.

Those who have not completed a foundation research module at undergraduate level will be required to do The IIE Introduction to Research SLP and need to be able to demonstrate an understanding of basic research before they can commence with their research report.

Candidates are required to have a minimum final year average of 65% in final-year (NQF L7) Psychology modules. Those with a final year average of 60 to 64% in the core Psychology modules will be considered if they attained an average of 65% or higher for all final-year (NQF L7) level modules.

Those with a final year average of 60 to 64% in the core Psychology modules will be considered if they attained an average of 65% or higher for all final-year (NQF L7) level modules.

For International Qualifications:

A SAQA NQF L7 Evaluation Certificate in an appropriate field and meeting the additional admission requirements.

For alternative admission options, please click here or reach out to student recruitment.

Please note, requirements for entry to this qualification are correct at the time of publication, however, these may change.

Curriculum

The IIE Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology consists of six core modules at NQF Level 8, totaling 120 credits.

Electives: Students will choose between Developmental Psychology or Community Psychology.

*Please note the availability of either Developmental Psychology or Community Psychology modules will be dependent on student numbers, and campus resources.

• Developmental Psychology: The purpose of this module is to develop an advanced and critical knowledge of the systematic, complex, successive and multifactorial changes that occur across the lifespan. Areas of concern and significance within the South African context, with regards to the impact on development will also be covered.

OR 

• Community Psychology: The purpose of this module is to equip students with a strong conceptual and applied understanding of community psychology principles, methodologies and praxis. The course frames the historical development of community psychology as a socially responsive sub-discipline of psychology, recognising theoretical and methodological diversity within the field and divergence from mainstream approaches to mental health. With reference to the South African context, students engage with community psychology’s explicit values and ideological orientation as an applied discipline, drawing links to critical psychology. As emergent psychological practitioners, the module develops the student’s practical skills, critical thought and reflexivity so as to allow effective and meaningful community engagement. The module extends capacity for social analysis, theoretical synthesis and methodological application by calling upon students to devise and evaluate community psychology intervention programs in response to real-world problems.
• Psychological Assessment: The purpose of the module is to develop students’ critical engagement with the technical, ethical, and multicultural issues that inform the design and implementation of psychological assessment measures. Students will become familiar with basic psychometric principles, as well as different assessment tools and their functions. Traditional and contemporary theories of child development, intelligence, neuropsychology, and personality are examined. Course content is structured across different contexts of assessment, namely early child development, cognitive and scholastic assessments, career counselling, clinical diagnostics, and organisational management. The focus is primarily on critical perspectives to provide a foundation for future postgraduate studies in which students focus on the manual administration of assessment tools.
• Research Methodology and Statistics: The purpose of this module is to advance and develop students’ knowledge and skills in research paradigms, designs, methods, analytical and statistical techniques and ethical issues for both quantitative and qualitative research in applied Psychology. This module is intended to develop students’ knowledge and application of research competencies in psychological research in South African and global contexts.

• Therapeutic Interventions: The purpose of the module is to provide the student with a succinct overview of the divergent approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, beginning with the basic issues in counselling practice such as values, the therapeutic process, and ethical considerations. The student will become familiar with the key concepts of the approaches and will gain a working knowledge of the techniques and procedures of each, by applying the theories to a community health context within South Africa. The module will encourage students to think critically, and evaluate each theory from a multicultural perspective, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each when applied to diverse populations.
• Psychopathology: The purpose of this module is to have students critically consider, on a theoretical and practical level, the classification, development, treatment, and prevention of psychological problems. It also aims to sensitise students to the impact of culture on the experience and expression of mental illness, and have the students engage with critical, current literature on psychological health and illness, particularly within the South African context.

• Independent Research Project: Students develop a proposal and write up the final independent research project under the guidance of a supervisor. The independent research report constitutes an integrated assessment of all knowledge acquired in the Research Methodology and Statistics module.

Articulation options

For the Faculty of Humanities, the following qualifications allow you to articulate into the IIE Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology should you meet the requirements:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Social Science

For alternative articulation options within our other schools, please contact your campus for further information.

Study further with our pathways

Pursuing a IIE Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology can open multiple academic and professional pathways. One option is to become a professional psychologist - such as a Clinical, Counselling, Educational, or Industrial/Organisational Psychologist -which requires completing a relevant Master’s degree (e.g., IIE Master of Philosophy in Arts -Psychology) and registering with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Alternatively, students can qualify as Registered Counsellors or Psychometrists, roles that involve work in community mental health, schools, trauma support, or psychological assessments. This pathway requires an accredited Honours programme and a supervised practicum. Lastly, students may choose to pursue further postgraduate study, including Master’s programmes in fields such as Psychology, Criminology, Education, Social Work, or Research.

Accreditation

The IIE Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and is registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as a 120-credit qualification on level 8 (SAQA ID: 105032).

Career opportunities

The qualification focuses on four core and aligned fields within Psychology, namely: psychopathology, therapeutic interventions, psychological assessment as well as one of the following electives: developmental psychology or community psychology, depending on availability. All of these areas of study will have a sustained focus on their utility in the South African context, and the contribution that they can make to address the challenges currently faced in South African society. These core aspects of psychology are presented in five respective modules carrying the names of these aspects (Psychological Assessment, Psychopathology, Therapeutic Interventions and Developmental Psychology or Community Psychology).

Examples of possible career opportunities for graduates include:

• Clinical Psychology/Counselling/Therapy (with further postgraduate studies)
• Human resources (with further studies)
• Teaching (with further postgraduate studies)
• Community worker
• Marketing or advertising
• Research
• Academia (Lecturing and tutoring)

Teaching and Learning strategy

At Emeris, we believe that effective teaching is about creating experiences that foster student growth. Our academic team design activities that challenge students and identify their strengths, allowing for real-time adaptation in the learning journey. By combining subject expertise with teaching insights and digital tools, we extend learning beyond the classroom. This approach ensures students not only keep up but thrive.