Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing)

This double degree pairs the science of human behaviour with the commercial craft of marketing. Over five years you study two full bachelor degrees at once: psychology, where you learn how people think, feel, and act, and marketing, where you learn how organisations persuade, position, and sell. The two halves feed each other more than you might expect. Consumer behaviour is applied psychology. Market research is survey design and statistics. Brand loyalty, pricing, and advertising all sit on questions psychologists have been testing for a century.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are built from units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. You need a fixed total to graduate, and you choose units across semesters or trimesters depending on the university calendar. A double degree like this one runs longer than either single degree because you complete the core of both. Expect psychology units in cognition, developmental and social psychology, personality, research methods, and statistics, alongside marketing units in consumer behaviour, market research, brand management, digital marketing, and strategy. Curtin publishes the exact unit list, credit points, and semester breakdown on its course page and the CRICOS register, so check those before you plan your enrolment.

Most psychology degrees of this kind include a research component in the later years, where you design and run a study under supervision and write it up. Many also offer work-integrated learning, such as an industry placement or a project with a real client, which marketing students often take up. Ask the university what placement or internship options are available and whether they are elective or built into the degree.

What you actually learn

You finish with two sets of skills that employers rarely find in one person. From psychology: how to design a study, collect data, run statistical analysis, and read research critically. From marketing: how to segment an audience, build a campaign, brief creative work, and measure whether it worked. Put together, you can explain not just what consumers do but why, and back it with evidence rather than opinion.

Who this suits

This degree suits students who are curious about people and also want a commercial career. If you like the idea of working in insights, brand strategy, or user research, and you are willing to put in the statistics and research methods that psychology demands, the combination is strong. It also suits anyone considering further study in psychology later, since the psychology half can put you on the path towards honours and postgraduate training. Note that a three-year psychology sequence on its own does not make you a registered psychologist in Australia; that requires an honours year plus further postgraduate study and supervised practice, so check the accreditation status of the psychology component with the university if registration is your goal.

English requirements for international applicants are set out on the university's course page, and the Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. While studying, a Student visa generally allows work of up to 48 hours per fortnight during term. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may let you stay and work in Australia, subject to its own rules. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register. Confirm all details, including unit lists, credit points, and entry requirements, on the official Curtin course page.

• Market research analyst, designing surveys and interpreting consumer data for agencies, retailers, and research firms.
• Consumer insights specialist, turning behavioural data into recommendations for brand and product teams.
• Brand or marketing coordinator, running campaigns, managing agencies, and tracking performance.
• Digital marketing specialist, search, social, email, and content, with testing built on psychological principles.
• UX or user researcher, studying how people use products and services, common in tech and government digital teams.
• Human resources or organisational development officer, applying psychology to recruitment, culture, and workplace behaviour.
• Policy or program officer, in government and non-profits, where behaviour change and evaluation skills matter.
• Further study pathway, honours and postgraduate psychology training towards registration as a psychologist, or a research career.

Australian industries that hire from this mix include market research and advertising agencies, retail and consumer goods, banking and insurance, technology, health and community services, and the public sector.