Bachelor of Politics & International Relations/Bachelor of Science in Psychology

This is a four-year double degree at the University of Canberra that pairs politics and international relations with psychology. You graduate with two bachelor degrees, not one. That matters when you're applying for jobs or further study, because each half stands on its own.

What you actually study

The politics and international relations side covers Australian government and public policy, comparative politics, international relations theory, security studies, and the politics of our region. You'll write essays, analyse policy, and argue positions. The psychology side is a science degree, so expect research methods, statistics, cognitive and biological psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, and personality. You'll run experiments and write lab reports, not just read about them. The two halves connect more than you'd think: political attitudes, voting behaviour, prejudice, group conflict and public opinion are all psychology questions as much as political ones.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are built on units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. You enrol in units each semester or trimester, depending on the university's calendar, and accumulate credit points until you meet the requirements for both awards. Because this is a double degree, it runs four years full time rather than the three years a single bachelor takes. Students who do well can usually add an honours year, which is a fourth year of research training and a thesis in one of the two disciplines. The psychology sequence follows the order required for accreditation, so you can't reshuffle it freely, check the course structure before you plan electives.

Skills you build

You learn to read research critically, handle data, design studies, and write for two very different audiences: a policy brief and a journal-style lab report. You'll get practice in argument, evidence, and ethical reasoning. Psychology training adds an understanding of how people actually make decisions, which is useful whether you end up in a government department, a campaign, a research team or a community organisation. Canberra is a government town, so there are placement and internship opportunities in the public sector and the many organisations that work alongside it, confirm the current work-integrated learning options with the university.

Who it suits

This suits someone who wants to understand power and behaviour together. If you're interested in why people vote the way they do, how policy gets made, or how evidence moves into government, the combination makes sense. It also suits students who want a psychology degree but don't want to specialise narrowly yet. Note that the psychology half is accredited as an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council sequence, but a four-year double degree is not automatically the same as an accredited honours year, if you're aiming for registration as a psychologist, check the pathway carefully. International students should confirm English requirements (IELTS 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard), tuition on the CRICOS register, and visa conditions on the official page.

• Policy and program officer in Australian Public Service departments, state agencies and local government.
• Research assistant or data analyst in universities, think tanks, polling firms and social research organisations.
• Parliamentary or ministerial adviser, working with MPs, committees and electorate offices.
• International relations and aid roles with NGOs, development organisations and international bodies.
• Human resources, market research and user research, where psychology and data skills are used to understand behaviour.
• Community and welfare organisations, in roles that combine policy knowledge with an understanding of people.
• Further study: honours, master's degrees in public policy, international relations or psychology, and the supervised practice pathway toward registration as a psychologist.

Graduates often move between these areas rather than staying in one. The double degree gives you two languages to work in, policy and evidence, which is useful in Canberra and beyond. International graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream; student visa holders can generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying. Confirm current conditions with the Department of Home Affairs.