Commerce/Science at UNSW

[sirpoopalot7]

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Hi, I'm interested in doing a Combined Commerce/Science degree at UNSW, probably majoring in Marketing and Psychology. I'm thinking this is a good combination for going into Marketing or maybe Organisational Psychology.
I'm assuming I probably would have to do more to actually become a registered Psychologist?

[tommykins]

im not too sure but from what i hear - psychology is useless unless u phd it.

don't quote me on this

[Studentleader]

Originally Posted by tommykins

im not too sure but from what i hear - psychology is useless unless u phd it.

don't quote me on this

Just for clincal psychology

[Cookie182]

Management or HR major would be even more suitable for O Psych (majors in employment relations, bus. law or even info systems & statistics are good too)

It is a competitive field to enter. You will need to do an accredited "fourth year" in psychology, either honours or a postgraduate diploma + 2 yrs work supervision to register as a psychologist (this assumes you can get a job).

The best path would be:

B Com (Management OR HR)/ Bsc (psych) Hons.

Then a Masters in Organisational Psychology (which counts as a 5 and 6th yr in psych for registration purposes). You will find the majority of OP have masters degrees and then possibly phD's.

The pay will be awful without masters too.

Good luck, competitive and interesting field!

[sirpoopalot7]

Thanks for the insight. What if I just concentrated on the Commerce side of things (such as HR, Management, etc) and just left the psych at bachelor level? It seems that it isn't worth the extra time and money to go into Organisational Psychology at levels such as masters or PhD when Human Resource managers seem to make just as much if not more. (According to a Macquarie Uni report in like 2006 I believe)

[Cookie182]

That is true, note though HR and organisational psychology are fundamentally different roles. The reason many registered psychologist are working in a HR role is due to employment opportunities (many law grads work as HRM too).

On psychology earnings though, yes it can be a joke given the qualifications needed, yet in the private sector some corporations do pay OP quite handsomely (at least compare this to a PhD clinical psychologist on $78, 000-120, 000 (senior role) a year, it should IMO be way over $150, 000 given the level of training + difficulty).

If your interested in psychology I would go for the double degree, major in HR. They complement nicely and at the end of 3 yrs if you decide you purely want to go into HR, then leave psych just at the bachelors level (you'll never be registered) yet the people skills and knowledge will help your HR career. It's best to broaden the options, that is unless your not that itnerested in psych at all, in which case I would say do a double major in commerce- HR + marketing or finance (finance knowledge can help). A law degree can be nice too as another option, as can anything relating to OHS.

Note to, your HR career will be helped by a Masters of Management and further postgraduate training or at least B Com (hons).

Hope this helps

[Cookie182]

I'm considering Psych myself as another degree (I have a commerce background), yet I'm mainly interested in academic research, possibly crossing with finance: something along the lines of behavioural explanations for semi-strong market efficency violations or researching future prices.

Having said that, I'd love to take up a research scholarship in evolutionary psychology at say the University of Michigan...fantastic stuff coming out of there under Prof. David Buss.

[sirpoopalot7]

Thanks that's a big help. To be honest, I'm actually not sure what I do want to choose. Commerce/Science at UNSW is actually around my 4th preference. I've put pure psychology degrees ahead of it, such as those at USYD, UNSW and the (hon) one at Macq.

But I've also been interested business as well (despite not taking economics or business studies haha), like why people choose products or behavioural variables. But also what motivates people to actually work (that's I suppose, OP) I suppose I thought the combined would help both my business and people interests. Also, I've never really liked maths.

I suppose my confusion is due to not really knowing what the majors actually point towards or entail job wise. Erghh, all seems so muddy.


That behavioural research also sounds very interesting.

[Cookie182]

Originally Posted by sirpoopalot7

Thanks that's a big help. To be honest, I'm actually not sure what I do want to choose. Commerce/Science at UNSW is actually around my 4th preference. I've put pure psychology degrees ahead of it, such as those at USYD, UNSW and the (hon) one at Macq.

But I've also been interested business as well (despite not taking economics or business studies haha), like why people choose products or behavioural variables. But also what motivates people to actually work (that's I suppose, OP) I suppose I thought the combined would help both my business and people interests. Also, I've never really liked maths.

I suppose my confusion is due to not really knowing what the majors actually point towards or entail job wise. Erghh, all seems so muddy.


That behavioural research also sounds very interesting.

Thats all good.

I would add though, I think the deception of psychology is that people think it is like arts & law- there is maths, although it is statistics based. If you want to go for honours or any higher research in psych, it can be heavily based on statistics (all research generally is).

I would go the double, commerce is not much "maths" at all (UNSW has the most compuslory maths) & do a HR major (looks at why people work, their workplace relations etc) and psych; see if you like both if not drop one and concentrate on that field. It would be easier then starting one and then trying to get into the other and/or double.

Best of luck

[ComingUpForAir]

'Human Resources'
please dont touch that shit. (along with any kind of 'management' subject)
just no.

If you want to do psychology, do experimental or combine it with neuroscience.

[Monsterman]

If I was looking to do Commerce/Science and looking to do finance.. would the combined science lead me to working in science companies?

cause I think I heard that if you combined commerce/engineering, they usually worked in engineering companies.. it might be all rubbish.. thats why i'm asking

[migoi]

Originally Posted by Monsterman

If I was looking to do Commerce/Science and looking to do finance.. would the combined science lead me to working in science companies?

cause I think I heard that if you combined commerce/engineering, they usually worked in engineering companies.. it might be all rubbish.. thats why i'm asking

Commerce/engineering students are more focused on engineering rather than commerce - the commerce component is used to lever them into a management role in a engineering company. Well that is IMO, my friends does commerce/engineering and his working engineering - apparently he did commerce because he had the marks for it.

In the case of Commerce/Science the focus is more on the commerce degree while using the science degree to differentiate yourself from the crowd or more so as support role to the commerce degree. I'm currently doing a Commerce/Science degree and my main focus is more of a commerce orientated career.

[tommykins]

my mates do comm/eng for what migoi said above too.

they find comm a break from engineering

[wrong_turn]

i find psychology a break from my business subjects.

[Monsterman]

Originally Posted by migoi

Commerce/engineering students are more focused on engineering rather than commerce - the commerce component is used to lever them into a management role in a engineering company. Well that is IMO, my friends does commerce/engineering and his working engineering - apparently he did commerce because he had the marks for it.

In the case of Commerce/Science the focus is more on the commerce degree while using the science degree to differentiate yourself from the crowd or more so as support role to the commerce degree. I'm currently doing a Commerce/Science degree and my main focus is more of a commerce orientated career.

so would the commerce/engineering degree be worth it? since it is 5.5years compared with commerce/science and normal commerce degree which are both 4years. because it seems to be like long trek if i was to do commerce/engineering but end up at the same place if i was to do commerce/science.