Conservation Psychology
UndergraduateUSA-BEHL30352025
Course information for 2025 intake
Enrol today with instant approval and no entry requirements
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 14 Sept 2025
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 10 weeks
- Start dates
- 22 Sept 2025
- Price from
- $2,300
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Conservation Psychology
About this subject
By the end of this 10-week course, you'll be able to:
- Analyse current conservation and biodiversity crisis (global and local), and psychological principles relevant to conservation issues and sustainable behaviour change (individual and group).
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of psychological principles of advertising and persuasion, and principles of behaviour change, and the ethical issues related to applications of these principles.
- Apply the concept of wicked problems in conservation, and new ways of thinking to facilitate creativity and innovation to address these problems.
- Critically evaluate current research in an area of conservation, identifying a threat or problem relevant to conservation of a species or environment that may be addressed through ethical human behaviour change.
- Critically evaluate a conservation issue, develop a behaviour change message related to the conservation issue, and present this message through means appropriate to the relevant audience.
- Human impacts on the environment. Can psychology help save the world?
- Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) for human behaviour change
- Conservation psychology and persuasive communication
- Designing scientific posters
- Wicked problems in conservation and climate change as a super wicked problem
- Conservation psychology: experimental research and theories
- Citizen science: engaging people in conservation science
- Ethical issues related to human behaviour change
You will critically explore conservation issues from a psychological perspective, and apply psychological principles of advertising and behaviour change to facilitate behaviour change in support of conservation of threatened species and environments.
You will will develop an advanced understanding of the conservation and biodiversity crisis in the 21st century; and theories and psychological principles of behavioural change and ethical issues associated with the application of these principles. You will apply their understanding of wicked problems in conservation to develop new ways of thinking to address these problems by the use of science and communication through new media to portray conservation issues accurately and effectively in order to facilitate community action and behaviour change to support conservation of threatened species and environments. They will develop the ability to tailor messages to suit expert and lay audiences
UniSA Online’s 10-week short courses give you the flexibility to upskill in a certain area, stay current with developments in your field, diversify your knowledge, or even explore a new direction in your career – without having to commit to the time and cost of a full university degree.
This is a third-year course from UniSA Online’s Psychology degree. When studying this course as a "single subject", prior knowledge from BEHL 2017 or equivalent will support your success.
Delivered 100% online, you’ll be able to study where and when it suits you. Access online academic and student support seven days a week, fit study around work and life commitments, view learning resources 24/7, and log in to the interactive online environment anywhere, any time and on any device.
Should your course have an exam it will be scheduled for Australian Central Standard Time or Australian Central Daylight Time, depending on the time of the year.
- Proposal (20%)
- Project (45%)
- Case study (35%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Students must be aged 17 or older by the time teaching commences for their course of study, in accordance with UniSA’s Selection and entry to programs policy.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
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Once you pass those subjects, you will satisfy the academic requirements for the degree, and you can apply for entry.
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