Master of Psychological Studies

Introduction

The Master of Psychological Studies will provide graduates from any discipline with the professional training to be provisionally registered as a psychologist over two years full-time (including the Summer intensive in Year 1). The Master in Psychological Studies is equivalent to the three year undergraduate sequence and the fourth year course.

Graduates of the Master of Psychological Studies would still be required to complete the 2 year (full-time) Master of Psychology (or equivalent) to be eligible for full registration as a Psychologist.

This program is only available on a full-time basis and students must be available to complete the Summer intensive in Year 1 (commencing 7 Jan 2008). Applicants should note that in order to progress to Year 2 of the program, students must achieve at least an H2A (75) average in their first year of studies. If a student passes the first year but does not achieve the necessary standard to proceed, he or she will be awarded the Graduate Diploma in Psychology.

About the Course

The Master of Psychological Studies entails the completion of nine compulsory subjects and one elective subject in the first year, worth 12.5 points each (125 points in total), and three compulsory subjects and two electives in the second year (100 points in total). The total course requirement is 225 credit points.

Key Benefits and Features

• Flexibility to pursue different pathways
• An intensive and accelerated pathway towards a change of career
• An intensive and accelerated pathway towards probationary registration as a psychologist
• Completed over two years full-time, comprising the APAC-accredited undergraduate sequence and fourth year studies*
• Includes an intensive summer term starting January 2008

Subject descriptions can be found at below the page. Special attention is drawn to the 50 point compulsory Research Project in the second year of the program. This r equires students to undertake a research project and obtain experience in all aspects of conducting and reporting of independent empirical research. Students will be assigned a supervisor who will guide the research, provide feedback on the students' plans and conduct of the research, and provide advice on preparing a written report on their research (thesis). Students will submit a research proposal in first semester that will be reviewed by other academic members of staff who will provide written feedback. In second semester, students will make a brief oral presentation about their research, including any initial data analysis, before members of academic staff and fellow students at a formal mini conference. Feedback from the oral presentation will guide finalization of the project and write-up of the thesis. The thesis is approximately 10, 000 words in length and is submitted at the end of October.

YEAR 2

Entry is open to graduates who have completed a three-year undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with an average of at least H2B (70%) in the final year of undergraduate study. Selection will be based on academic merit and, in particular, academic performance in the final year of study. 

Progression to the second year will require an average of at least H2A (75%) in the 200 and 300 Level subjects completed in the first year of the program.

International students entering the course will need to demonstrate the standards of English language facility required for postgraduate entry to the University of Melbourne.

Application procedures

Applications have been extended to close on Monday 17 Dec 2007.  Please include certified copies of transcripts and Australian or New Zealand citizenship or Australian Permanent Residence with your application. You can apply online at the following site: https://sis.unimelb.edu.au/cgi-bin/course-application.pl

Credit and exemption guidelines

Credit will not be granted in the first year of the course in 2008. From 2009, credit will be available if you have studied tertiary psychology subjects. If you are granted credit, you do not have to study the same subjects again and the number of points required to complete the Master of Psychological Studies is reduced, thus reducing the length of your course. The maximum amount of
credit you may be eligible for is 100 points. No credit will be offered for Year 2 of the course.

Course deferral

Course deferral of the Master of Psychological Studies is not permitted.

FEES

The course fees for 2008 for Australian students are $47,925. Please note that course fees are revised annually.  There are no Commonwealth Supported Places in the Master of Psychological Studies.

Further information about the University’s fee policy can be obtained from the brochure ‘Arrangements relating to the payment of fees’, also available at:
http://www.futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/aust/fees/2008fees.html

Fees are assessed at the undergraduate rate.

There are a number of payment options available to you including:
Installment Plan: You can apply to pay your fees by quarterly installments, by semester or on an annual basis.
FEE-HELP: FEE-Help is available to Australian citizens. For more information, please refer to the following web site: http://www.goingtouni.gov.au/

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER STUDIES

The following are further options for additional study for Master of Psychological Studies graduates.

Research higher degrees
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Master of Arts or Science (Research)

Professional training programs
Master of Psychology:
- Clinical Psychology
- Clinical Psychology (Child Specialisation)
- Clinical Neuropsychology

Combined degree program
Master of Psychology/PhD:
- Clinical Psychology
- Clinical Psychology (Child Specialisation)
- Clinical Neuropsychology

For more information, please check out the following web site http://www.psych.unimelb.edu.au/courses/postgraduate/

Possible Educational Pathway for a Master of Psychological Studies