Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced)

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced)
Deakin course code	H650
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong)
Online	Yes
Duration	1 year full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025 Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
CRICOS course code	0101383 Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Waterfront (Geelong)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8
NOTE: Online is available to Domestic students only, limited places available.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

If you are looking to build on the skills you’ve developed at the undergraduate level, the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) is an APAC-accredited course that deepens your understanding of human behaviour while preparing you for a successful career as a registered psychologist.

Want to explore exciting new areas of psychology and take a big step towards general registration as a psychologist?

For students on the path to becoming a registered psychologist, who also want to learn from leaders in the field and build professional networks, the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) ticks all the right boxes. It’s accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), which means you can apply for provisional registration as a psychologist as soon as you complete the course and meet the requirements of the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA). It is also a pathway towards further postgraduate study, which you will need for general registration. Plus, postgraduate psychology at Deakin has reputation for teaching quality and is ranked number 1 in Victoria for student satisfaction*, so you can be confident you are joining a program that empowers you to be your best. The course can be studied on campus or online, giving you the flexibility to achieve your goals on your schedule.

Throughout the course, you will build new skills that allow you to provide better advice, interventions and treatments to clients. Discover a range of advanced psychological assessment methods and gain a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to formulate psychological opinion in casework. One of the units, Applied Counselling Skills (Advanced), gives you the opportunity to learn about these applied techniques and how they could be used with clients in mental health settings.

Acknowledging that research is an important tool of the modern psychologist, the course includes a number of research components that enhance your industry readiness. The research and analysis skills you learn will be incredibly valuable throughout your entire career. They will also prove crucial should you continue your studies at master or doctoral levels.

What are your options once you finish this course?

Once you meet the requirements of the Psychology Board of Australia, you can apply for provisional registration as a psychologist. If it’s general registration you’re seeking, your study journey continues. The Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) is a recognised fourth year (honours equivalent) pathway to the following APAC-accredited courses that lead to general registration as a psychologist:

Master of Psychology (Organisational) – the only organisational psychology course in Victoria: offered on campus, full-time and part-time
Master of Psychology (Clinical)
Master of Professional Psychology
Doctor of Psychology (Clinical).

If you are not interested in becoming a registered psychologist, you will graduate from this course with sought-after skills and experience that allow you to enter the workforce and thrive in a variety of areas including community welfare and case management, mental health rehabilitation and public health.

Learn more about psychology pathways and career outcomes

Indicative student workload

As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, practicals and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Professional recognition

This course is recognised for registration purposes by the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) and is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). As a graduate, you will be eligible to apply for provisional registration as a psychologist and for entry to APAC accredited master or doctoral level training programs that lead to registration as a psychologist.

Career opportunities

This course is a pathway towards APAC-accredited master and doctoral-level courses that lead to registration as a psychologist. Areas of practice endorsement in psychology include:

clinical psychology (available at Deakin)
clinical neuropsychology
organisational psychology (available at Deakin)
sport and exercise psychology
forensic psychology
counselling psychology
community psychology

Working as a generalist psychologist might involve:

family therapy
rehabilitation counselling
psychological assessment

Not looking to become a registered psychologist? You will still have a broad and exciting range of career opportunities to explore when you graduate from this course. Your deep understanding of psychological assessment methods combined with your client-centred approach to practise will equip you for roles in:

community welfare and case management
human resources
mental health rehabilitation
public health
youth support
disability services

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

There are no mandatory student checks required for this course.

Pathways

This course provides a pathway to higher degree by research courses and other postgraduate coursework programs.

Registration as a Psychologist

The current requirements for registration as a provisional psychologist include the completion of four years of academic study of psychology that is recognised by the Psychology Board of Australia. The academic program usually consists of an approved undergraduate psychology sequence followed by an approved fourth-year of study, such as Deakin’s Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) or honours in psychology.

Following successful completion of an approved fourth-year of psychology study, you may apply for provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia and associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS). Deakin’s Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) can lead directly to provisional registration provided the honours year is completed within this four-year course.

In order to gain general registration, provisional psychologists must then complete either two years of supervised practice, or a minimum two years of further study, which may include: Master of Psychology, Doctor of Psychology or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (with supervised practice completed outside the degree).

Note: This course is currently accredited as at the date of publishing.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Demonstrate advanced knowledge (theoretical, empirical and practical) in the areas of psychological assessment, counselling, advanced research methods and research practice.
Communication	Demonstrate written and oral communication skills to convey complex psychological knowledge and ideas to laypeople and professionals.
Digital literacy	Apply advanced skills to select and apply appropriate digital tools to source, interpret, adapt, collate, analyse and disseminate discipline specific information in psychology to a variety of audiences relevant to pre-professional practice of psychology.
Critical thinking	Design and conduct research, critically evaluate, synthesise and integrate complex scientific evidence, and apply this knowledge to assessment, counselling and case management that demonstrates evidence-based pre-professional practice in the field of psychology.
Problem solving	Respect and use critical thinking, sceptical inquiry and the scientific approach to solve problems related to research and applied skills in the field of psychology.
Self-management	Display high level self-management through reflection, continual improvement and learning that reinforces the importance of responsibility and accountability for pre-professional development in the field of psychology.
Teamwork	Communicate and collaborate in a variety of formats and contexts with diverse partners and teams.
Global citizenship	Apply knowledge of ethical principles and self-reflective practice to work in diverse social and cultural contexts within the field of psychology in a culturally sensitive manner.

Course rules

To complete the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) students must pass 8 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
8 credit points of core units

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Note:

The Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) consists of 2 components: coursework and a thesis.

The coursework component (consisting of classes and seminars) contributes 50% to the final grade awarded. Part-time students must complete the coursework component in the first year of their course. As required by the accreditation guidelines of the Australian Psychological Society, the coursework covers:

research methods;
issues in psychological assessment; and
Applied Counselling Skills (Advanced)

For further details of the coursework component, see the unit description for HPS715, HPS742, HPY710 and HPY712.

The thesis component (see HPY720 and HPY721) contributes 50% to the final grade of honours awarded. The thesis is a write-up of an individual research project based on an original piece of empirical research. A range of types of data (qualitative, quantitative, subjective, objective) and a range of data-collection settings and methodologies can be used as the basis of the thesis component. The Fourth Year Thesis consists of 4 components:

Research Project A in Trimester 1
1. Thesis literature review draft (1500-2000 words; 0% hurdle assessment)
2. Thesis proposal presentation (10-minute oral presentation; 0% hurdle assessment)

Research Project B in Trimester 2
3. Thesis poster (A0 research poster; 0% hurdle assessment)
4. Thesis (5500-6000 words; 4 credit points; 100%).

Students are encouraged to attend at the annual School Fourth Year Conference online.

Karolinska Institute exchange students must enrol in HPY720X Research Project A (Karolinska Exchange) and HPY721X Research Project B (Karolinska Exchange).

Course structure

Core units

Trimester 1

DAI001

Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)

HPS715

Principles of Psychological Assessment

HPS742

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

HPY720

Research Project A

Trimester 2

HPY710

Applied Counselling Skills (Advanced)

HPY712

Psychology Research Methods (Advanced)

HPY721

Research Project B

Part-time students wishing to deviate from the recommended structure should consult the course director.

Karolinska Institute exchange students must enrol in:

HPY720X

Research Project A (Karolinska Exchange)

HPY721X

Research Project B (Karolinska Exchange)

Work experience

Not applicable

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Research and research-related study

The thesis component (see HPY720 and HPY721) contributes 50% to the final grade of H650. And these units are 2 credit points each.

The thesis is submitted in two parts:

A research proposal comprising a 1500 written piece covering rationale, methods, proposed analyses, and a 10 minute oral presentation (submitted in June)
A 5000-word report on the empirical component submitted early October and a Poster conference attended in late October

The thesis proposal and the written empirical report constitute the full assessment in the paired units HPY720 and HPY721. The thesis proposal and empirical report contribute 30% and 70% respectively to the final mark for the thesis component.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.