Master of Professional Psychology

2024 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Professional Psychology
Deakin course code	H744
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Online	No
Duration	1 year full-time or 2 years part-time
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	111856F Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Build advanced skills in psychological assessment, ethics and therapeutic interventions with the Master of Professional Psychology. This fifth-year, APAC-accredited psychology course prepares you for a final year of supervised practice that leads to general registration as a psychologist.

If you want to elevate your understanding of human behaviour to an expert level, why not do it at a university that’s ranked #1 in Victoria for education experiences in postgraduate psychology?

The Master of Professional Psychology is all about preparing you for the next stage of your career. If your aim is to progress to the one-year internship that leads to registration as a psychologist, you will graduate with professional practice skills that allow you to thrive in your chosen setting. If registration isn’t your goal and you’re ready to explore new, more challenging roles in the workforce right away, the specialised knowledge you will develop throughout the course set you up to make a positive impact in people’s lives from day one.

Haven’t mapped out your path beyond graduation? This course exposes you to the many different roles, topics and challenges that exist within psychology, allowing you to sample different career options before making your choice.

Key areas of study include:

psychology across the lifespan
working with diverse populations
ethics in professional psychology
psychological intervention strategies such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches
the application of different psychological assessment methods such as personality, intelligence and ability tests.

All of these skills are ingrained through practical experience. Take your learning beyond textbooks to participate in demonstrations, role-play, individualised feedback and collaboration sessions that give you a chance to apply your skills to authentic scenarios. These techniques are a step up from those learned at the undergraduate level and allow you to apply more complex interventions to a broader range of psychological symptoms.

Your studies will be enriched further by professional practicums that consist of three key activities: workshops, placement and supervision. Practicums are another opportunity to apply the principles learned in the classroom in real-life settings. Learn on your feet, build relationships and problem-solve under the guidance of established professionals.

Combine this extensive practical experience with a strong focus on applied research to graduate as a well-rounded professional. Learn how to apply research to your decision-making, become confident at critically analysing research and discover what it takes to conduct your own.

Entry into the Master of Professional Psychology is competitive. That’s because Deakin is ranked in the top 1% worldwide for psychology, and leads all Victorian universities for education experience, learning resources and support services. If you want to join a high-achieving group of students with a shared passion for exploring the human mind and helping others, the Master of Professional Psychology is the course to take your career forward.

Learn more about your career options in psychology.

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 online lectures, practicals, face-to-face intensives, placements 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

The Master of Professional Psychology is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) in accordance with the Accreditation Standards for Psychology Program.

When you graduate, you will have the right skills, experience and qualification to secure a final year of supervised practice in the field. After this one-year supervised internship, you will be eligible to apply for generalist registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) under the '5+1 internship model' for registration.

Eligibility for registration as a general psychologist through the PsyBA is subject to meeting the requirements of the regulatory body (including the National Psychology Examination). Deakin makes no representation that students will meet those requirements.

Career opportunities

This course is a pathway into the one-year internship that leads to general registration as a psychologist. Once you’re registered, you will have the qualifications and experience needed to practise psychology in areas such as:

mental health settings
schools
rehabilitation settings
disability
aged care
return to work
forensic settings
private practice

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

community welfare and case management
human resources
education
mental health rehabilitation
drug and alcohol services
public health
youth and family support.

Learn more about psychology pathways and career outcomes

Participation requirements

All students, whether full-time or part-time, will be required to attend a number of compulsory workshops and weekend intensives throughout the course. In addition, students will be expected to attend at least 80% of blackboard collaborate sessions for their Units across the year. Students should expect to commit 10-12 hours of study per week per unit. Requirements for placements will vary depending upon where a student completes their practicum.

Mandatory student checks

Department of Human Services policy - Police Record Check and Working With Children Check

In accordance with Department of Human Services policy, all students are required to undertake a National Police Record Check prior to clinical placements in each calendar year of their course.

In accordance with the Department of Justice 2007, Working with Children Act 2005, amended 2017, all students are required to undertake a Working with Children Check at the commencement of their course. Students who fail to obtain a Police Record Check and a Working with Children Check prior to the commencement of clinical placement will not be able to undertake clinical placement and this will impede progress in the course.

Students may also be required to declare their immunisation status to satisfy the requirements of health organisations where they will be undertaking their clinical learning experience. A health organisation may refuse to accept a student for placement if the student’s immunisation status is not satisfactory to the health organisation.

Under the regulations of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, Master of Psychology students are required to be provisionally registered from the commencement of enrolment and for the duration of enrolment in their degree. This is a mandatory requirement. Students should apply online for provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia as soon as they have been accepted into the degree. Alternatively, a paper form is available on the Board’s website (see Application for provisional registration - APRO-76

Pathways

H744 is a stand-alone, post graduate course that has no direct pathway to another Deakin course. Nearly 100% of graduates transition directly to full-time work. A small number of students with research aptitude and interest enrol in the PhD program.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Displays broad knowledge of common client presentations seen across the lifespan and understanding of the theoretical principles and research underlying psychological practice that prepares students to undertake the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) internship program leading to full registration as a Psychologist.
Communication	Compose clearly written case reports; demonstrate effective verbal and interpersonal communication skills using appropriate language to communicate with specialists and non-specialists such as other health professionals, clients and carers within a range of professional settings.
Digital literacy	Use appropriate technologies to collect relevant discipline-specific information; assemble, evaluate, justify and integrate this information to formulate appropriate hypotheses, assessment and treatment approaches and disseminate this information to clients and health professionals.
Critical thinking	Critically evaluate and integrate scientific evidence and under supervision, transform this information into case formulations, assessment, interventions and policy that demonstrate evidence-based practice in the field of psychology.
Problem solving	Under the guidance of a supervisor, analyse theoretical frameworks and adapt foundation knowledge and skills to design evidence-based intervention and management approaches tailored to meet the needs of diverse client presentations.
Self-management	Demonstrates ethical and professional practice, showing an appreciation of the need for continued supervision, accountability, good judgment and reflective practice in all areas of psychological and professional work and complies with the National Law requirements for conduct, health and performance.
Teamwork	Develop, maintain and manage professional, ethical and collaborative relationships with multidisciplinary team members and stakeholders to work effectively together in the best interest of the client and the profession.
Global citizenship	Demonstrate, report and apply ethical, legal and professional principles to work productively as a provisional psychologist within diverse social cultural and environmental contexts by collaborating and communicating in a self-reflective and culturally sensitive manner.

Course rules

To complete the Master of Professional Psychology 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:

Students are required to complete and pass both Practicum units. Failure of placement is grounds for exclusion.

Course structure

Core units

Level 1 - Trimester 1

DAI001

Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)

HPY722

Practice and Ethics in Professional Psychology

HPY723

Psychological Assessment in Practice

HPY724

Psychological Interview and Intervention Strategies

HPY725

Professional Practicum A

Level 1 - Trimester 2

HPY726

Psychological Practice Across the Lifespan

HPY727

Working with Diverse Populations

HPY728

Applied Methods for Professional Practice

HPY729

Professional Practicum B

Work experience

Placement program

Placements are designed to equip students with a range of professional skills and an awareness of professional issues in psychological practice. You will have placements in at least two different settings. Your placement program will be determined jointly by you, the placement coordinators, and the practitioners supervising the placements. Contracts will be drawn up which will clearly specify the skills to be taught and the responsibilities of the student and placement supervisor. Placement supervisors are registered psychologists, eligible for membership of the Australian Psychological Society. Each placement requires the full complement of days to be completed. Failure of any one placement may result in exclusion from the course.

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

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.