Master of Psychology (Organisational)

2019 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2019 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2019 course information
Award granted	Master of Psychology (Organisational)
Course Map	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2019. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser.
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Cloud Campus	No
Duration	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent. The Masters course is two years of full time study or its equivalent. However, students should note that delays in either completion of the research thesis or delays in accessing or completing placements may mean that the duration of the course may be extended.
CRICOS course code	088717B Burwood (Melbourne)
Deakin course code	H752
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
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

Work with organisations, teams and individual employees to improve their performance and increase effectiveness and productivity in the workplace.

Organisational psychology is a rapidly growing area of psychology in Australia and around the world. You will be sought-after for your ability to analyse organisations and their people, and devise selection, motivational, developmental, wellbeing and change strategies for organisational, team and individual performance and wellbeing.

The Master of Organisational program at Deakin has very strong research, placement and consulting connections with a large number of external organisations. Deakin regularly welcomes international and local guest lecturers and speakers throughout the year.

Deakin’s psychology courses are well regarded in the workplace, and our graduates are highly successful in gaining employment shortly after graduation. A significant number become employed prior to the completion of their studies.

The Master of Psychology (Organisational) will equip you with the academic, practical and research skills required for accreditation and registration, and for employment in of one of the many organisations employing psychologists with these kinds of skills and experience. Upon completion, the degree qualifies you to register as a generalist psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and also allows you to apply for entry to their approved registrar program to gain endorsement as an organisational psychologist.

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 classes, seminars, practicals, 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 Psychology (Organisational) meets the requirements for graduates to register as generalist psychologists with the Psychology Board of Australia, and for membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS). Graduates will be eligible to apply for membership of the College of Organisational Psychologists and endorsement as an Organisational Psychologist following two years of work experience supervised by an organisational psychologist, together with completion of stipulated professional development requirements.

Career opportunities

Organisational psychology is a growth area in psychology. Organisations have come to appreciate the contribution that organisational psychologists can make in areas such as personnel selection, employee motivation, teamwork, employee engagement, communication skills, stress management, employee evaluation, job satisfaction, efficiency and productivity. As a registered and accredited organisational psychologist, you may find employment in one of the many organisations or industries employing psychologists with this kind of specialisation.

Participation requirements

Students are required to complete a minimum of 1000 hours (approximately 133 days) of professional work experience within an approved organisational setting.

Placement can occur at any time, including during the standard holiday breaks listed here: https://www.deakin.edu.au/courses/key-dates.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.

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

H752 is a post graduate course that has no immediate pathway to another Deakin course. Nearly 100% of graduates transition directly to full-time work. A small number of students with the research aptitude and interest enrol in the PhD program.

While not often applied for, Recognition of Prior Learning is available to applicants already possessing equivalent units from an APAC accredited Master of Psychology (Organisational) or equivalent degree, completed no more than ten years previously, and preferably within the last five years. Whether or not credit is granted will be determined by the equivalency of the content of the completed unit, as well as the equivalence of the applicant’s performance to students who enrol in the Masters program in the usual manner. Students will not be granted credit for previous research experience, including completion of a Masters level thesis or a research higher degree.

Normally such applicants will be required to complete placements and all additional units needed to make the coursework component comparable with that of a Deakin Master of Psychology (Organisational) student. All students are required to complete at least eighteen months of full-time study and a minimum of fifty per cent of the total course content, including the thesis. Applications for advanced standing can be made in writing addressed to the course chair, and including a completed Recognition of Prior Learning application form, following enrolment and preferably prior to commencement of studies.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, your fee category and the year you started. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline Specific knowledge and capabilities	Apply an advanced and integrated theoretical and practical knowledge of the principles underlying organisational psychology in order to inform solutions to organisational issues.
Communication	Meaningfully communicate complex knowledge and ideas to clients, health professionals and other stakeholders that demonstrates sound judgement, adaptability and responsibility in various contexts.
Digital Literacy	Apply advanced skills to select appropriate digital tools to find, use and disseminate information.
Critical thinking	Identify, analyse, critically evaluate and synthesise complex information, problems, ideas, concepts and theories in the field of organisational psychology.
Problem Solving	Adapt knowledge and skills in diverse contexts to compare and contrast multiple approaches in problem solving; to select the appropriate methodology and use initiative to solve a range of diverse problems within the field of organisational psychology.
Self-management	Display high level of self-management through reflection, continual improvement and learning, and seeking appropriate supervision that reinforces the importance of responsibility and accountability for professional development.
Teamwork	Identify, establish and maintain collaborative professional relationships, demonstrating professionalism, responsibility and accountability, with a wide range of diverse client groups and other professionals.
Global Citizenship	Demonstrate awareness and sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, religious, social and political backgrounds in order to enhance professional and ethical practice within diverse social, cultural and environmental contexts.

Course rules

To complete the Master of Psychology (Organisational) students must attain 16 credit points covering three inter-related strands: theory, research and practice. All units are core (these are compulsory). The course has a strong emphasis on a practical problem-solving approach within a structure of organisational psychology units. Students will complete a minimum of 4 credit points each trimester over two years for full time study or part time equivalent.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 1000 hours (approximately 133 days) of professional work experience within an approved organisational setting.

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete HAI010 Academic Integrity in their first trimester of study (0 credit point compulsory unit).

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. Click here for more information.

Course structure

Core units

2016 course title change only. Students enrolled in H752 Master of Psychology (Industrial and Organisational) can follow this course structure.

Level 1 - Trimester 1

HAI010

Academic Integrity (0 credit points)

HPS726

An Introduction to Organisational Psychology

HPS758

Psychological Assessment in Organisations

HPS759

Issues in Professional Organisational Psychology

HPS785

Research Thesis A

Level 1 - Trimester 2

HPS722

Facilitation, Training and Evaluation in Organisations

HPS723

Organisational Placement 1

HPS724

Applied Methodology for Organisational Analysis

HPS792

Research Thesis B

Level 2 - Trimester 1

HPS721

Organisational Development and Change Management

HPS725

Organisational Placement 2

HPS793

Research Thesis C

HPS727

Organisational Intervention Strategies and Skills

Level 2 - Trimester 2

HPS728

Organisational Placement 3

HPS730

Occupational Health and Wellbeing

HPS794

Research Thesis D

HPY701

Leadership Assessment, Development and Coaching

Students are also expected to attend School Research Colloquia.

Work experience

Placement program

The placement program is designed to provide you with exposure to varying organisational problems and experiences. The placements are designed to equip you with a range of professional skills and develop an awareness of professional issues in applied settings. You will be exposed to the workings of different organisations and industries and the types of issues that arise in an organisational psychology setting. You will be involved in placements in different sectors including manufacturing, retail, finance, public service and consultancies. Contracts will be drawn up that will clearly specify the skills to be mastered, your responsibilities and the responsibilities of the placement supervisor/s. Each placement requires the full complement of days to be completed. Unsatisfactory progress in any one placement may result in exclusion from the course.

Income support

Domestic students enrolled in this postgraduate coursework program may be eligible for student income support through Youth Allowance and Austudy.

Further information can be found at Deakin University's Fees website.

Course duration - additional information

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

Other learning experiences

Throughout the program students are invited and encouraged to participate in a range of independently provided professional accreditation activities. Students, for example, might complete workshops to gain accreditation in psychological assessment, leadership, and health and wellbeing programs.

Research and research-related study

Research comprises 25% of the program. Students are required to pass four research units in order to be eligible to complete the degree. HPS785, undertaken in trimester 1 of the first-year full-time program, consists of a 7000-word literature review that is relevant to each student’s chosen research topic. HPS792, undertaken in Trimester 2 of the first-year full-time program, requires students to present their research proposal to a panel of academics. HPS793, undertaken in Trimester 1 of the second year full-time program, requires a report demonstrating successful research progress. HPS794, undertaken in Trimester 2 of the second-year full-time program, requires successful completion of a 6000-word empirical research report.