Graduate Diploma
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:
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
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:
Working as a generalist psychologist might involve:
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:
To complete the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) students must attain 8 credit points.
The Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) consists of two 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:
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 four 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.
All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.
Karolinska Institute exchange students must enrol in HPY720X Research Project A (Karolinska Exchange) and HPY721X Research Project B (Karolinska Exchange).
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
You can also refer to the Recognition of prior learning system which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree and how to apply for credit.
Students who have completed components of another APAC-accredited fourth year program may apply for Recognition of prior learning for up to four credit points. Recognition of prior learning can only be granted for units that are determined by the unit chair and course chair to be equivalent to a unit in the Graduate Diploma of Psychology in content and assessment requirements. Recognition of prior learning cannot be granted for studies completed as part of courses that are not APAC-accredited.