Master of Psychology (Health)

What you will study

To qualify for the Master of Psychology (Health) degree, you must complete 12 courses or 48 units. Unless otherwise indicated, each course is worth three units.

Core courses

• Evidence-based Practice
• Interviewing and Intervention
• Psychological Assessment
• Psychopathology and Clinical Practice
• Promoting Health in Individuals and Populations
• Public Health Evaluation and Economics
• Health Psychology
• Placement I
• Placement II
• Placement III (six units)
• Research Project I (six units)
• Research Project II (nine units)

Entry requirements

Higher Education Study

Entry is available to graduates with a four-year qualification in Psychology or equivalent (including Honours with a minimum grade of Second Class, Division A). The degree must meet the standards set out by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), including the accredited sequence in Psychology having been completed within the last 10 years. The ONLY exception to this is where applicants have completed their four-year sequence in Psychology more than 10 years ago but have completed a PhD in Psychology within the past 10 years. All applicants must submit their Honours/4th-year results in the form of an official transcript that states completion of the degree or final results in their applications via SATAC, which can be officially verified by the relevant application date for the round in which they are applying.

Ranking for offers after interviews is based on a combination of scores from these three components:

• Honours/4th-year grade (10%)
• Casper Situational Judgement Test (40%)
• Interview performance (50%)

For detailed information, please refer to the Master of Psychology Admission Guide.

Additional Entry Requirements

Applicants (including those with a PhD) must:

• Have an Honours/4th-year grade of 2A or above/equivalent GPA.
• Provide a copy of their Honours/4th year result in the form of an official transcript, or final results able to be officially verified by the University of Adelaide by the relevant date for the round in which they are applying.
• Provide Casper Situational Judgement Test results by the relevant date for the round in which they are applying.
• Attend an interview (if invited).

In addition to the SATAC application, all applicants MUST be eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a provisional psychologist. If you are unable to obtain provisional registration, then you will be unable to continue in the program. All applicants must also review the inherent requirement statements at health.adelaide.edu.au/study-with-us/inherent-requirements/psychology and consider whether they are able to meet these requirements. For detailed information, please refer to the Master of Psychology Admission Guide.

Recognition of Prior Learning

If you have previously studied or have relevant work experience, you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning. This will help reduce the number of courses you must take to finish your program. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

Health promotion:

• Development and provision of programs that assist with the prevention of illnesses such as heart attacks, stroke, cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, smoking-related illness and dietary-related problems.
• Linking up with other health professionals to understand what behaviours might contribute to illness and how they might be changed, e.g., why some people overeat or eat a high-fat diet.
• Identifying how behaviour is linked with the development of disease and injury.
• Designing public health education programs in areas such as exercise and alcohol, cigarette and drug consumption, e.g. 'SunSmart', 'Life. 'Be in it'.
• Determining the distribution of disease and the health needs of communities within Australia.
• Working with community members to improve their health.

Clinical health:

• Developing therapy and education programs to help people cope with health issues such as weight management, cancer and heart health.
• Using psychological treatment for problems that often accompany ill health and injury, such as anxiety, depression, pain, addiction, sleep and eating problems.
• Understanding how psychological factors such as stress, depression and anxiety might be contributing to illness.
• Helping people with the self-management of chronic illness.
• Understanding how people cope with diagnosis and medical treatment of acute health problems and how they obtain medical care.
• Understanding how people cope with terminal illness, including the impact of grief, bereavement, death and dying.
• Identifying the relationship between health professionals, such as doctors, nurses and psychologists and their patients can influence how well they recover from illness and injury.
• Helping people cope with trauma, disability and rehabilitation.

Career outcomes

Graduates of this program have gone on to roles such as:

• Community Services Officer
• Mental Health Worker
• Health Psychologist
• Psychologist

Fees and CSP

Indicative annual tuition fee in 2025: $5,175 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

A student’s annual fee may vary per:

• The number of units studied per term.
• The choice of major or specialisation.
• Choice of units.
• Credit from previous study or work experience.
• Eligibility for government-funded loans.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

Commonwealth Supported Places

The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.

If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you only need to pay some of your tuition fees. The student contribution amount is the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.

Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.

Your student contribution amount is:

• Calculated per unit you're enrolled in.
• Depending on the study areas they relate to.
• Reviewed and adjusted each year.

HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.