Bond University
Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science
- Delivery: Face to Face
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 8 months
Gain comprehensive training in research methods, psychometrics, statistics and data analytics while working toward the submission of your final thesis.
Course overview
Tailor your studies to your interests, with elective studies in your choice of forensic psychology, neuropsychology, clinical psychology and more.
Upon completion of the fourth year program, graduates will be eligible to apply for provisional registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) and progress to a master’s level program.
Bond’s School of Psychology has earned a reputation as a leader in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research. It offers the full suite of psychology qualifications required to gain registration as a practising psychologist; all of which are accredited by the Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC) and approved by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA).
This program is recognised by APAC as the equivalent of the fourth year of the six-year psychology training pathway. You can complete this qualification in just 8 months and the full pathway to registration in 4 years and 8 months.
Key facts
What you will study
Students must complete the following seventy credit points for the subjects.
- Principles of Psychological Assessment
- Multivariate Research Methods
- Professional Psychology
- Diploma Thesis
- Research Skills and Ethics (Diploma) (20 credit points)
Students must choose ten credit points of subjects from the following options.
- Clinical Psychology
- Community and Health Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Psychology At Work
Entry requirements
- Completing an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited three-year sequence of study in psychology or equivalent. Applicants are assessed on academic merit only and must have achieved a minimum GPA of 2.0 on the Bond University 4-point scale (65-69%) for all second and third-level psychology subjects in their undergraduate studies.
Once enrolled, there is no mechanism to change between the Fourth Year Programs.
Additional entry requirements
This program has some additional entry requirements that must be met to gain entry to this program.
Currency of qualification:
- Due to accreditation, the three-year sequence of study in psychology must have been completed less than ten years ago.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate comprehension and application of a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach.
- Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal communication and interview skills in situations relevant to psychological practice and research. This includes active listening, clarifying and reflecting, effective questioning, summarising and paraphrasing, developing rapport, appropriate cultural responsiveness and empathic responding.
- Demonstrate basic assessment strategies in situations appropriate to psychological practice, knowledge of psychometric theory and construction principles, cultural considerations, implementation and interpretation of some of the more widely used standardised psychological test instruments.
- Explain how basic psychological intervention strategies can be applied across various contexts, including considering cultural responsiveness.
- Investigate a substantive individual research question relevant to the discipline of psychology.
- Demonstrate an understanding and application of cultural responsiveness, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Career outcomes
Qualifications in psychology can be applied to a wide range of careers that call for exceptional critical thinking, communication and analytical skills. These can be in private enterprise, government and community settings, in fields such as:
- Education - counselling, behaviour management
- Business - change management, organisational psychology
- Human resources and career guidance
- Policy making
- Criminal justice
- Sport, exercise and athlete performance
- Rehabilitation - counselling
- Not-for-profit organisations
- Community action
- Marketing / Advertising / Communications
- NDIS services, including mental health support
- Research
Fees and FEE-HELP
FEE information not provided.
A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:
- 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.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
