CQUniversity
Master of Applied Positive Psychology
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 24 months
Build advanced knowledge of positive psychology through an evidence-based online master's degree that prepares you to design, implement and evaluate wellbeing initiatives and applied research across professional and community settings.
Course overview
The Master of Applied Positive Psychology is designed for professionals and graduates seeking to advance their knowledge of wellbeing, resilience and positive change. Delivered fully online over two years full-time or four years part-time, the course combines evidence-based learning with applied research to prepare you to facilitate and evaluate wellbeing initiatives across professional and community settings.
You'll explore theories, models and practices from positive psychology, coaching psychology, health promotion, positive education, counselling and social innovation. Throughout the course, you'll learn to design, implement and evaluate positive change interventions for individuals, groups, organisations and communities while developing research capabilities in program design, implementation and evaluation. In your final year, you'll complete an applied research project focused on positive psychology, wellbeing or resilience.
On successful completion, you'll graduate with the Master of Applied Positive Psychology. The course forms part of a nested qualification suite incorporating the Graduate Certificate in Positive Psychology and the Graduate Diploma of Positive Psychology, and equips graduates with advanced knowledge and applied research skills that support professional practice across wellbeing-related fields.
CSP Subsidised Fees Available
This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.
Key facts
From $592 (CSP)
What you will study
To earn this Master of Applied Positive Psychology, you must successfully complete units totalling 72 credit points as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 6 credit points.
Core Units
- Introduction to Positive Psychology: Perspectives on Wellbeing
- Group Facilitation Skills
- Building Wellbeing and Resilience: Interconnected Factors
- Inter-disciplinary and Cross-cultural Approaches to Wellbeing
- Positive Psychology: Research Methods
- Wellbeing Initiatives: Local and Global Scales
- Coaching Individuals for Positive Change
- Applied Positive Psychology
- Applied Wellbeing Project A (0 credit points)
- Applied Wellbeing Project B (24 credit points)
Entry requirements
To be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must hold:
- A completed Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) equivalent Bachelor's degree or higher equivalent qualification.
English Language Proficiency Requirements.
Suppose you were not born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa or the United States of America. In that case, you are required to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements set by the University. Applicants are required to provide evidence of completion of:
- A secondary qualification (Year 11 and 12 or equivalent).
- An Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) diploma-level qualification.
- Bachelor-level qualification study for at least 2 years full-time with a minimum overall GPA of 4.0.
Completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland or the United States of America, which will meet the English proficiency.
If you do not satisfy any of the above, you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores.
- An International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) overall band score of at least 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each subset.
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Requires 550 or better overall & minimum TWE score of 4.5 (Paper Based Test)or 75 or better overall and no score less than 17 (Internet Based Test).
- Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - Requires an overall score of 54 with no sub-score less than 46.
- An Occupational English Test with Grades A or B only in the four components.
English test results remain valid for no more than two years between the final examination date and the commencement date of study. They must appear on a single result certificate.
International Students should visit http://www.cqu.edu.au/international for further information.
Each student will be assessed individually.
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Career outcomes
The Master of Applied Positive Psychology is designed to provide professionals working in coaching, training, counselling or managerial roles and those interested in wellbeing and resilience with the skills required to create positive change. Completing an applied research project in your final year of study will improve your professional research capabilities.
Fees and FEE-HELP
Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2026: $17,392 (Commonwealth Supported Place).
Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2026: $30,200 (Domestic Full-fee Paying Place).
All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a study load of 48 credit points (normally eight units) per year.
A student’s annual fee may vary by:
- The number of units studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of units.
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.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
