After four years of full-time study, it can feel both exciting and daunting to be pursuing a postgraduate psychology degree. While it brings you closer to becoming a registered psychologist in Australia, it also means facing a few more years of intensive study along with internships or clinical placements.
This article provides practical tips to help you navigate this experience and ensure that you’re prepared for the demands of postgraduate psychology studies.
Understanding the postgraduate psychology pathways in Australia
After completing an undergraduate degree followed by an accredited fourth-year psychology course, the next step to becoming a registered psychologist in Australia is to pursue either a higher degree or 5+1 internship pathway.
Higher degree pathway
The higher degree pathway involves studying a postgraduate course such as a doctorate or master’s degree in psychology where you will complete placements, coursework and a thesis.
Upon completing a higher degree pathway, you will be eligible to apply for general registration. To apply for one of the nine areas of practice endorsements (AoPE) and work in areas such as clinical psychology, forensic psychology or clinical neuropsychology, you must also complete an approved supervised practice with a board-approved supervisor in the registrar program.
5+1 internship pathway
The 5+1 internship pathway involves completing a relevant one-year accredited postgraduate degree, undertaking a year-long internship of supervised practice regulated by the Australian Board of Psychology and passing the National Psychology Exam.
Once all of the above steps have been completed, you will be eligible to apply for general registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia. If you wish to pursue an AoPE, you will need to complete an approved postgraduate qualification in your chosen area and undertake a registrar program involving supervised practice.
Luke Lawrence, director and principal psychologist of Geelong-based private practice, Explore Psychology, explains the difference between the two pathways.
“The only difference is the additional one-year master's degree in an area of specialisation – whether that’s clinical or forensic, for example, or you go straight out into the field and do your internship and off you go as a general registered psychologist rather than having an endorsed area of study.”
What to expect from postgraduate psychology studies in Australia
Completing either the 5+1 internship pathway or a higher degree pathway is a significant step toward becoming a registered psychologist. Both paths offer rewarding outcomes but come with challenges which require dedication, resilience and perseverance.
Significant commitment
A postgraduate psychology course demands a high level of commitment. Regardless of which pathway you choose to pursue, you’re looking at anywhere between two to four years of additional study and internships or placements before applying for general registration and getting a job.
As a registered psychologist who pursued the 5+1 internship pathway and holds a Master of Professional Psychology from Monash University, Luke understands the significant commitment involved in becoming a registered psychologist.
“If you want to do it all at once, straight out into your internship and then straight into the workforce, then you’re looking at a good six or seven years of just relentless obligations and responsibilities on you.”
Time and energy investment
Postgraduate psychology studies require a considerable amount of time and energy investment with demanding study requirements that often extend beyond the classroom.
You will need to balance intensive reading, research and assignments, which can impact personal time and relationships. Juggling these commitments with work or other responsibilities requires strong time management skills and a willingness to potentially make sacrifices in your personal life.
Reflecting on his personal experience, Luke states, “If you’re a mature-age student balancing work, relationships or caring for children, it won’t be easy and you will need to make compromises in other areas of your life.”
Competitive
According to the Australian Psychological Society (APS), only 50 per cent of those who graduate from an honours program successfully advance to a postgraduate professional psychology program.
The competitiveness of postgraduate psychology programs, however, can vary depending on which program you are pursuing. Programs such as a Master of Clinical Psychology, for example, can be more competitive due to its popularity and the limited number of places available.
To enhance your chances of being accepted into a postgraduate program, it is beneficial to achieve high marks in your honours year and gain relevant experience.
Applying to the same university you completed your undergraduate studies may also improve your chance of acceptance. If you already have established relationships with academics and the faculty, they may be able to write letters of recommendation to help support your application.
Luke pursued his postgraduate studies at the same university where he completed his undergraduate degree and found the process straightforward, “I had a relationship already with Monash so it was made very easy for me to go back straight into Monash. If I was to choose a different university, I think that process would have been a lot more administrative.”
Once admitted, the programs are often competitive and have an intense course structure, designed to ensure that only those fully committed to the profession continue through to completion.
“They’re trying to filter through only the very, very committed and the very, very best of us”, Luke shares.
Financial investment
Postgraduate psychology courses may cost between $35,000 and $90,000, though costs can vary depending on the university and whether Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) are available for the course. Careful financial planning is essential for managing future debt repayments and covering potential income gaps.
The program’s intensive nature can make balancing work with studies challenging, often leading to reduced income. Additionally, the required clinical placement or one-year internship in the postgraduate psychology program may come with little to no pay.
Reflecting on his internship experience, Luke shares, “Sometimes during the internship year, provisional psychologists don’t get paid. It’s very questionable as to whether that’s legal, but it happens. I was paid a very minimal wage.”
Preparing financially for these realities can help you focus on the program with fewer financial concerns.
Navigating the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate studies
While this can depend on the course, transitioning from undergraduate to postgraduate studies often involves adapting to a more hands-on, client-centred approach.
Undergraduate programs provide a broad foundation in psychological theories and principles and the honours year focuses on research skills, while most postgraduate psychology programs shift towards practical application and real-world client interaction.
“During the master’s, it was much more demonstrative. So, for instance, we would need to role-play a lot more to demonstrate our learning. It was much more applied during the master’s.”
Luke also shares that this transition was challenging for some, “That’s confronting for a lot of people, I think because they’re being asked to role-play a psychologist, talking to a client for the first time or being the client in a psychology appointment, that sort of thing. For a lot of people, that was a bit scary.”
Tips to prepare you for postgraduate psychology studies
While studying a postgraduate psychology degree in Australia may seem intimidating, here are some helpful tips to make it more manageable.
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Solidify your commitment
Take the time to reflect on why you want to become a psychologist and your journey so far. Having a clear purpose can provide the resilience you need to overcome the challenges of a postgraduate psychology course.
Having gone through similar emotions himself, Luke advises, “Be sure of your commitment because it would be a real shame getting halfway through a fourth year or even a fifth year and then deciding this is just too hard. You’ve already invested so much.” -
Build your support network
Building a strong support network can make all the difference during your postgraduate psychology journey. The connections that you make with your fellow peers and university academics can help you feel less alone in the process.
While Luke was studying, he made it a priority to build connections with his peers, “If you can study together collaboratively, that just makes the whole process a lot more enjoyable. If you can share ideas freely between you, that really helps.”
He also emphasised the importance of support from the university, “On the university’s side, I felt like the support was always there and it was really present. We had a supervisor from fourth year to fifth year and that supervisor was always checking in with us to see if we were okay. Sometimes those check-ins became like mini counselling sessions with us.”
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Set up your self-care system
Given the demands of the program, Luke stresses the importance of self-care, “You have to take care of yourself during this process, because you risk burnout, particularly if you’re a mature-age student and wanting to work at the same time and have a relationship to maintain.”
While stress management strategies such as exercise, meditation and a good sleep routine can help, Luke also highlights the benefit of mental health support. “Getting mental health support whilst you’re doing something like this is almost vital because of that risk of burnout and the questioning whether or not you can keep going.”
Learning to recognise the signs of burnout and knowing when to pull back is also crucial. “If you’re the kind of person who burns yourself out because you can’t stay within reasonable limits in areas like work or relationships or behaviour then you’re going to run the risk of burnout.”
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Prepare your finances
A postgraduate psychology program can put strain on finances, particularly as balancing work and study often proves challenging.
Some considerations when it comes to preparing your finances include managing existing debt and budgeting carefully for tuition and living expenses. Open discussions with family or your partner about finances are also a vital part of the planning process.
As Luke notes, “If you have a partner then you might ask them to step up a little bit in terms of working a bit more if financially you’re not able to contribute.”
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Balance your commitments
Planning ahead can make it easier to balance your commitments. If you have a job, it could be helpful to discuss adjusting your work schedule with your employer. Otherwise, you can consider seeking flexible work opportunities that better align with your study demands.
Luke, for example, worked flexibly as a grief counsellor while studying, allowing him to gain relevant experience and supplement his income.
“I was a grief counsellor working via telephone. It was an outreach program, so I would call people who had recently lost someone in their lives. I did that for about a year part-time just to supplement income for that fifth year because it was a very arduous program and I wasn’t able to work even part-time.”
He also worked with his employer to adjust his schedule to accommodate academic commitments. “I did need to negotiate hours with my employer to be able to attend some live meetings that I wasn’t perhaps able to move around.”
The road ahead
While pursuing a postgraduate psychology degree can be challenging, it also means that you’re one step closer to becoming a registered psychologist.
Psychology can be a rewarding career. As a registered psychologist, you’ll not only have the chance to make a meaningful impact, but you can also enjoy a varied career. As Luke shares, “Once you finish your internship, the field opens up and the opportunities are quite diverse in the workforce.”
If you’re thinking of pursuing a psychology degree, our university partners offer courses such as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Graduate Certificate of Psychology and Graduate Diploma of Psychology. Have questions about these courses? Feel free to chat to our Education Consultant to learn more.
The courses below are listed by qualification level, from lowest to highest.
