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 full 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’ll need for full 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, Client-Centred Skills in Practice, 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. But if it’s full 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 full registration as a psychologist:

• Master of Psychology (Organisational) – the only organisational psychology course in Victoria: offered on campus, full time and part time
• Master of Psychology (Clinical)
• Master of Professional Psychology
• Doctor of Psychology (Clinical).

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.

Professional recognition

This course is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), recognised for registration purposes by the Psychology Board of Australia and meets the requirements for associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

In addition, it provides a basis for students wishing to apply to undertake higher degree studies in a more specialised field of applied psychology.

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:

• clinical psychology (available at Deakin)
• clinical neuropsychology
• organisational psychology (available at Deakin)
• sport and exercise psychology
• forensic psychology
• counselling psychology
• community psychology

Working as a generalist psychologist might involve:

• family therapy
• rehabilitation counselling
• psychological assessment

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:

• community welfare and case management
• human resources
• mental health rehabilitation
• public health
• youth support
• disability services