Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science

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Key Facts

Course Code: PY084

Location: Online

Study Load: Full-time (1 year)
Part-time (2 years)

Delivery Mode: Online

Intake: Semester 1 each year

Application Type: Domestic only

Fees: $19,950*

FEE-HELP: Yes

CRICOS code: N/A

Post-nominal: GradDipPsychSci

Course Overview

The Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science is a one-year bridging program. Meeting requirements for a foundational sequence of training in psychology, graduates from this course are eligible to apply for an APAC accredited fourth year of study in psychology. The Graduate Diploma serves as a ‘fast-track’ 8-unit sequence for those who hold an AQF level 7 undergraduate degree and wish to pursue a career or further study in psychology.

Alternative entry into the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Cairnmillar: Students who receive a WAM of 70 or higher will automatically be offered a place into the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Cairnmillar. Those who receive a WAM between 60 and 70 will be able to apply for entry into Honours at Cairnmillar through the standard pathways.

2023 Course Information Session

Application Period

1 August 2022 to Sunday 22 January 2023.

Course Structure

The Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science consists of 100 credit points, equally distributed across eight core units. All units are coursework units.

Full-time (1 year) structure:

Semester	Unit Code	Unit Name	Credit Points
1	PSY401	Theories of Personality	12.5
1	PSY402	Research Design and Statistics	12.5
1	PSY403	Social Psychology	12.5
1	PSY404	Developmental Psychology	12.5
2	PSY405	Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience	12.5
2	PSY406	Psychopathology	12.5
2	PSY407	Psychology in Practice	12.5
2	PSY408	Psychology Research Capstone	12.5

Part-time (2 year) structure:

Year	Semester	Unit Code	Unit Name	Credit Points
1	1	PSY401	Theories of Personality	12.5
1	1	PSY402	Research Design and Statistics	12.5
1	2	PSY405	Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience	12.5
1	2	PSY406	Psychopathology	12.5
2	1	PSY403	Social Psychology	12.5
2	1	PSY404	Developmental Psychology	12.5
2	2	PSY407	Psychology in Practice	12.5
2	2	PSY408	Psychology Research Capstone	12.5

Entry Requirements

Students will be eligible for admission into the program if they have achieved a minimum average of 65 across all years of a recognised AQF Level 7 undergraduate degree.

Documentation required in the application:

Most recent academic transcript(s).
Proof of residency/citizenship (e.g., passport, birth certificate, or citizenship certificate).

Please see our How to Apply page for detailed instructions on applying and using our Application Portal.

Please note this course is not available to international student applications. To see which Cairnmillar courses are, please visit the Find a Course page.

Graduate Learning Outcomes

Students who satisfactorily complete the Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science will be able to:

Demonstrate high-level knowledge of core psychological theory, research skills, and the associated empirical evidence base.
Synthesise research and theory from major fields in psychology and apply this knowledge to different contexts to resolve complex problems and apply in professional practice.
Communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally across a range of contexts including oration, writing, the online environment, and in teams.
Act ethically and professionally while respecting cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity.
Demonstrate self-motivated and self-directed learning principles that facilitate lifelong learning and ongoing professional development

Fees & Scholarships

**Total fees are estimates only based on the current fee schedule. Annual tuition fee review and possible increases applies, see: Fees & Scholarships.

For information on tuition fees and what scholarships might apply to this course, please visit the Fees & Scholarships page.

Career Opportunities & Study Pathways

Graduates can obtain work in a variety of industries including:

Health and community services
Human resources
Disability services
Mental health rehabilitation
Youth support
Product design/marketing.

This course is a pathway to further study in psychology, such as an APAC accredited fourth-year program (e.g., Cairnmillar’s Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)), which subsequently leads to masters or doctorate level courses, with successful completion enabling general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.

On completion of the course, graduates will be eligible to apply for entry into the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) program or an equivalent APAC accredited fourth year program.

Accreditation

The Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science is Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) accredited and sits within level 8 of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

This program is conditionally accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). Further information on conditional accreditation can be found on the APAC website, as well as in APAC’s publicly available accreditation reports.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Students applying for this program may enter a process in which they may be granted credit or partial credit towards the qualification. This requires evidence of previous experience where an equivalence of earlier learning can be established.

Credit transfer for an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) course, is only applicable for recently completed APAC accredited programs of an equivalent level. Credit or partial credit is not granted in recognition of knowledge or skills gained through work or life experience.

Cairnmillar’s RPL policy can be viewed here and further information can be found here.