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Postgraduate

Master of Clinical Psychology

Master of Clinical Psychology (MCPS)
CRICOS: 0101389

Entry requirements
Study mode
  • On-campus
  • External
Campus
  • Ipswich
Duration
  • 2 year(s) (or part-time equivalent)
Start
  • Jan
Note: If enrolled in the External study mode, your mandatory residential school courses and internships will be held on-campus at UniSQ Toowoomba.

Master of Clinical Psychology overview

  • Study clinical psychology and help your clients lead healthier lives as well as make positive impact on their families. Your expertise as a clinical psychologist is mental health and to diagnose and treat people with behavioural, mental, or emotional difficulties.
  • UniSQ’s Master of Clinical Psychology provides advanced training in psychological assessment and clinical intervention and has been developed for students wishing to gain registration as a Psychologist with an Area of Practice Endorsement in Clinical Psychology.
  • Learn high-level clinical skills through practical experience and direct client contact to become prepared for entry into the Clinical Registrar program leading to Clinical Endorsement. 
  • Our Psychology and Counselling Clinics, located in Ipswich and Toowoomba, provide services for the community, including therapy services, and, developmental and cognitive assessments for children, adolescents and adults of all ages. Services are provided by postgraduate students who are provisionally registered psychologists working under the supervision of our UniSQ Supervisory team, who are registered psychologists and clinical psychologists, and are approved supervisors under the Psychology Board of Australia. 
  • The coursework component is offered as mandatory on-campus and online workshops. See the 'Degree structure' section for more details. 

Professional accreditation

UniSQ's Master of Clinical Psychology is accredited with the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as a fifth- and sixth-year program in psychology.

Are you looking to achieve registration as a Psychologist? Graduates of the Master of Clinical Psychology can apply for:

Career outcomes

  • Graduates of this degree can work as a fully registered General Psychologist in the public and private sectors, and as a Clinical Psychologist following completion of the Clinical Psychology registrar program. 

Entry requirements

  • Completion of an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited 4-year bachelor degree, or equivalent.
  • Hold, or be eligible for, immediate Provisional Registration or General Registration from the Psychology Board of Australia.

In addition, applicants are also asked to submit the following for consideration as part of their application:

  • provide two referee reports1 and a 1-2 page report which addresses the selection criteria (PDF 665KB) 
  • be assessed in a face-to-face interview with a panel of School staff.
  • provide an academic transcript demonstrating strong academic performance
  • provide a CV of your work and study history. Applicants who have not completed a four-year bachelor degree, or equivalent, within the last three years will be required to demonstrate how they have maintained up-to-date knowledge and skills in the area of Psychology since completion of their four-year bachelor degree, or equivalent.

1The Australian Psychology Postgraduate Reference Request system is the same across all Australian universities. To be able to use the system, you will need to have an active membership. The membership allows you access the service during the application period and will expire on 31 July of each year. The subscription is $AUD35.

English language requirements

You are required to satisfy the applicable English language requirements and this degree requires an overall score of  IELTS 7.0, or equivalent, and a minimum score of 7 in each of the four skills areas of listening, reading, speaking and writing. Additional requirements regarding prior education taught and assessed solely in English and prior employment - refer to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)'s Registration Standard for further information. 

Additional requirements for placements

All students must provide the following documents prior to commencing clinical placements:

  • Blue Card or Working with Children Check
  • Psychology Board of Australia registration
  • Resume (CV)
  • Queensland Health Student Orientation Checklist
  • Queensland Health Student Deed Poll
  • Queensland Health iLearn Modules.

Plus evidence of the following immunisations:

  • Hepatitis B immunisation
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Pertussis, and Varicella immunisation
  • Tuberculosis risk assessment and Influenza immunisation.

Recognition of prior learning or work experience

If you have previously studied in your home country, you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning to reduce the number of courses that you need to study to finish your program.

Pathways

If you don’t meet the entry requirements, don’t worry, there are pathway options available to you.

Degree structure

To complete this degree students must complete 16 units.

Courses to be studied Units
Coursework courses 12
Practicum courses 4
Total 16

It is a mandatory requirement for all Master of Clinical Psychology students to be registered as Provisional Psychologists or General Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

  • For the Ipswich offering, all coursework courses are offered as mandatory mid-week workshops on-campus at UniSQ Ipswich. You also need to complete an internship at the UniSQ Ipswich Psychology and Counselling clinic for a minimum of three days per week for no less than 24 weeks.
  • For the External offering, all coursework courses are offered via a combination of online workshops and mandatory mid-week residential schools held on-campus at UniSQ Toowoomba. You will need to complete an internship at the UniSQ Toowoomba Psychology and Counselling clinic for a minimum of three days per week for no less than 24 weeks.

You will be required to accrue a minimum of 1000 hours of practicum experience including 400 hours of direct client contact with a minimum of 81 hours of supervision from a registered psychologist who is accredited as a board-approved supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia.

Refer to the UniSQ Handbook for an example of courses to be studied and recommended enrolment patterns.

Clinical experience

As part of the degree, you will complete clinical experience during practicum courses, where you will further develop your knowledge and skills in provision of psychological assessment and intervention to clients under supervision of a board-approved psychology supervisor.

All students are required to meet the professional requirements of clinical psychology practice within the degree. 

Fees and scholarships

Your actual fees may vary depending on the courses you select. We review our fees annually so these may be subject to change.

Approximate annual costs1 for international students' first year of study (8 units) in this degree:

Study Mode Cost
On-campus

You are responsible for the full cost of your course and are charged a tuition fee.

AUD 30920
External/Online

You are responsible for the full cost of your course and are charged a tuition fee.

AUD 30920

1 These are indicative annual fees for 2024. 

Student services and amenities fees

You may need to pay student services and amenities (SA) fees as part of your course costs.

Professional experience costs

This degree includes a professional experience component that may involve travel, accommodation and meal expenses.

Scholarships

At UniSQ, we offer a range of scholarships to support your success at university. Find a scholarship that works for you.

How to apply

Complete your online application directly to UniSQ.

CRICOS: 0101389

Intakes

Applications for the 2024 intake are now closed.

Study period  Orientation  Study period start date
Block 1 Monday 15 January Monday 22 January 

Two men collaborating at a computer workstation in an office environment.

Got questions?

 

Begin your study journey today with the university rated 5/5 stars for graduates starting salaries* and start the degree that’s right for you.

*Good Universities Guide 2024

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