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Postgraduate

Master of Professional Psychology

Domestic students International students
Master of Professional Psychology (MPPS)
Entry requirements
View full details
Study mode
  • On-campus
  • External
Campus
  • Ipswich
Duration
  • 1 year or part-time equivalent
Start
  • Feb

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Overview

  • Take the next step to become a registered psychologist with USQ’s Master of Professional Psychology. 
  • Have you have already completed a four-year Psychology degree and want to achieve general registration? Our Master of Professional Psychology, plus one year of full-time supervised practice, will qualify you for a career as a Psychologist. 
  • Do you have a busy schedule? No problem. We have Psychology training workshops available on Saturdays during the semester, allowing you to integrate your studies with a work-life balance.
  • Your studies and experience will prepare you to provide psychological assessment and intervention strategies across the lifespan in a variety of different settings.

Professional accreditation

The Master of Professional Psychology has received accreditation with conditions from the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as a fifth-year program in Psychology.

Upon completion of your Master of Professional Psychology degree and a further one year of full-time supervised practice, you will be able to apply for general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia. Graduates will also be able to apply for full membership with the Australian Psychological Society after a period of supervised practice.

Career outcomes

  • As a graduate, you will be able to find employment as a general psychologist in a variety of public health and community services, as well as private practice.

Entry requirements 

  • Completed an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC)-accredited four-year sequence in psychology within the last 10 years (Honours AQF Level 8).
  • Be eligible for provisional registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia.
  • Provide two satisfactory referee reports1 and a report to address the selection criteria (PDF 514KB) indicating your abilities to successfully undertake the professional and research components of the program.
  • Provide a CV of your work and study history.
    • If you have not completed your four-year bachelor degree within the last three years, you will need to demonstrate how you have maintained up-to-date knowledge and skills in the area of Psychology since completion of your bachelor degree, or equivalent.
  • Be assessed in a face-to-face interview with a panel of school staff.

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 cost is $25.00 and can be paid for through the "My Account" section in the payment tab.

Work and life experience

You may be able to use your work experience and other adjustment factors to increase your selection rank and meet USQ's entry requirements.

English language requirements

You are required to satisfy the applicable English language requirements and this degree requires a minimum of IELTS 7.0 or equivalent. If you do not meet the English language requirements you may apply to study a University-approved English language program.

Recognition of prior learning or work experience

You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help to reduce the number of courses that you need to study to finish your program.

Pathways

If you don't meet the entry requirements, we have pathway options available to you.

Degree structure

To complete this degree students must complete 8 units. Most courses (similar to ‘subjects’) are valued at 1 unit. To study full-time you would usually complete 4 units per semester.

Courses to be studied Units
Core courses 6
2 x practicum courses 2
Total 8

  • For the Ipswich offering, all coursework courses will consist of mandatory mid-week workshops on campus at Ipswich campus. Students are required to complete an internship at the USQ Ipswich Psychology and Counselling clinic for a minimum of two days per week for 12 weeks.
  • The External offering consists of a combination of mandatory residential schools on-campus at USQ Toowoomba and online workshops. Students enrolled in the external mode are required to complete an internship at the Toowoomba Psychology and Counselling clinic for a minimum of two days per week for 12 weeks.

Students can choose to complete their 2 practicum courses in two of the following: Semester 1, Semester 2 or Semester 3. Practicum courses must be a minimum of 150 hours, but may go over this threshold in order to ensure appropriate management of client cases and organisation requirements.

Deferment is not an available option for this program.

Refer to the USQ Handbook for courses to be studied and recommended enrolment patterns.

Professional experience

As part of the degree, you will need to complete professional experience placements. These experiences provide you with opportunities to put theory into practice.

All students must be able to meet the physical and other professional requirements of professional practice within this 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 your first year of study (8 units) in this degree are:

Study Mode Cost
Domestic full fee paying

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

AUD 24400

1 These are indicative annual fees for 2021. 

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.

Loan to help you pay your fees

You may not have to pay your course (subject) fees upfront. FEE-HELP allows you to defer your fees until your income reaches a certain level. Find out if you are eligible for FEE-HELP. 

You may also be eligible to receive financial support from Centrelink.

Scholarships

At USQ, 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 USQ.

Note: All core courses in this degree are offered as on-campus Saturday workshops at USQ Ipswich.
Apply direct to USQ

Closing dates:

  • Applications for Semester 1, 2021 - Major round applications close Friday 23 October 2020. A top-up round of applications close Monday 4 January 2021, where places are not filled in the previous round.
  • Applications for Semester 1, 2022 - Major round applications close Friday 22 October 2021. A top-up round of applications close Monday 3 January 2022, where places are not filled in the previous round.

Further information

Discover further information on applying to study at USQ that is relevant to you.

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Begin your study journey today with Australia's #1 University for graduate starting salary* and start the degree that’s right for you.

*Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2020

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