Graduate Diploma of Psychology

What is this course about?

CSU's Graduate Diploma in Psychology is designed for graduates in fields other than psychology who wish to obtain an accredited, undergraduate psychology major.

The Graduate Diploma in Psychology is designed for graduates in fields other than psychology who wish to pursue a career in psychology, giving them the opportunity to obtain the necessary accredited, undergraduate psychology major over two or three years of part-time study, usually by distance education.

The Graduate Diploma in Psychology is not a fourth year in Psychology.

As the Graduate Diploma in Psychology is available by distance education, it meets the needs of geographically isolated students, as well as those in full-time employment seeking a career change while remaining in their present occupation. It specifically enables school teachers seeking the necessary psychology major to enrol in the Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology in order to train as school counsellors. It also enables students with an outdated psychology major to update their qualifications.

Distance education students will receive comprehensive study material and will have access to teaching staff by telephone and email.

Graduates who successfully complete this eight subject Graduate Diploma are eligible to apply for postgraduate courses offering a fourth year in psychology. Two courses on offer at Charles Sturt University are the Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology and the Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) (Honours), both of which are accredited as fourth year psychology courses by the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

It should be noted that completion of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology does not guarantee admission to either of these courses.

Professional accreditation

This course is accredited by the Australian Psychological Society.

Session 3 subjects

A number of subjects are offered in Session 3 each year (November - Februray): PSY101, PSY102, PSY201, one other Level 2 subject and one Level 3 subject. Please note that only students who are residing in Australia during Session 3 are eligible to enrol in Session 3 subjects.

Residential schools

There are compulsory residential schools, each of 2.5 days per subject per session, for some subjects. Residential schools are normally held on the Bathurst Campus, although some Session 3 residential schools may be held in Wagga Wagga.

Residential schools are held in the same week so students are encouraged to organise their program to take advantage of this by taking two subjects with residential schools in the same session.

Residential schools are held in the same week in Session 1 for PSY201, PSY204, PSY301 and PSY308.

Residential schools for PSY303 and PSY304 are held in the same week in Session 2.