Master of Psychology

What is this course about?

CSU's Master of Psychology provides four-year trained psychologists with the opportunity to upgrade their qualifications, knowledge and skills. This course offers both a clinical and a forensic strand.

CSU's Master of Psychology aims to provide specialist training in clinical and forensic psychology, with a specific focus on the needs of rural and remote communities. In addition, it aims to instil an awareness of the importance of research in the development of professional psychology, and develop skills to undertake this research.

The Master of Psychology aims to meet two needs: the need for better psychological services in rural Australia, and the need to provide training for those psychologists already working within applied settings and who wish to study part-time or by distance education.

The course is offered by distance education and involves coursework, a dissertation reporting the results of an empirical research project, and four professional placements. Three coursework subjects undertaken during the first three years of the course (PSY531 PSY523 and PSY525) have a significant forensic component but are primarily clinical in content. Subjects undertaken during the fourth year are either exclusively forensic (PSY526) or exclusively clinical (PSY527) in content. Subjects that provide an introduction to clinical psychology (PSY528) or forensic (PSY529) are undertaken in the first year, and provide an orientation to the Problem-Based Learning approach adopted throughout the course.

The course is structured to be completed part-time over four years, but may be completed in a shorter time if students are able to study full-time (i.e. if they do not have full-time work commitments).

Residential schools

In every session there will be a compulsory residential  school of between  three and five days'  duration. Autumn session residential schools will  be scheduled in either January/February, or  April/May, and Spring session   residential schools in September/October. In first year, students  attend  residential schools in  January/February for five days, and in September  for four days.

Access to allowances for study

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) now offers student income support to students undertaking study in a number of professionally-oriented Master by coursework degrees.

Eligible students undertaking approved Master degrees will be able to access Youth Allowance, AUSTUDY, ABSTUDY or Pensioner Education Supplement. To be eligible for student income support through Youth Allowance and AUSTUDY, students will still need to be studying full-time and to satisfy all other Youth Allowance and AUSTUDY program requirements, including personal, parental or partner income tests.  Students who have queries about masters courses and their income support entitlements should contact Centrelink on 13 2490 for further information.

More information from DEEWR