Master of Psychology

Admission requirements you'll need to meet for this course.

• The following course-specific admission requirements are mandatory and must be satisfied by all applicants. These requirements are in addition to or supersede the minimum requirements outlined within the Academic admission requirements band section below.

  All applicants are required to be eligible for, and successfully gain and maintain, Provisional Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia, must have completed an APAC- accredited 4th year qualification in psychology, including an independent research-based project. Applicants with qualifications obtained overseas must provide evidence that their psychology qualification has been assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) as equivalent to an APAC-accredited Level 2 qualification in psychology.
  Applicants must provide a personal statement describing their motivations and personal suitability for the course. Additionally, applicants must submit a curriculum vitae showing details of relevant employment and volunteer experience. Two referee reports must be submitted by the referees via the HODSPA Online Referee System. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview.

  Academic admission requirements (Band 6) may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

  • Bachelor degree; or
  • Equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience.

• International students are required to provide an IELTS Academic with an overall minimum score of 7.0 (no individual band less than 6.5). Internationally schooled applicants may also be required to meet this requirement.

  Minimum English standard requirements for this course may also be satisfied with one of the following:

  • Bachelor degree from an approved country;
  • Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at postgraduate level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent); or
  • Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience.

The postgraduate psychology programs are highly competitive and there are many more applicants than places available. Therefore, at Griffith there is a highly structured application process. Admission to the Master of Professional Psychology is restricted to students who are eligible for provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia. The application process involves three stages.

Stage 1: The application

All applicants are required to demonstrate their capability for training in psychology as follows:

• Academic Achievement/Intellectual Ability: Applicants must have completed a program in Psychology extending over four years and accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) or equivalent as determined by the Australian Psychological Society. The Grade Point Average (GPA) in the undergraduate degree, fourth year and relevant courses will be taken into account. A minimum of an Honours Second Class Division B (or equivalent) is required.
• Interpersonal and Counselling Capability: Given the interpersonal sensitivity and awareness required for effective psychological practice, successful applicants will be expected to demonstrate a high level of interpersonal skills. Furthermore, in order for the program to build on a reasonably advanced applied skill baseline, successful applicants will be expected to demonstrate at least a basic level of competence in the counselling context, evidence of warmth and empathic responding and an openness to a range of approaches. This may be demonstrated by evidence of previous counselling training and relevant volunteer or work experience.
• Support from Referees: Two referee reports are required - one from an academic who knows your work well and a second from a professional referee who can attest to your interpersonal and counselling capabilities. See below for the Australian Psychology Postgraduate Program Reference Request System process.

Stage 2: The interview

Please note that, given the competitive nature of this program, only those applicants who have been evaluated by a panel of the clinical team as having demonstrated their suitability for training in psychology (according to the above criteria and ranked sufficiently high enough relative to others) will be shortlisted for interview.
The interview itself consists of a multi-station assessment process. Applicants are required to attend a face-to-face session that takes around half a day to complete. Applicants will be required to demonstrate sound interpersonal and emotion management skills as they respond to the various tasks at each station. Tasks include, for example, responding to an ethical dilemma, roleplaying an interview, roleplaying a supervision session, discussing research, responding to questions relating to their own reasons for applying for training in psychology and a written task.
Applicants are assessed by a panel of program staff who are registered psychologists in the multi-station interview process. Applicants will be ranked according to their performance at each station and those ranked highly enough will be offered a place in the program.

Stage 3: The offer

First round offers will be made by mid-November to applicants who are ranked at a sufficiently high level. A waitlist of applicants will be retained as second and third round offers may be made as late as January. Unsuccessful applicants will be advised as soon as is practically possible.

Note: Applicants are not permitted to defer an offer. Should you be unable to accept an offer, you must re-apply for entry in the following intake.