Key facts

Domestic students course information. This course is currently not available to international students.

Entry requirements

Entry is competitive for limited places. Final offers are based on interview performance, academic record and referee reports. Entry is based on completed fourth year Psychology qualifications which includes an APAC accredited sequence of units. You must also be eligible for registration with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) as a provisional psychologist.

View full entry requirements
Duration
  • 1 year full-time
  • Up to 4 years part-time
Number of Units (Subjects)
  • 8 units (48 credit points)
View course structure
Fees
  • Full Fee
View more fees information
Start Dates and Campus
Trimester 1 – February 2024Trimester 2 – June 2024Trimester 3 – October 2024
OnlineOfferedNot OfferedNot Offered
Armidale CampusNot OfferedNot OfferedNot Offered
Sydney CampusNot OfferedNot OfferedNot Offered

Course information

Download course brochure
UNE psychology student meets with a 'client' in a professional experience setting

Gain the skills you need to practice as a provisional psychologist with UNE’s Master of Professional Psychology, an accredited fifth year degree on the 5+1 internship pathway to General Registration as a psychologist. Our flexibly-delivered, innovative course provides you with advanced knowledge of evidence-based approaches to psychological assessment and intervention. Future fit your career in this diverse and dynamic profession by ensuring you are equipped to provide high-quality psychological services for clients across the lifespan.

Applications for admission close AEDT 11:59pm 31 October. Quotas apply.

2024 Health scholarships

Starting a UNE Health course in 2024? Get up to $12,000 towards your studies. For more information about the range of health scholarships and subsidies available, register your interest now.

Why study the Master of Professional Psychology with UNE?

At UNE, we have a long tradition of producing in-demand graduates in the rapidly changing field of psychology. Our online Master of Professional Psychology provides a fifth year of professional training for those with an accredited four-year undergraduate sequence in psychology. Our highly-qualified staff and facilities rank amongst Australia's best, and our research and teaching are at the cutting edge of a diverse range of psychology topic areas.

Core units of our course emphasise the development of skills in psychological assessment, diagnosis and therapeutic intervention, as well as the application of critical thinking, problem solving and applied research skills, and strategies for self-care. As part of your Master’s program, you will complete 300 hours of practice, to ensure you are ready to provide high-quality, evidence-based focused psychological strategies using a culturally responsive approach, and prepare you for your final internship year. This includes experience with UNE's state-of-the-art suite of simulated training resources during a simulated practicum designed to develop the psychological skills and ethical practice required in professional contexts.

What makes our course different?

At UNE, our mission is to deliver flexible study options that allow you to tailor your study to your needs, in an inclusive and collaborative learning environment that supports your success. We are industry leaders in the provision of online learning for aspiring psychologists. As the longest continuous provider of distance (now online) education in Australia, UNE is the proven expert. Our course allows you to:

  • Balance study with personal and professional commitments. Our Master of Professional Psychology can be completed full time or part time and is delivered online with mandatory intensive schools. Here, you will engage and collaborate with our experienced, supportive academic staff and peers.
  • Equip yourself for practice, not only in urban and metropolitan areas, but also in the rural communities that we serve. In fact, more than 50% of our psychology graduates are employed in rural and regional communities, areas that have traditionally suffered from workforce shortages in health and psychosocial care.
  • Pursue advanced opportunities for study. If you demonstrate excellent academic performance and aptitude for clinical psychology whilst completing your Master of Professional Psychology, you may be able to apply to transfer to year two of UNE’s Master of Psychology (Clinical), which integrates the sixth year of practical training with an internal placement at our state-of-the-art Psychology Clinic in the Tablelands Clinical School in Armidale.

This is an approved Student Income Support course. Eligible students may apply for Youth Allowance or Austudy.

We are proud that our postgraduate psychology students award UNE 5-star ratings for Learning Resources, Student Support, Teaching Quality, Graduate Salary and Overall Experience in The Good Universities Guide, year after year. In fact, students consistently award UNE 5-star ratings for Overall Experience and Student Support.

Applications

Applications for admission close AEDT 11:59pm on 31 October. Quotas apply.

If your application to the course is short-listed, you will be required to take part in an interview via video-conference with the selection committee. We also take into account relevant vocational and/or service experience and referee reports.

You may be able to apply for advanced standing for a maximum of 24 credit points of coursework units. Advanced standing requirements are determined by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accreditation standards, and as such, you can only be given credit for coursework that is strictly equivalent to coursework in the current course and has been completed within the previous 10 years as part of an APAC accredited course.

Advanced standing will not be granted for research experience or employment experience prior to entry into the course. Placement experience completed as part of your current employment should not normally be credited in a fifth year Master of Professional Psychology course.

You must submit a National Police Certificate (criminal record check), Working with Children Check and provide evidence of your provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia prior to your commencement of the course.

Please note: You must meet the Mandatory Requirements and Inherent Requirements in order to complete this course.

Places in the Master of Professional Psychology are limited and because of this, applications are ranked: first for an offer of interview, then again for a place in the program. Final offers are based on interview performance, academic record and referee reports. Failure to receive an invitation to interview or offer of candidature in the program does not indicate a determination of lack of suitability for postgraduate professional psychology training but, instead, reflects the high standard of applications UNE receives each year. Due to the high number of applications to our professional psychology programs, the University of New England does not provide individual feedback on applications or interview performance.

Study online

Most of our students choose to study online across three study periods with 24/7 tutor support* and fit study around work and family commitments. Uniquely, our online students are mostly over 30 and bring valuable experience with them. They form a community of adults juggling the same challenges and priorities and who bring their life and work experience together at UNE in order to become future-fit and better respond to a rapidly changing world.

Entry requirements

You can apply for this course if you have completed ONE of the following qualification pathways:

 

  • OR you have completed a three-year AQF Level 7 qualification (or equivalent, such as a Graduate Diploma in Psychology) which includes a full sequence of units in Psychology accredited by APAC.
  • AND within the past ten years* you have completed an APAC-accredited fourth year in Psychology (AQF Level 8 Honours or Graduate Diploma).
  • AND you are eligible for registration as a provisional psychologist with AHPRA.

Master of Professional Psychology Quotas
Please note that meeting the minimum selection criteria does not guarantee a place in this course. A quota applies to Master of Professional Psychology admissions and therefore, applications are ranked: first for an offer of interview, then again for a place in the program. Final selection is based on your written application, interview performance, academic record and referee reports.

If you do not receive an invitation to interview or offer to study this course with us, this does not indicate that you are unsuitable for postgraduate professional psychology training. Instead, this reflects the high standard of applications UNE receives each year. Due to the high number of applications received, UNE is unable to provide individual feedback on applications or interview performance.

Selection Procedure
The selection procedure for this course includes consideration of the following:

  • Your academic record
  • Referee reports from two referees
  • Written application
  • Interviews for shortlisted candidates (face-to-face or teleconferencing) by a panel comprising at least two staff members of the School of Psychology, one of whom has qualifications equivalent to those required for general registration as a psychologist.

* Ten-Year Rule Waivers
You can apply for a waiver of the ten-year rule at application if you can demonstrate relevant work experience or studies within the past ten years.

Please note: all admissions are subject to UNE’s Admission, Credit and Enrolment Policy. Please read and familiarise yourself with the details of the policy. See our Glossary for help with university terms.

These requirements are in addition to the entry requirements above.

English Language Requirements

When applying you may be required to show how you satisfy the English Language Requirements for this course.

Inherent Requirements

You must meet the Inherent Requirements in order to complete this course.

Intensive Schools

Mandatory online intensive schools are a requirement of some of the units in this course. Please see the UNE Course Handbook for the specific requirements of each unit.

Some courses require you to provide documentary evidence, or interviews to support your application. The following documents are required to support your application:

If you are admitted to this course you must supply the following documents before commencement of trimester:

  • A Working with Children Check (WCC), carried out in accordance with the procedures of the state or territory in which you are planning to conduct your clinical placements.
  • An Australian Federal Police Criminal Check.
  • Documentation of provisional registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
  • Evidence of COVID-19 vaccination or exemption, and other relevant vaccinations as informed by the current NSW Health for telehealth service delivery and UNE requirements.

Advanced Standing is credit or recognition of your previous study, work and/or life experience. This can reduce the cost and length of your studies.

Individual Unit Advanced Standing
If you are admitted into this course and believe you have already completed the equivalent of one or more of the units in your Course Structure (Program of Study) within the last ten years, you can apply for Individual Unit Advanced Standing.

Please note: You can apply for up to 24 credit points of Advanced Standing towards coursework units, only when there is strict equivalence and your previous studies were completed in an APAC-accredited 5th year Psychology course within the past ten years.

Advanced Standing cannot be granted for research experience or work experience completed prior to entry into this course. Placement experience completed as part of current employment should not normally be credited.

> Learn how to apply for Individual Unit Advanced Standing

Course structure

To qualify for the award a candidate must pass units to the value of 48 credit points as prescribed in the course accreditation standards and approved by the course coordinator. These units shall cover coursework and practicum requirements.

48 credit points

Complete the following units:

See UNE Handbook for more details. The Handbook contains detailed course information designed for enrolled students, including course plans, exit awards, intensive schools, and work placement requirements.

Fees and scholarships

How much will it cost?

Estimated fees for your first year of study in this course are:

Fee typeCost
Full Fee
$33,800*
Estimated amenities fee per year if studying full-time$351
*The costs will depend on the units you choose to study as the cost of individual units vary. “Estimated fees” are provided as a guide only based on a typical enrolment of students undertaking a study load of 48 credit points in the first year of this course. For courses that require less than 48 credit points the fees indicated are based on the total credit points required for completion of that course. For more information, please see fees and costs.

What are the course fee payment options?

Full Fee places are mostly in postgraduate coursework degrees. In a full fee place you pay the tuition fee set for your course, however you may be eligible for a FEE-HELP Loan to defer payment of your fees until you are earning above the threshold.

If you are enrolled in a Full Fee place and there is a direct connection between your work and your study, you may be able to claim your tuition fees as a tax deduction.

UNE scholarships are open for all to apply and offer financial help while you are studying. There are scholarships for students with high academic achievement, from rural areas, studying specific degrees, in disadvantaged groups, experiencing financial hardship, who excel at sport or want to live in a UNE residential college.

UNE scholarship applications are free and confidential. You may apply for more than one scholarship.

Your career

Career outcomes

As a graduate of UNE’s Master of Professional Psychology you will have a unique skill set with adaptability and practical experience that is valued in a wide range of workplaces across the private, public and non-government sectors.   

Registered psychologists work across diverse settings, including:   

  • hospitals and community health services 
  • academic and applied research 
  • law courts and prisons 
  • private practice 
  • market research 
  • schools and other education providers.
Professional recognition

Our course is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council as a fifth year degree on the 5+1 internship pathway towards General Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.   

Upon completion of your degree, you will need to undertake an additional one-year internship to become eligible for General Registration as a psychologist in Australia. 

Course outcomes

The Master of Professional Psychology provides one year of full-time education (or part-time equivalent) in the professional practice of psychology sufficient to prepare candidates for a final year of supervised internship in the field prior to general registration. The course is designed to: (i) be at the foundational (professional) level, building and extending on the knowledge and skills of an APAC-accredited four-year undergraduate sequence; (ii) take an evidence based approach and be based on the scientist practitioner model; (iii) be broad and generalist (rather than specialist) in nature; and (iv) concentrate on core professional capabilities.
  1. effect an advanced body of knowledge of the principles and practice of professional psychology;
  2. effect knowledge of the legal and professional frameworks for practice and interact responsibly and ethically with clients and other professionals, and engage in appropriate self-care;
  3. apply the principles and practice of assessment, diagnosis and case formulation; including psychological testing and test data interpretation, using a culturally responsive approach;
  4. execute high level skills in delivering focussed psychological strategies to individuals and groups using a culturally responsive and self-reflective approach;
  5. apply advanced skills in research and evaluation within a scientist-practitioner framework; and
  6. appraise, interpret and communicate information in both oral and written formats and interact on a professional level with a wide range of clients and professionals.
Knowledge of a Discipline

Graduates have an advanced knowledge of general psychology practice, including an understanding of assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychopathology across the lifespan. Graduates site their practice within international perspectives on theory, diagnostic systems and evidence-based treatments. Graduates respect clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and understand the impact of culture on therapy.

Communication Skills

Graduates have high level verbal and written communication skills and effective interpersonal skills for psychology practice. Graduates communicate with professionals, and the general and scientific community, via case reports and oral presentations.

Problem Solving

Graduates are logical and critical thinkers, able to select and use evidence-based procedures and techniques and critically evaluate their practice as well as research evidence.

Information Literacy

Graduates have advanced information literacy skills gained through literature searching, objective scientific writing, and exposure to resources for professional practice.

Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility

Graduates practice within the legal and ethical frameworks of the profession. Graduates also have a sense of social responsibility for knowledge and decision-making and its application in professional practice. Through the application of the scientist-practitioner model, graduates contribute to the development of the profession.

Lifelong Learning

Graduates engage in continuing professional development accessing research and skills training to inform practice. Graduates are also adaptable and flexible, open to new ideas and able to manage change.

Independence and Collaboration

Graduates practice across a variety of settings, working independently or collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams. Graduates respect multiple points of view and interact in accordance with professional ethics.

A five-star experience

2024 Overall Experience Good University Logo

Five Stars,
18 Years in a Row

UNE is the only public uni in Australia awarded 18 straight years of five stars for Overall Experience

Good Universities Guide 2007-2024
2024 Student Experience Good University Logo

No.1 in NSW for
Student Experience

QILT (government-endorsed) ranks UNE as the top public NSW uni for Student Experience

QILT Student Experience Survey
2024 Teaching Quality Good University Logo

Five Stars for
Teaching Quality

UNE rates among the top 20 per cent of universities in Australia for Teaching Quality

Good Universities Guide 2024
Woman studying online at home

Studying online

At UNE we know it takes more than just being online to be a great online university. It takes time and experience. We pioneered distance education for working adults back in the 1950s, so we’ve been doing this longer than any other Australian university.

We understand the challenges faced by busy adults studying at home. We know that a vital part of online study is your engagement with the learning community. Communication with your classmates, teaching staff and university support staff will enhance your study experience and ensure that your skills extend beyond the subject matter. UNE’s teaching staff are experts in their field which is why UNE consistently receives five stars from students for teaching quality, support and overall experience.*

*The Good Universities Guide

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Why study with us?

Close up of Honours Criminology, Bachelor of Psychological Science student Sarah-Jane Bowers

I chose UNE as it offered online study, with a focus on flexibility and, it is my home institution.

Sarah-Jane Bowers

How to apply

Applying to UNE is quick and easy. If you are applying as a
, the application process may be a little different depending on who you are and what you want to study.

Preparing to apply

You should always provide the details of past or current studies in your application. You may also need to include documents to support your application.

The kind of documents you need will depend on:

  • Your preferred course/s
  • Your personal circumstances

Important Dates

 

Please note that this course has an early closing date:

Admission closing date - 31 October

Important Notice for Prospective Students

For accurate, up-to-date details on entry requirements, course structure, and other essential information, please consult the UNE Student Handbook before applying or enrolling. The Handbook provides comprehensive guidance to assist in your decision-making process. We apologise for any inconvenience.