Content
This course offered by the Caulfield section of the Department of Psychology has been designed to:
1. provide an advanced treatment of a range of issues central to most fields of applied psychology and develop some basic professional skills;
2. satisfy the criteria laid down by the Australian Psychological Society for accreditation as a fourth year of study in psychology; and
3. help students to explore various fields in applied psychology with special reference to further postgraduate training or professional employment.
Admission requirements
A degree and an accredited major in psychology with credit average or better in third year.
Unsatisfactory progress
Students who do not pass at least half of the subjects taken in the year of enrolment will be liable for exclusion.
Course structure
The course comprises six semester subjects of study. These subjects may be completed in one year of full-time study or on a part-time basis, usually over two years. The sequence in which subjects are undertaken may be varied (within timetabling constraints) according to the experience, interests, career plans and enrolment status (full or part-time) of individual students, in consultation with the graduate diploma course leader. It is not advisable for a student to attempt the research project before undertaking APY4030, the multivariate data analysis subject. The six subjects are:
* APY4010 Psychology - advanced psychological assessment and classification
* APY4020 Psychology - changing behaviour
* APY4030 Psychology - multivariate data analysis
* APY4040 Psychology - professional experience
* APY4050 Psychology - professional experience
* APY4060 Psychology - applied research project
Each of the subjects APY4010, APY4020 and APY4030 requires class attendance equivalent to six hours a week for one semester.
Each of the subjects APY4040 and APY4050 involves the equivalent of twenty days attendance in a psychology placement setting. Placements are arranged by the department. In addition, there are fortnightly seminars of two hours duration.
APY4060 requires the student to design and carry out an applied research project. Fortnightly seminars are held and each student is obliged to see his or her supervisor approximately once a week in order to facilitate the successful completion of the project.
The typical class attendance time for full-time students is twelve hours a week and for part-time students varies between three and nine hours per week depending on the combination of subjects. Part-time students usually undertake APY4020, APY4030 and APY4040 in the first year, and APY4010, APY4050 and APY4060 in the second year.