1999 Science Handbook - Doctor of Psychology

Doctor of Psychology

General information
Components of the degree
Admission requirements
Assessment
Course structure

General information

The DPsych is a research degree consisting of a combination of research, coursework and supervised practical experience offered jointly by the Department of Psychology (Faculty of Science) and Department of Psychological Medicine (Faculty of Medicine). It is administered by the PhD and Scholarships Committee under the rules and regulations applying to the doctoral degrees unless stipulated otherwise by the committee. It prepares psychologists, using the scientist-practitioner model, to conduct research in applied areas of psychology and to work as clinical psychologists in the assessment and treatment of adults and children with relatively severe emotional and/or behavioural disorders. The third year of the program allows students to acquire knowledge in a specific area of specialisation. Choice of specialisation offered to intake students in 1999 is yet to be determined but may include forensic psychology, health/medical psychology and/or child and adolescent psychology.
It is intended that completion of the DPsych will qualify students for membership of the Australian Psychological Society and registration as a psychologist in the State of Victoria; the program is designed to satisfy the academic training requirements for membership of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists and registration as a clinical psychologist. Completion of an option should satisfy the academic requirements for membership of other relevant APS Colleges. In general, a further two years of supervised relevant experience will be necessary for full membership of the APS colleges and for registration as a specialist psychologist. (It should be noted that selected students will be able to complete the final eighteen months of the program on a half time basis while acquiring supervised experience which would contribute to specialist accreditation.)

Components of the degree

Based on forty-eight weeks of study in each of three and a half years, the DPsych comprises three components: (a) a thesis 70%, (b) three supervised practica 10% and (c) coursework 20%.

Coursework

Psychopathology
Psychological assessment
Legal, ethical and professional issues: Principles and practice
Research methods in professional psychology
Theories and techniques of intervention
Legal, ethical and professional issues: Applications
Clinical neuropsychology
Psychopharmacology
Clinical psychology case management
Clinical developmental psychology
Organisational psychology

Forensic psychology option

Introduction to forensic psychology
Psychology and children's and family law
Psychology and criminal law
Psychology and civil law

Health/Medical psychology option

Key issues in health/medical psychology
Systems of the body
Intervention in health/medical psychology
Health promotion

Admission requirements

Applicants for the DPsych must have completed an approved bachelors degree with honours (first or upper second) in psychology or equivalent. In addition to their academic record, students are selected on the basis of their personal suitability for clinical psychology with such factors as referees' reports and presentation at a selection interview considered. Students selected for the DPsych whose academic records show deficiencies in research methods, statistics, human development, personality theory, abnormal psychology and/or psychological assessment are required to undertake a course of readings prior to commencement of the program.
Enrolment into the DPsych will be contingent upon the applicant submitting a brief research proposal and arrangements put in place for supervision of the research project, and approval of the PhD and Scholarships Committee. Enrolment will be probationary for the first year with firm admission to the program granted at the end of the first year if performance on all components is satisfactory. Students should note that satisfactory performance in all three components is necessary throughout the course, and that progression is always contingent upon satisfactory completion of previous requirements. In addition, an assessment of personal suitability to undertake or continue work as a clinical psychologist will be made prior to each practicum.
The course takes place at a number of different venues, including Monash University Clayton campus, the various campuses of the Department of Psychological Medicine and settings appropriate to the areas of specialisation; students should thus be prepared for some travelling between venues.

Assessment

The thesis is marked by two external examiners. Coursework is assessed using the Monash University system of grades. Participation in seminars and practical sessions is taken into consideration in the assessment process. Performance in practica is assessed as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, with supervisors providing detailed reports on students' progress.

Course structure

The DPsych is a three and a half year full-time program with coursework offered in two semesters in each of the first three years. As with PhD studies, a year of full-time study comprises forty-eight weeks. Coursework sessions, however, are conducted over two thirteen-week semesters in each of the first three years and the three supervised practica of twenty-one weeks each (or equivalent) commence in the second half of the first year of the course. The final half year is entirely dedicated to completion of the thesis.
While the first two years must be taken on a full-time basis, the final year and a half of the DPsych may be taken on either a full-time basis or a half-time basis over three years. Half-time paid internships may be offered to selected students who wish to study half time while gaining supervised experience.