Off-Campus Learning Guide 2004
Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Graduate Diploma in Psychology

Course code: 2088 + School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine (Caulfield, Clayton, and Gippsland campuses) + Full-fee-paying course: $9150 (Australian residents) + $17,000 (international students) + Attendance compulsory for all units

Aims

The graduate diploma aims to:

• offer graduates a 60-point major in psychology, which has been accredited by the Australian Psychological Society and so permits them to undertake the further training needed to obtain professional qualifications
• provide graduates with the necessary computer, research and statistical skills required to prepare a psychological laboratory report
• provide the theoretical background to the application, construction and use of psychological tests and assessment procedures
• assist graduate students in making a career change or to help graduates determine how psychology may be used in their existing professions by providing knowledge of the major fields in psychology.

Entry requirements

Entry will be open to graduates who have completed an undergraduate degree in any discipline. Selection will be based on academic merit, in particular academic merit in the final year of study.

Advanced standing for previous study

Advanced standing will be assessed using the Australian Psychological Society guidelines and in accordance with faculty policy. Students may be granted credit up to a maximum of one-half (30 points) of the undergraduate psychology major on the basis of psychology studies completed.

Length of course

Students are normally expected to pass all units at a given year level before proceeding to the next year level of the unit. The minimum time for completion in this manner is three years. Students who wish to accelerate their progress through this course should contact the course coordinator.

Unsatisfactory progress

Students who do not pass any unit after two attempts will be liable for exclusion.

Course structure

The course structure is identical to the APS-accredited undergraduate major sequence in psychology, ie nine core units and one elective unit. Off-campus students must complete a minimum of 12 hours on-campus weekend school laboratory work for each unit.

Core units

Level one

• PSY1011 Psychology 1A
• PSY1022 Psychology 1B

Level two

• PSY2031 Developmental and biological psychology
• PSY2051 Research, design and analysis
• PSY2042 Cognitive and social psychology

Level three

• PSY3041 Psychological testing, theories of ability and ethics
• PSY3051 Perception and personality
• PSY3032 Abnormal psychology
• PSY3062 Research methods and philosophy of psychology

Elective units*

At least one elective unit from the following:

• PSY2112 Organisational psychology
• PSY3131 Health psychology

* Electives offered may vary from year to year.

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