Admission and Unit Information - Post Graduate Diploma of Psychology
Accreditation
This course is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as an accredited fourth year of study in Psychology. Graduates of this award wil be eligible for Provisional registration as a Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) and for associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
Advanced Standing
Subject to the university's credit transfer regulations, applicants who have completed units in an equivalent course taught at a fourth year level, may be granted advanced standing up to a maximum of 50 per cent of the total course work. No credit will be given for research completed at another university. All applicants will have their transcripts assessed to ensure they have at least the equivalent of a three year psychology bachelor's degree in the AQF framework and for specified credit for any fourth year psychology or equivalent units. Advanced standing will only be given for psychology or equivalent content units under the university's specified credit policy. The maximum specified credit for the award will be 40 credit points and no specified credit will be given for the thesis component.
Admission
Previous successful completion within the last 10 years, of an APAC accredited three year sequence in psychology, with a minimum of a Credit average in second and third year units, including a credit in the majority of the psychology units.
Limited places are available in this course and meeting the admission criteria does not guarantee entry.
No deferrals will be accepted for this course.
Applications from Australian and New Zealand citizens and holders of permanent resident visas must be made via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).
Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Local and International applicants who are applying through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) will find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on the UAC website. Local applicants applying directly to UWS should also use the information provided on the UAC website.
International applicants must apply directly to the University of Western Sydney via UWS International.
International students applying to UWS through UWS International can find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on the UWS International website.
http://www.uws.edu.au/international
Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof can be found on the Universities Admissions Centre website (UAC).
Overseas qualifications must be deemed by the Australian Education International - National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) to be equivalent to Australian qualifications in order to be considered by UAC and UWS
Course Structure
Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 80 credit points including a 20 credit point research methods unit, a 30 credit point thesis, and three 10 credit point units.
Recommended Sequence
Full-time
Year 1
1H session
Empirical Research Methods Seminar
This unit exposes students to advanced psychological methods. This will provide a strong basis for postgraduate studies and further strengthen applied research skills. The first half year will focus on qualitative methods. It will be assumed that students have not been exposed to these methods previously and this component of the unit will begin with an introduction to the topic before progressing to the major qualitative methods. The second half year will focus on quantitative methods and aims to extend and challenge some of the common statistical methods taught in earlier units.
This unit equips students with the skills needed to design and develop a research project, to operationalise their research question, to select and undertake the appropriate methods of analysis, and to effectively present results. The program is one year long, and is taught on the assumption that students have a statistical competence in multi-way analysis of variance, bivariate regression analysis, and basic non-parametric procedures. This includes demonstrated computational ability using the statistical package SPSS.
Autumn Session
Theory and Practice of Psychological Assessment and Intervention
Theory and Practice of Psychological Assessment and Intervention has been designed to develop practitioner competence by providing you with both relevant practical as well as theoretical input regarding the administration, scoring, and interpretation of some of the more frequently used standardised measures within an assessment context. In this unit, the scientific and ethical underpinnings of psychological testing and assessment are initially advanced in order to provide a general context for the employment of standardised psychological tests. Emphasis will then be placed on familiarising you with i) the processes that practitioners go through during a testing session and ii) current research employing the standardised tests presented in this unit. The unit will provide you with a foundation in psychological testing and assessment, allowing you to make informed use of some testing data and psychological reports. A further aim of the unit is to familiarise students with the principles of evidence based practice in psychological interventions.
This unit provides an introduction to basic counselling and consultation skills. Students are provided with a theoretical overview of the 'helping relationship' and have opportunities to learn and practice basic counselling skills. There is a focus on specific approaches such as solution focused and narrative therapies together with a range of ways of working with young children, adolescents, teachers and families. The unit provides structured opportunities to reflect on personal and professional development with the counsellor role.
2H session
Empirical Research Methods Seminar
This unit exposes students to advanced psychological methods. This will provide a strong basis for postgraduate studies and further strengthen applied research skills. The first half year will focus on qualitative methods. It will be assumed that students have not been exposed to these methods previously and this component of the unit will begin with an introduction to the topic before progressing to the major qualitative methods. The second half year will focus on quantitative methods and aims to extend and challenge some of the common statistical methods taught in earlier units.
This unit equips students with the skills needed to design and develop a research project, to operationalise their research question, to select and undertake the appropriate methods of analysis, and to effectively present results. The program is one year long, and is taught on the assumption that students have a statistical competence in multi-way analysis of variance, bivariate regression analysis, and basic non-parametric procedures. This includes demonstrated computational ability using the statistical package SPSS.
Spring session
The aim of this unit is to develop an advanced level of theoretical and empirical knowledge in core topics of psychology, and an awareness of how this knowledge underpins evidence-based approaches to psychological intervention. The unit fosters an appreciation of how psychology as a scientific discipline based on sound research provides the foundation for psychological intervention and practice. Skills in the critical evaluation of knowledge and research are developed.
