The aim of this course is to give you the knowledge and skills required for the professional competencies in clinical psychology specified by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and to prepare you for the Registrar Program to gain an Area of Practice Endorsement in Clinical Psychology with the Psychology Board of Australia. You will be engaged in postgraduate training focussed on psychopathology across the lifespan and culturally sensitive psychological assessment and intervention for culturally and linguistically diverse populations including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, through a variety of learning modalities including classroom instruction, engagement in practical skills training, supervised practice, and research training.
Clinical psychologists are employed in a wide range of practice-related fields including outpatient, inpatient, counselling, educational, forensic, health and other settings that focus on assisting people across the lifespan, from children through to elderly. They are also employed in teaching and research settings. Clinical Psychologists work in both the private sector and they also are employed in the public sector, including hospitals, government departments and agencies.
Duration | 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time |
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Credit Points that Must be Earned | 96 |
Number of Units Required | CQUniversity uses the concept of credits to express the amount of study required for a particular course and individual units. The number of units varies between courses. Units in postgraduate courses normally consist of 6 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 12, 18, 24). |
Expected Hours of Study | One point of credit is equivalent to an expectation of approximately two hours of student work per week in a term. |
Course Type | Postgraduate Award |
Qualification (post nominal) | MClinPsych |
AQF Level | Level 9: Masters Degree (Coursework) |
Course Fees |
Indicative Year - 2024
Indicative Year - 2023
Indicative Year - 2022
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Domestic Students Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes |
Not Applicable |
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International Students CRICOS Codes |
Not Applicable |
Applicants must hold a four-year, or three-year plus a fourth year, Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited sequence in Psychology that satisfies the APAC criteria for pre-professional competencies in psychology, awarded within the last 10 years, with an upper second class Honours (2A) or equivalent overall mark and be eligible for registration with the Psychology Board of Australia as a provisional psychologist. Currently registered psychologists who can demonstrate current compliance with Registration Board Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements, seeking to gain a professional postgraduate qualification are eligible to apply.
To be considered for admission, applicants are required to supply:
1. Official academic transcript;
2. A current resume or curriculum vitae that includes employment, relevant experience, research experience and accomplishments;
3. A one page statement outlining expectations of the course, reasons for applying for entry and including qualities that make you a suitable applicant for clinical psychology training. Applicants who are applying on the basis of current registration and CPD should provide details of this. Please use Times New Roman, size 12 font, with 1.5 line spacing;
4. Two references supplied via Heads of Departments and Schools of Psychology Australia (HODSPA) Psychology Reference Portal;
Entry is competitive with limited places available, shortlisted applicants must attend an interview (face-to-face or via teleconferencing) by a panel comprising at least two members of academic staff of the Discipline of Psychology, both of whom have qualifications equivalent to those required for general registration as a psychologist.
Interim Awards | Not applicable |
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Exit Awards | Not applicable |
Accreditation |
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Compulsory Residential School | There is a 5 day residential school in each term of the second year of the course. |
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Click here to view all Residential Schools |
PSYC21007 - Students are required to undertake clinical work at the university based clinic. |
PSYC22005 - Students are required to undertake an off-site placement. |
PSYC22006 - Students are required to undertake an off-site placement. |
PSYC21008 - Students are required to undertake clinical work at the university based clinic. |
Year | Number of Students |
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2024 | 20 |
2023 | 22 |
2022 | 23 |
2021 | 23 |
2020 | 22 |
Please note that in some instances there may be similarities between course, entry and inherent requirements.
If you experience difficulties meeting these requirements, reasonable adjustments may be made upon contacting accessibility@cqu.edu.au. Adjustment must not compromise the academic integrity of the degree or course chosen at CQUniversity or the legal requirements of field education.
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Vaccination requirements currently apply for provisional psychologists in Queensland. Proof of your vaccination status, or medical exemption certificate, must be submitted before practicum placement commencement. Students must be able to attend practicum work three days per week (for full-time students) in addition to attending classes.
Effective 25 September 2023, updates have been made to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for Queensland Health sites and the Queensland Ambulance Service. While Queensland Health does not currently mandate evidence of COVID-19 vaccination, it's essential to recognise that other organisations may enforce their own vaccination specific criteria. This situation is similar across other states and territories, with the exception of Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, where COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for all healthcare students.
Students will be required to obtain registration as a provisional psychologist with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Additional security checks are included in this registration. Students may be asked to undergo additional checks (working with children and criminal history check) to satisfy the requirements of external placement sites.
Course Learning Outcomes | |||||
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Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
1. KNOWLEDGE Have a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice | |||||
2. KNOWLEDGE Have an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning | |||||
3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on theory and professional practice or scholarship | |||||
4. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice | |||||
5. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level | |||||
6. SKILLS Have communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences | |||||
7. SKILLS Have technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship | |||||
8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice and/or for further learning | |||||
9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use high level personal autonomy and accountability | |||||
10 APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship. | |||||
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Communicate, interact and collaborate with others effectively in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts in a culturally respectful manner |
Number of units: 14 | Total credit points: 96 |
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Students must be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (AHPRA) for the entire duration of this course.
Please note that students are unable to study the units within Master of Clinical Psychology as single Non-Award units.
Year 1 - Term 1 | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
PSYC21001 | Assessment 1 | |
PSYC21003 | Therapy I: Theory, Research, Practice | |
PSYC21005 | Psychopathology I | |
PSYC21007 | Clinical Practice 1 |
Year 1 - Term 2 | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
PSYC21002 | Advanced Clinical Assessment | |
PSYC21004 | Advanced Clinical Intervention | |
PSYC21006 | Psychopathology II | |
PSYC21008 | Clinical Practice 2 |
Year 2 - Term 1 | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
PSYC22001 | Research Methods in Clinical Psychology | |
PSYC22003 | Thesis I | |
PSYC22005 | Clinical Practice 3 |
Year 2 - Term 2 | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
PSYC22002 | Health Psychology and Rehabilitation | |
PSYC22004 | Clinical Psychology Engagement and Evaluation Project | |
PSYC22006 | Clinical Practice 4 |
Applications for the Term 1, 2025 intake will open on the 1st September 2024, and close on the 31st October 2024.
Interviews are expected to take place in late November. Application outcomes are released in December and January.
Computing Requirements
It is a requirement of enrolment in this course that students have access to the CQUniversity website. Students will be required to undertake various components of study in the course using email and the Internet.
It is strongly recommended that students have access to a broadband connection or higher to access online student resources that would include but not limited to, email, internet, video streaming, electronic assessment submission.
Work Integrated Learning
Four units in the Master of Clinical Psychology course: Clinical Practice 1, Clinical Practice 2, Clinical Practice 3 and Clinical Practice 4, are attached to placements.
For placement activities, there is the overall requirement of 1000 placement hours that includes 400 hours of client face to face contact and a minimum of 100 hours of direct supervision. A minimum of four placements is required, including two terms of internship and two terms of externships.
Each placement typically lasts for about 12 to 16 weeks, usually over 3 days per week. In the first year of the course, internal placements (for Clinical Practice 1 and 2) take place at the Psychology Wellness Centre, on Rockhampton North CQUniversity campus. Internal placements commence in March and go through October.
In the second year, external placements (for Clinical Practice 3 and 4) commence in February to ensure completion of placements by the end of Term 2.