Key facts
Duration
2 years part-time
Note this course is only available part-time
Locations
This course is only offered Online with on campus intensives.
Key dates
Direct applications to Deakin for Trimester 2 2025 close 11 May 2025
Current Deakin Students
To access your official course details for the year you started your degree, please visit the handbook
Course overview
Our Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) is a pathway for registered psychologists to gain an area of practice endorsement (AoPE) to work as a clinical psychologist.
Advance your professional knowledge and acquire new skills to care for patients with complex mental health conditions. You’ll gain 750 hours of clinical experience while you study, ensuring you graduate with the skills and qualification you need to practice in clinical psychology.
Are you ready to take the next step in your psychology career?
Boost your employment prospects in the fast-growing mental health sector. There are 12,500 new jobs projected to be created for psychologists by May 2033* with strong demand in the discipline of clinical psychology.
As a clinical psychologist, you’ll embark on a rewarding career supporting individuals with mild to severe mental health conditions. You’ll be equipped with an in-depth knowledge of the clinical features and causes of psychological disorders through this course. Further enhance your skills in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for patients across the lifespan.
Through practical learning opportunities including simulations and supervised placements, you will build your diagnostic interviewing and assessment skills. Across 750 hours of clinical placement, you’ll gain diverse experience working with patients across different demographics - including youth, adult, aged, inpatient, outpatient, community, forensic, and rehabilitation services.
Explore topics of interest to you and gain a competitive employment advantage by choosing from a range of elective units in your second year of study. You will be able to deepen your knowledge of topics including clinical governance in psychology, feedback informed practice, occupational wellbeing, and how to use evidence and applied methods to establish yourself as a scientist practitioner.
Balance your study with work and life commitments by completing the course part-time. You can also complete most of your learning online, with some in-person requirements for intensive units and placement hours.
At Deakin, you’ll gain a well-rounded knowledge of psychological practice and will be equipped with the skills to integrate advanced theories and therapeutic techniques into your clinical practice. Apply now and gain the qualification you need to compassionately support patients experiencing adverse mental health conditions.
*Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Projections May 2023 – May 2033
Course information
Course structure
To complete the Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration), you must pass 8 credit points. The number of credit points required may vary, depending on your entry point or how much credit you receive as recognition of prior learning (RPL) based on your professional experience and previous qualifications.
An 8-credit point Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) includes:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
- 7 core units
- 1 elective unit
Most units are equal to one credit point.
All students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Core units
All students must complete the following core units, ^practicum units and one zero credit point unit
- Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)
- Psychological Intervention 3
- Studies in Psychopathology
- Psychological Assessment 2
- Clinical Health Psychology
- Clinical Governance for Clinical Psychology Practice
- Clinical Placement and Case Analysis 2 ^
- Clinical Placement and Case Analysis 3 ^
Intakes by location
The availability of a course varies across locations and intakes. This means that a course offered in Trimester 1 may not be offered in the same location for Trimester 2 or 3. Check each intake for up-to-date information on when and where you can commence your studies.
Trimester 2 - July
Mandatory student checks
Under the regulations of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) students are required to be generally registered from the commencement of enrolment and for the duration of enrolment in their degree. This is a mandatory requirement.
In accordance with the Department of Justice 2007, Working with Children Act 2005, amended 2017, all students are required to undertake a Working with Children Check at the commencement of their course. Students who fail to obtain a Police Record Check and a Working with Children Check prior to the commencement of clinical placement will not be able to undertake clinical placement and this will impede progress in the course.
In accordance with Department of Human Services policy, all students are required to undertake a Police Record Check prior to clinical placements in each calendar year of their course.
Students may also be required to declare their immunisation status to satisfy the requirements of health organisations where they will be undertaking their clinical learning experience. A health organisation may refuse to accept a student for placement if the student’s immunisation status is not satisfactory to the health organisation.
Workload
As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, practicals, placements and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.
Participation requirements
The course involves two compulsory clinical placement units HPS712 and HPS709 with 750 clinical hours or approximately 100 days required for course completion.
Placement can occur at any time, including during standard holiday breaks. Learn about key dates at Deakin.
Intensive workshops are held on-campus for units:
HPY714,(Geelong Campus, 5 days)
HPS711, (Burwood, 5 days) and
HPY716 (Burwood campus 4 days)
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.
Work experience
Placement program
The clinical placements are designed to equip students with a range of professional skills and an awareness of professional issues. Students will benefit from Deakin’s key placement partnerships including Barwon Health and other organisations to ensure they gain experience of across child, adolescent and adult populations. The placement program will be determined jointly by the student, the placement coordinators, and the course leadership team. Each placement requires the full complement of days to be completed. Failure of any one placement may result in exclusion from the course.
Entry requirements
Selection is based on a holistic consideration of your academic merit, work experience, likelihood of success, availability of places, participation requirements, regulatory requirements, and individual circumstances. You will need to meet the minimum academic and English language proficiency requirements to be considered for selection, but this does not guarantee admission.
Please note, there are limited places in this course and entry is competitive. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.
Academic requirements
For entry to the Master of Clinical Psychology (Post-Registration) students must currently hold general registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and have practiced for a minimum of 12 months full-time equivalent, without any current conditions upon this registration.
English language proficiency requirements
To meet the English language proficiency requirements of this course, you will need to demonstrate at least one of the following:
- bachelor degree
- IELTS overall score of 7.0 (with no band score less than 7.0) in each component of test
- other evidence of English language proficiency (learn more about other ways to satisfy the requirements)
Non-academic requirements
You will also need to provide all of the following documents:
- a CV with evidence of the previous 12 months Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- a personal statement
- TWO references. Applicants are encouraged to include one professional and one academic reference
Please note: there are limited places in this course and entry is competitive, you may be asked to attend an interview as part of the selection process.
Admissions information
Recognition of prior learning
Fees and scholarships
Fee information
Learn more about fees and your options for paying.
The available fee places for this course are detailed above. Not all courses at Deakin have Commonwealth supported places available. The 'Estimated tuition fee' is provided as a guide only and represents the typical first-year tuition fees for students enrolled in this course. The cost will vary depending on the units you choose, your study load, the length of your course and any approved Recognition of prior learning you have.
One year full-time study load is typically represented by eight credit points of study. Each unit you enrol in has a credit point value. The 'Estimated tuition fee' is calculated by adding together eight credit points of a typical combination of units for your course.
You can find the credit point value of each unit under the Unit Description by searching for the unit in the handbook. Learn more about fees and available payment options.
Scholarship options
A Deakin scholarship could help you pay for your course fees, living costs and study materials. If you've got something special to offer Deakin - or maybe you just need a bit of extra support - we've got a scholarship opportunity for you. Search or browse through our scholarships
Postgraduate bursary
If you’re a Deakin alumnus commencing a postgraduate award course, you may be eligible to receive a 10% reduction per unit on your enrolment fees.
Apply now
Please note that closing dates may vary for individual courses. Applications must be made directly to the University through the Application Portal.
For information on the application process, see checklist (PDF, 159.7KB) .
For more information on the application process and closing dates, see the How to apply webpage. If you're still having problems, please contact us for assistance.
Contact information
Our friendly advisers are available to speak to you one-on-one about your study options, support services and how we can help you further your career.
- Call us: 1800 693 888 Monday – Friday, 9am–5pm
- Live Chat: Monday - Friday
- Submit an online enquiry
- Help hub find common and trending questions and answers
Careers
Career outcomes
Expand your employment options by gaining the qualifications and skills to practice as a clinical psychologist. The Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) allows you to pursue an area of practice endorsement and meets accreditation requirements of the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). With 12,500 new jobs expected to be created for psychologists by May 2033*, your enhanced qualifications will ensure you can meet the high demand for clinical psychologists in the healthcare sector.
*Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Projections May 2023 – May 2033
Professional recognition
The Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) is currently accredited with the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), until 31 December 2025 and is seeking continued accreditation.
Course learning outcomes
Events
Explore more events
