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Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies (GDPS) - GradDipPsychSt

CRICOS code (International applicants): 030311C

	On-campus	Distance education
Semester intake:	Semester 1 (March) Semester 2 (July)	Semester 1 (March) Semester 2 (July)
Campus:	Toowoomba	-
Fees:	Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place	Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place
Standard duration:	1 year full-time, 2 years part-time maximum

Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students	Future International students	Current students
Ask a question Freecall (within Australia): 1800 640 678 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315 Email: studysci@usq.edu.au	Ask a question Phone: +61 7 4631 5543 Email: international@usq.edu.au	Ask a question Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285 Email: usqassist@usq.edu.au

Program focus

This program will assist graduates of non-psychology programs to fulfil the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) requirements relating to three-year undergraduate training. Graduates of the program will be eligible to apply for entry to fourth-year programs at USQ and other Australian universities.

Professional accreditation

The Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as providing the equivalent of a major in psychology.

Program aims

The Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies is available to graduates of disciplines other than Psychology. Completion of this program at an appropriate level will enable students to apply for the Bachelor of Science (Honours). Further information about the Psychology Honours program is available at http://www.usq.edu.au/sciences/psychology/resources.htm

Admission requirements

To be admitted to the Graduate Diploma, applicants must :

hold a Bachelor's degree from a recognised university
have completed the pre-requisite courses listed below (or their equivalent elsewhere) within the last five years prior to commencing the program.

Course	Semester Offered
STA2300 Data Analysis	S1, S2, S3
PSY1010 Foundation Psychology A	S1, S3
PSY1020 Foundation Psychology B	S2
PSY1030 Cross-Cultural and Indigenous Psychology	S2, S3

Candidates who have not successfully completed the four pre-requisite courses can complete them by : either

Studying those pre-requisite courses they do not have, as single courses through USQ's Continuing and Professional Education. (Application is made directly to USQ's Continuing and Professional Education section. Fees apply.)

Applying for admission to the Bachelor of Science (Psychology) through QTAC to complete the pre-requisites, and then apply to transfer to the Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies, using a Direct Entry application form, once all pre-requisites have been met.

Once the pre-requisite courses are completed, students may opt to enrol in this Graduate Diploma, or may wish to continue in the Bachelor of Science (Psychology).

Either of these degrees (Bachelor of Science (Psychology) or Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies) completed at an appropriate level, will enable students to apply for entry to the Honours program).

Psychology Honours Program questions can be answered at Frequently Asked Questions

Note: The pre-requisite units do not count towards the unit load of the Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies.

International Applicants

International applicants must have met the University's English language requirements or have completed the University's ELICOS/UNIPREP programs .

How to apply

Domestic students

Application for postgraduate programs may be made directly to USQ. You should ensure you submit your application by the closing dates.

International students

This program is offered to international students. An international student is a person who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and not an Australian permanent resident. Please refer to USQ International for information about entry requirements, visa arrangements and how to apply.

Program fees

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called FEE-HELP.

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Program structure

The Graduate Diploma consists of eight compulsory courses.

Compulsory Courses

Course		Semester Offered
PSY2010 Social Processes of Behaviour		1
PSY2020 Motivation and Emotion		1
PSY2030 Developmental Psychology		2
PSY2040 Human Information Processing		2
PSY2100 Research Methods in Psychology A *		1
PSY2110 Research Methods in Psychology B		2
PSY3010 Assessment of Behaviour		1
PSY3110 Clinical Health Psychology		2

Footnotes
*	PSY2100 must be completed before enrolling in PSY2110 and before or concurrently with PSY3010.

When a student has already completed one of the compulsory courses, a suitable psychology elective may be taken instead.

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 2 years to complete this program.

IT requirements

Students should visit the USQ Recommended Hardware and Recommended Software sites to check that their computers are capable of running the appropriate software and versions of Internet web browsers and to check the minimum and recommended standards for software.

Residential schools

There are optional residential schools offered for many of the courses in the GDPS.

Exemptions

Exemptions can be granted for courses in the program where a student has already completed one of the compulsory courses or its equivalent. USQ Academic regulations allow for exemptions for up to half of the courses in the GDPS (that is, up to four of the eight courses). However, exemptions will only be awarded for similar courses completed within the last three years and the time permitted for completion of the GDPS may also be reduced once exemptions are awarded. Students should contact the Program Coordinator to discuss their proposed enrolment when exemptions may be possible. The maximum time permitted for completion of the GDPS is 2 years from when first enrolled.

Other information

All students, particularly those studying in the external mode, are required to have access to the Internet. It is expected that all students will access throughout the semester the electronic discussion group for their courses (via USQConnect). All official course communications will appear on the course discussion group.

Recommended enrolment pattern

Course	Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied						Enrolment requirements
	On-campus (ONC)		Distance education (EXT)		Online (WEB)
	Year	Sem	Year	Sem	Year	Sem
PSY2010 Social Processes of Behaviour	1	1	1	1			OE
PSY2020 Motivation and Emotion	1	1	1	1			OE
PSY2100 Research Methods in Psychology A	1	1	2	1			OE
PSY3010 Assessment of Behaviour	1	1	2	1			OE
PSY2030 Developmental Psychology	1	2	1	2			OE
PSY2040 Human Information Processing	1	2	1	2			OE
PSY2110 Research Methods in Psychology B*	1	2	2	2
PSY3110 Clinical Health Psychology	1	2	2	2			Pre-requisite: PSY3030 or Students must be enrolled in the following Program: GDPS OE

Footnotes
*	PSY2100 must be completed before enrolling in PSY2110.
OE	Before enrolling in this course students must check that they have satisfied the 'Recommended prior study' or 'Other enrolment' requirements set out in the Other requisites section of the course specification.