Master of Professional Psychology
Study Professional Psychology at ANU
The Master of Professional Psychology is a two year (full-time) program and offers an alternative pathway to your professional career in psychology, without the need for an honours degree.
The two-year program includes coursework on psychological assessment, interventions and professional skills; a group research project in the first year and practical placement experience in the second year. The Master of Professional Psychology is less research-intensive than honours.
This course is accredited with APAC, and will provide the fourth and fifth years of university study in the 5+1 pathway to registration as a psychologist.
Graduates from the degree will be required to complete a one year internship and pass the National Psychology Examination before they can apply for full registration as a psychologist. Graduates will be eligible for Associate Membership of the Australian Psychological Society.
The program is the first in Australia to combine the fourth and fifth years of study in the 5+1 pathway and was developed specifically to meet the requirements of students pursuing this pathway.
There are 25 places available in each intake of the Master of Professional Psychology due to availability of supervisors. 50% of these places are reserved for ANU undergraduate students and 10% of places are reserved for Indigenous applicants.
Key facts
What you will learn
The Master of Professional Psychology is a two-year highly structured program with sequential enrolment. Upon completion of the first year (48 units) of study you will need to apply to the Psychology Board of Australia for provisional registration.
In this program you will study a variety of topics:
- Foundations of Professional Psychology
- Research Methods and Statistics in Professional Psychology
- Psychological Assessment
- Psychological Interventions
- Contextualising Professional Psychology
- Advanced Assessment in Professional Psychology
- Advanced Psychological Interventions
- Ethics and Professional Practice
- Preparation for Professional Psychology Placements
- Evidence in Professional Psychology
- Advanced Health Psychology and Lifestyle Medicine
- Professional Psychology Placement
- Professional Psychology Research Project.
Download the Master of Professional Psychology handbook (1.17MB PDF)
Download the Master of Professional Psychology Student FAQ (178KB PDF)
Research topics
We have a wide range of potential research topics. They range from short-term PhB projects to year-long honours and graduate projects to three-year PhD projects.
What it's like to study Professional Psychology
The new pathway to become a psychologist
The Master of Professional Psychology was co-designed with industry partners and health providers and positions students with a myriad of career options.
Helping young people with depression
A program to improve social connections could be just as effective as cognitive behavioural therapy when it comes to treating depression.
Meet some of your teachers
Dr Kristen Murray
Kristen is interested in the areas of clinical and health psychology. Her clinical practice and research focuses on psychological factors in health and well-being, particularly how these relate to obesity, eating disorders, chronic disease and health behaviour change. She is broadly interested in research that aims to understand, assess and treat these factors to improve health and well-being in the community.
Dr Conal Monaghan
Conal lectures on clinical assessment and statistics in the Master of Professional Practice program, and on psychometrics in the clinical psychology program. He is passionate about clinical research and assessment, dimensional models of personality disorder, clinician well-being, and working to improve youth / adolescent mental health.
Professional Psychology careers
The Master of Professional Psychology can lead to a psychology career in a wide range of private, government and not for profit settings.
Graduates will be eligible for associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society. If you complete a one-year internship and the National Psychology Examination can apply for full registration as a psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
The Australian National University has been ranked as the top university for graduate employability in Australia in the Global University Employability Ranking 2020. As a student at ANU, you gain access to the ANU CareerHub – an online career development and employability tool that includes a jobs board and careers resources. You also have access to drop-in chats with a career consultant and to attend our career fairs to meet potential employers.
Fees & scholarships
Tuition fees: Tuition fees
Scholarships: Scholarships
ANU offers many scholarships both to overcome disadvantage and to recognise academic merit.
Watch the webinar
Learn about what it is like to study Professional Psychology at ANU with Dr Kristen Murray, and hear from our current students Jack and Amelia about their experiences studying the Master of Professional Psychology.
How to apply
Understand the entry requirements
- Check domestic admission dates on the ANU Study website.
- Check admission requirements and deadlines for this degree on the Handbook website. Read the requirements carefully to make sure you understand them.
- You must also meet the University's English language admission requirements.
Prepare entry requirements & supporting documents
You need to submit the below supporting documentation with your application.
Referee reports
Applicants must provide two referee forms. Completed referee forms can be sent directly to postgrad.psychology.smp@anu.edu.au using the form above or completed via the National Psychology Reference System. If the referee is submitting via the provide form above, we must receive this via the referee themselves, we will not accept referee reports sent directly by applicants. Applications including all above supporting documentation must be received by 30 September.
Submit an application
Start your application on the Study ANU website.
Attend an interview
Applicants will be shortlisted on the basis of their academic achievements and supporting documentation. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in a suitability assessment process in late November which will include a panel interview and other activities.
Accept your offer
Once you receive an offer it is very important that you accept it to ensure your place at ANU is reserved.
Understand the entry requirements
- Check international admission dates on the ANU Study website.
- Check admission requirements and deadlines for this degree on the Handbook website. Read the requirements carefully to make sure you understand them.
- You must also meet the University's English language admission requirements.
Prepare supporting documents
You need to submit the below supporting documentation with your application.
Referee reports
Applicants must provide two referee forms. Completed referee forms can be sent directly to postgrad.psychology.smp@anu.edu.au using the form above or completed via the National Psychology Reference System. If the referee is submitting via the provide form above, we must receive this via the referee themselves, we will not accept referee reports sent directly by applicants. Applications including all above supporting documentation must be received by 30 September.
Get your overseas qualifications assessed
This can take approximately 2 months. If you hold an accredited degree from a New Zealand university you are exempt from this assessment.
You are required to get your overseas psychology qualifications assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS). The APS assesses the level at which an applicant’s qualifications are comparable to an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) sequence of study in psychology. You have to pay a fee for this service to apply for entry to an APAC-accredited psychology course at ANU.
Submit an application
Start your application on the ANU Study website.
Attend an interview
Applicants will be shortlisted on the basis of their academic achievements and supporting documentation. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in a suitability assessment process in late November which will include a panel interview and other activities.
Accept your offer
Once you receive an offer it is very important that you accept it to ensure your place at ANU is reserved.
Need more information?
Send us an enquiry and we'll get back to you within 48 hours