Admission Requirements

What are the minimum requirements for admission to the DCP/MSc?

Applicants must have completed a four year honours degree in Psychology, gaining at least an upper second class (2.1) honours, or equivalent. Applicants must submit two referee reports. Applicants must be proficient in english. Applicants must complete a selection interview.

How can I tell if my degree is equivalent to the Australian honours degree in Psychology?

Please check the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) website for information on accredited tertiary psychology courses in Australasia.
The Australian Psychological Society (APS), is the national assessing authority in Australia for assessment of overseas academic qualifications in psychology. The APS will assess your psychology qualification for a fee of approximately $AUD575 (Phone: 61-3-8662 3300, 1800 333 497 or email: ). Alternatively, contact the Faculty of Science or the International Office. You need to be eligible for provisional registration with the NSW Psychologists' Registration Board.

Do I need to have my qualification assessed by the Australian Psychology Society (APS) for admission to the DCP/MSc?

All qualifications obtained from a non-Australian University must be assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) before an application may be submitted. The APS will assess the level that the applicant's qualifications are equivalent to in Australia by considering them against local accredited psychology qualifications. Please note not only is it a requirement for admission to the DCP/MSc, the NSW Psychologists' Registration Board also requires non-Australian qualifications assessed by the APS for the purposes of registration. This means that if students with non-Australian qualifications were accepted into the DCP/MSc program, they would not be able to be provisionally registered with the NSW Psychologists' Registration Board, and therefore would not be permitted to commence clinical internships in Semester 1 of the DCP/MSc program. Students would therefore not be able to consult with clients and gain the supervised clinical internship experience provided within the DCP/MSc program and fail to meet requirements.

Assessing psychology qualifications - assessments@psychology.org.au, 1800 333 497 (Toll free within Australia), +61 3 8662 3300 (Outside Australia), +61 3 9663 6177 (Fax)

Generally what degrees are considered equivalent for admission to the DCP/MSc?

The following degrees are considered equivalent to a four year honours honours degree in Psychology, gaining at least an upper second class (2.1) honours: BPsych, BA(Hons), BSc(Hons), BEc(SocSci)(Hons) or BLibStudies(Hons), GradDipSc(Psych)*Pass with Merit, in Psychology).

* At the University of Sydney a Pass with Merit is considered as an overall mark of 75% or above for GradDipSc(Psych). You may also check the APS website or APAC website for information on accredited courses in psychology.

My tertiary qualification is from New Zealand do I need to have my qualifcation assessed by the APS?

Yes. All applicants whose qualifications are from a non-Australian University must have their qualifications assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS). The cost of the assessment is currently $575. Applicants must have their qualifications assessed before applying for the DCP/MSc. Please note that an assessment involves 6-8 weeks processing time. You must submit your APS assessment letter with your application, otherwise your application will be considered incomplete. Please note that all DCP/MSc students are required to be provisionally (or fully if applicable) registered with the NSW Psychologist's Registration Board in order to commence candidature and clinical internships in the first week of semester. It is a requirement of the NSW Psychologists' Registration Board that all students with qualifications from a non-Australian University must have had their qualifications assessed by the APS in order to be eligible for provisional registration. Therefore if your qualification has not been assessed by the APS you will not be eligible for provisional registration and therefore not able to commence clinical internships in the first week of semester.

I have a Graduate Diploma in Science (Psychology) from the University of Sydney. Can I apply for the DCP/MSc?

The qualification required for admission to the DCP/MSc is an Honours degree in psychology with a result of 2:1 or better or any other equivalent award. Therefore GDP students will be eligible to apply if their grades are sufficiently high to be deemed equivalent to a 2:1 honours degree. For example, they will need to have a "Pass with Merit". Currently at the University of Sydney the Graduate Diploma Pass with Merit is awarded to students who receive a total mark of 75/100 or greater. It is important to note that there are limited places available, and students will not only be competing on the basis of academic merit, but their personal suitability will also be taken into account.

I graduated several years ago from the University of Sydney with a Graduate Diploma in Science (Psychology) Pass with Merit with an overall result of 75. Can I apply for the DCP/MSc?

The Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney introduced new regulations for the award of Pass with Merit in the last year it was offered. A Pass with Merit awarded in 2007/2008 was for an overall mark of 80% or above. In previous years a Pass with Merit was awarded for an overall mark of 75% and above.

Do I need to demonstrate English language proficiency?

You only need to demonstrate English language proficiency if you have NOT completed your tertiary qualification in Australia and your qualifications were obtained from a university or other institution where the language of instruction was NOT English. If your tertiary qualification was conducted in English you are not required to provide evidence of english language proficiency.

How do I demonstrate English language proficiency?

To demonstrate english language proficiency you must provide evidence of IELTS minimum overall score of 7, and a minimum score of 7 in each band. Please note for admission to the DCP/MSc only IELTS test scores are accepted.

I am International student, however, my university studies were conducted in English, do I need to provide an english language proficiency score?

No, if qualifications were obtained from a university or other institution where the language of instruction was English, you do not need to provide evidence of english proficiency.

As an International student, do I need to take any English language tests?

Yes, if your degree was conducted in a language other than english, you are required to provide documentary evidence of satisfying english language requirements for admission. You are to provide evidence of an IELTS minimum overall score of 7, and a minimum score of 7 in each band. Please note DCP program requires a certain level of english proficiency and for admission to the DCP only the IELTS is accepted. Please contact the International Office for further enquiries regarding International applications, such as english language requirements and degree equivalency.

As an International student, can I use the TOEFL English language test for admission to the DCP?

No, the TOEFL +TWE is not accepted for admission to the DCP. Only IELTS test scores are accepted, and applicants must score a minimum of seven in each band to be eligible for admission.

Am I required to complete a course in Abnormal Psychology or complete my honours research in a clinical area?

No, Students applying are not required to have completed an empirical research project in the area of Abnormal or Clinical Psychology or Clinical Neuropsychology. The selection process aims to identify students with a demonstrated interest in abnormal or clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology, an awareness of clinical issues, and relevant experience. This can be demonstrated in a number of ways, for example relevant work experience or a relevant empirical project. Note also that clinical relevance can apply in many areas of Psychology, eg. cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, individual differences, human learning, neuroscience, social psychology.

Do I need to have had some relevant clinical work experience in order to apply for the DCP/MSc?

Work experience is desirable but not an essential admission requirement. However, applicants are encouraged to have gained some previous relevant work experience which may be an advantage for interview. The benefit of work experience is that it is likely to enhance the understanding of clinical issues and allow a prospective student to determine whether they would like to pursue working with a clinical population. Should an applicant be invited to interview, they will be advantaged if able to draw upon previous work experiences, particularly in regard to answering questions that specifically assess understanding of clinical issues and potential difficulties of work in clinical contexts. Click here to view examples of relevant work experience: clinically oriented volunteer work, research involving contact with a clinical population or paid work as a Psychologist. Please note this is not a prescribed list of work experience, however, provides examples of work experience obtained from successful DCP & DCN student applicants. The amount of experience required is not strictly prescribed in hours etc.

Do I need to have a research topic or research supervisor in order to apply for the DCP/MSc?

No.

What is relevant work experience?

Relevant voluntary or non-voluntary work experience is broadly defined as: Paid working experience as a Psychologist/Counsellor, Voluntary experience with a specific clinical group, Research experience working as a Psychologist or Research Assistant (provided that the work is with a clinical group involving face to face interaction). The amount of experience required is not strictly prescribed in terms of hours. The aim of work experience is to enhance the understanding of clinical issues and allow a prospective student to determine whether they would like to pursue working with a clinical population. The work experience link provides examples of work experience obtained from successful DCP & DCN student applicants. Please note this is not a prescribed list of work experience.

I have worked as a receptionist to a Psychologist/Psychiatrist can count this as relevant clinical work experience?

No. Receptionist, Shop Assistant, baby sitting or similar work is not considered relevant work experience.