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Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science

  • Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science provides insights into human behavior, connecting individual, societal, and cultural aspects. It equips students with applicable psychological knowledge and skills for their workplaces.

Key details

Degree Type
Graduate Certificate
Duration
8 trimesters full-time, 16 trimesters part-time
Course Code
099624E
Study Mode
In person, Online
Intake Months
Feb, May, Sep
Domestic Fees
$12,124 total
International Fees
$15,092 total

About this course

Overview

Our Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science gives you deep insight into why we think and act the way we do, with an understanding of the connection between an individual, society and culture. The degree provides students with psychological knowledge and skills that they will be able to apply to their current and/or future workplaces. Note for International Students: The Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science is only offered as a pathway program into the Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science. Additionally, three units will be delivered in one trimester and the remaining unit of this course will be delivered in the following trimester with units from the Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science. * This course is only available to international students on-campus in Melbourne and Sydney, on a full time enrolment basis (completion within 26 weeks).

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Domestic entry requirements

Domestic students must have:

  • Completed a Bachelor Degree or higher in any discipline

International entry requirements

International students must have:

  • Completed a Bachelor Degree or higher in any discipline
  • Minimum English Language Requirements: International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Academic IELTS minimum overall band of 6.5 with no individual band below 6.0 (completed in the past two years); or Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic PTE score of 52 (completed in the past two years).

If an alternative to IELTS or PTE is being supplied as part of the application, please read more information on English Language Test Equivalency. Overseas qualifications must be deemed by ACAP as equivalent to Australian qualifications.

Study locations

Online

What you will learn

What you'll learn

Expertise in human behaviour forms the foundation of all our courses including our Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science. EXPLORE WITH AN APPLIED FOCUS:

  • Evidence-based approaches
  • The individual, society and culture
  • Biology, learning and cognition
  • Professional issues and applications

Course structure

Course structure

The Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science course is comprised of 4 units, which are level 100 and 500 units. To find out unit delivery information view the relevant Yearly Planner.

The course duration is 26 weeks full time or part time equivalent. For more information on the recommended course sequence click here.

Level: 100 level core

Credit Points: 6

Pre-requisites: MULT1015 Applications in Context

Mode of delivery: On-campus and online

Unit description:

Opening up possibilities for developing multidisciplinary knowledge and practice, ACAP draws on the 4 Disciplines in the College to develop three integrative units that are core to first-year Undergraduate courses. These inquiry-driven units lay the groundwork for engaging students with multidisciplinary thinking, discourse and initiative in their fields of endeavour and in their future profession/vocation.

This unit will introduce students the issues of sustainability on a personal, professional and community level. We will examine individual and group practices that can meet the needs of current generations without compromising our or future generations ability to meet their own needs through a transdisciplinary perspective. This will encompass evidence-based approaches to promoting sustainability in the context of study, professional work and within our communities. The unit provides students with an opportunity to explore, analyse and reflect on the contribution of human behaviour to the sustainability of individuals and communities, and apply this to their personal, educational and future professional lives.

Please note: There are slightly different expectations in MULT1035 for Graduate Certificate of Psychological (GCPS) Science students. If you are enrolled in the Graduate Certificate of Psychology there are modified versions of Learning Outcome [c], the Assessment 1b rubric, and the Assessment 2 rubric in the relevant sections below. If you are not enrolled in the Graduate Certificate of Psychological Science, you can ignore these sections.

Learning outcomes:

  • Define sustainability in personal, professional and community contexts (undergraduate)
  • Apply the principles of sustainability to personal, professional and community contexts (undergraduate)
  • Demonstrate how evidenced-based approaches can be used to take action to support sustainability (undergraduate)

Unit workload

The workload for this unit is 10 hours per week.

Level: 500 level core

Credit points: 6

Prerequisites: None

Mode of delivery: On-campus and online

Unit Description:

This unit is one of two introductory units in psychology for commencing students. Along with PSYC5172 Foundational Psychological Processes Advanced and MULT1025 Professions and Society, this unit builds foundational knowledge relevant to the history, philosophy, and methods underpinning the scientific study and profession of psychology. In this unit, the history and philosophy of both the quantitative and qualitative approaches are presented within the broader historical and philosophical themes of psychology as a discipline. The goals of this unit are to set the foundation for understanding research design and methods in psychology and to develop skills relevant to critiquing research, which involves developing knowledge and skills in research thinking, research doing, and research consuming. The unit considers the application of these research methods within the context of important concepts, such as the scientist-practitioner model, evidence-based practice, ontology and epistemology, and ethics. Content related to introductory concepts in the history of philosophy of psychology are also covered, along with content on the application of psychology in current professional and social contexts. This material will be presented in a manner that is scientifically rigorous yet culturally responsive and informs a broader discussion of psychology as both a professional practice in Australia and as an agent of social benefit. This unit is the first in a scaffolded series of units that, taken together, will facilitate the development of a comprehensive understanding of the skills and knowledge associated with research methods in psychology, the history and philosophy of psychology, and their contribution to the application of psychology.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Synthesise and critically apply key developments in the discipline of psychology in their historical, cultural, and social context.
  • Appraise the epistemological and ontological bases of common research approaches in psychology.
  • Critique scientific method to critically evaluate claims that arise from myths, stereotypes, pseudoscience, or untested assumptions.
  • Analyse and apply the structure and content of a standard research report.
  • Critically evaluate key ethical principles and their applications to research and interdisciplinary professional practice to protect public safety.
  • Communicate key psychological findings applying academic by acknowledging sources using APA (7th edition)

Learning and Teaching Process:

This unit is taught over 13 weeks. Students will participate in teaching and learning activities including:

  • Twelve (12) weekly pre-recorded 120-minute lectures
  • Twelve (12) weekly 90-minute live tutorials

For live tutorials, students will be enrolled to attend a regular class either a) on campus or b) online via Zoom.

In addition, the Unit Coordinator will be available for live online consultation for an hour on a weekly basis.