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Overview

The Master of Psychology (Forensic) program was offered for the first time in 1998. The degree is unique among masters programs in forensic psychology at Australian universities in that both a school of psychology and a law school are involved in its teaching; each School at UNSW is a recognised … For more content click the Read More button below.

Learning Outcomes

1.
Demonstrate: Familiarity with legal and professional matters including: o the main provisions of the State and Commonwealth Acts and Regulations of Parliament relevant to psychologists' work; o codes of conduct relevant to psychologists' work including those published by relevant psychologist Registration Board(s); o the Australian Psychological Society's Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines; o confidentiality and privacy issues; o administrative and record keeping procedures (including adequate clarification of any financial arrangements); o consent issues; o issues concerning practice with minors and those unable to provide informed consent; o boundary issues; o sexual propriety; o psycho-legal issues; o role and cultural issues, including issues for minority or marginalised groups; o gender and sexuality issues; o service needs of vulnerable groups in society; o registration issues; o advertising and public statements; o billing practices; o the role of the psychologist within the profession and the workplace; o the roles of other professions and the capacity to report to other professionals appropriately and to work collaboratively; o the propriety of relationships amongst psychologists, and between psychologists and other professionals, employers and clients; o the mechanisms for the resolution of conflict between psychologists and clients, colleagues, employers and other professionals; o negotiated workplace agreements; o note-taking and record keeping. Conduct or behaviour consistent with the legal requirements and codes of conduct relevant to psychologists, especially: o ethical and professional behaviour and manner; o State, Territory and Federal Codes of Behaviour for Psychologists and statements of Clients' rights; o the Australian Psychological Society's Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines; o appropriately clarifying and negotiating the role and responsibilities as a trainee psychologist; o record keeping, including demonstrated knowledge of the ethical and legal implications of administrative
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2.
Demonstrate strong knowledge of at least: relevant psychological theories and models; published empirical findings supporting theories (especially those which underpin the major forms of psychological intervention) and the methods employed to establish them; the major methods of psychological investigation and techniques of measurement, and their application and interpretation; and design and implementation of psychological interventions.
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3.
Demonstrate a strong level of skills and knowledge in conducting systematic psychological assessment using a wide range of assessment techniques, including: the theoretical basis for the assessment techniques used in psychology; knowledge of psychometric properties of psychological tests and the ability to use this knowledge to inform problem formulation; test selection - ability to select appropriate assessment techniques and instruments with proper consideration of issues relating to reliability and validity; test administration and interpretive skills, including experience in the skilled administration and interpretation of at least: o the current version of an individually administered adult or child test of intelligence (some examples of appropriate tests include - WISC IV, WAIS IV, WPPSI-III, Stanford-Binet V, Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Differential Ability Scales); o the current version of at least one major standardised test of personality (examples of appropriate tests include - 16PF, MMPI, CPI, OMNI, NEO-PI); o the current version of at least one specialised memory assessment (e.g. Wechsler Memory Scale, Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning); and o other tests, appropriate to the learning objectives of the course, which are based on empirically validated approaches and equivalent accuracy in the measurement of cognitive or behavioural functioning or an accurate measurement of aptitude, abilities or skills. awareness of limitations of psychological tests with particular reference to notions of validity, reliability, and cultural issues; proficiency in interviewing (structured and unstructured interviews, selection interviews, survey interviewing, history taking, clinical interviewing for diagnostic purposes and group-based interviewing); systematic observation of behaviour involving both naturalistic and clinical observation and in using predetermined procedures for observing the behaviour of one or more persons; kn
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4.
Demonstrate strong skills and knowledge regarding intervention strategies, including: superior interpersonal skills (including the ability to form a professional relationship including positive working alliances with clients and colleagues); ability to skilfully negotiate a treatment or service contract; ability to use a theoretical system that explains aetiology and remediation of psychological, social or organizational problems; ability to investigate identified issues relevant to the delivery of the interventions (e.g., ethical dilemmas, stakeholders); ability to identify the nature and documented efficacy of potential interventions; ability to design and/or plan preventative, developmental or remedial interventions to achieve the best possible outcomes; formulation of treatment plans, goals and strategies for intervention including the ability to justify the link between diagnosis formulation and intervention chosen; researching the empirical literature to develop plans for interventions and drawing on published studies and theories/models relevant to the problem and intervention; justifying the link between diagnosis/formulation and the intervention chosen; implementing preventative, developmental or remedial programs and interventions; familiarity with a range in intervention techniques and strategies as well as their theoretical and empirical bases, for both individuals and groups; counselling skills; highly skilled use of core behaviour change skills including counselling and cognitive behavioural approaches to helping as appropriate in group individual or organizational settings; organisational interventions; career development (i.e., helping with career planning in private or organisational contexts); ability to design and implement evaluations of the impact of the interventions (including the ability to employ appropriate research designs to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions) including: o measuring attitude and behaviour change o evaluation of
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5.
Demonstrate the application of research knowledge and skills to psychological practice, including: finding, understanding, collating and critiquing published empirical research findings relevant to a phenomenon or problem of interest; identifying and defining problem situations based on observation and other assessment; generating hypotheses based problem definition and other information; designing interventions, therapeutic programs or other means to test hypotheses including an understanding of the principles of single case designs; designing and implementing program evaluation; collecting, recording, and analysing responses to interventions or therapeutic programs; use of qualitative and quantitative methods, skilled analysis of data, and the ability to draw accurate research inferences; critical evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions and programs including: o suggesting modifications for future use and o awareness of issues regarding reliability and validity of observations.
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6.
Demonstrate: high level oral communication and interpersonal skills in communicating effectively with clients, other psychologists, other professionals, the community; individuals, small groups and agencies from varied cultural, ethnic, religious, social and political backgrounds, including: o rapport building skills o professional personal presentation o clarity, accuracy, coherence, organisation and succinctness of communication o style of communication (appropriateness for audience) o organisation of communication o seeking out and understanding information o personal and professional boundaries in communications seeking out, understanding and responding appropriately to information provided by a range of persons in order to adequately meet their needs; excellent written communication, including the ability to write, in an organised fashion, reports and other documents: o which are informed, succinct, accurate, lucid and well-organised; o for a range of audiences, including educational, health and legal professionals, courts, government departments, insurance companies, corporations and other entities and which clearly communicate the intent of the writer taking into consideration the sensitivity of the matters under discussion and the capacity of the reader to accurately interpret the information.
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Graduate Capabilities

For more information on Graduate Capabilities please click on this link

Program Structure
96 Units of Credit:

Students must complete 96 UOC as a standalone program.

The program consists of three components, all of which are compulsory, totalling 96 UOC (48 in each Stage).

1. Coursework - Weekly lectures and seminars with associated written forms of assessment (48 UOC)
2. Professional Practice - Completion of a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised practice in forensic settings, weekly Forensic Psychology meetings, and Skills Training Workshops (24 UOC)
3. A Research Thesis (24 UOC).

Stage 1 Core Courses

Students must take 48 UOC of the following courses.

PSYC7000
6 UOC
Research and Evaluation Methods
PSYC7001
6 UOC
Psychological Assessment 1
PSYC7400
6 UOC
Interventions in Forensic Psychology 1
PSYC7401
6 UOC
Interventions in Forensic Psychology 2
PSYC7402
6 UOC
Applications of Forensic Psychology
PSYC7409
6 UOC
Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 1
PSYC7410
6 UOC
Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 2

Stage 2 Core Courses

Students must take 48 UOC of the following courses.

PSYC7403
6 UOC
Experimental Psychology and Law
PSYC7411
6 UOC
Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 3
PSYC7412
6 UOC
Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 4
PSYC7413
12 UOC
Research Thesis (Forensic) 1
PSYC7414
12 UOC
Research Thesis (Forensic) 2

Enrolment Disclaimer

Please note that this Handbook is a comprehensive catalogue of our offerings and includes courses that can be taken to satisfy program requirements irrespective as to their availability for a particular year. Availability of courses is best checked using filters on this site or on the class timetable site.

You are responsible for ensuring that you enrol in courses according to your program requirements and by following the advice of your Program Authority. myUNSW enrolment checks that you have met enrolment requirements such as pre-requisites for individual courses but not that you are enrolling in courses that will count towards your program requirements.

Admission Requirements

Entry Requirements

Special Admission Requirements

For more information about admission requirements for various UNSW programs, visit the following website(s):
Domestic Students
International Student

Program Requirements

Participation and Enrolment Requirements

Progression Requirements

Professional Outcomes

Professional Recognition

Recognition of Achievement

Award with Excellence
Current Students Award with Excellence
For more information, please visit the link above.
The Award with Excellence is awarded in coursework masters programs, including Masters (Extension) but with the exception of Masters (Extended) such as JD and MD, when a Weighted Average Mean (WAM) of at least 80% has been achieved and at least 50% of the requirements of the award are completed at UNSW. All eligible programs will award 'with Excellence' except in special circumstances where approval of Academic Board has been given for a program to opt out.

Additional Information

Participation and Enrolment Requirements

All Master of Psychology students must meet registration standards developed by both the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and PsyBA in order to register as provisional psychologists. Those not registered as provisional psychologists cannot undertake professional practice, a compulsory component of all Master of Psychology programs, as they are not permitted to have any client contact.

Therefore, all applicants, regardless of current residency or citizenship status, should familiarise themselves with the PsyBA registration standards here, and AHPRA’s new standards on English language skills and criminal history.

Study load and duration

When taking a full-time load of 24 UOC per semester, this program extends across two calendar years, rather than four academic semesters with vacation breaks.

The minimum period of enrolment before the award of the degree is four semesters for full-time students and six semesters for part-time students.

Part-time students are normally expected to take 12 UOC per semester.

Professional Placement

Each professional placement in the program is linked to a Professional and Ethical Practice (PEP) course. Until the placement has been successfully completed, a PE grade will be applied to the PEP course. If the placement is not completed to a satisfactory standard, or placement requirements have not been met (as determined by both the Placement Coordinator and Program Director), a UF grade will be applied to the PEP course. Failure to meet placement requirements and successfully complete the placement will lead to failure of the PEP course. No hours from an unsatisfactory placement will count towards the minimum 1000 hours of supervised practical placement experience required for completion of the program.

Course Fail

Should a student fail a course*, approval to enrol in the failed course again will be at the discretion of the Program Director (and Placement Coordinator, in the case of PEP courses)^.

Alternatively, the Program Director will recommend that the student withdraw from the program.
* Any of the 14 courses required for the program, including PSYC7413 (Research Thesis (Forensic) 

  1. PSYC7414 (Research Thesis (Forensic) 2) and any of the four PEP courses. ^ In Australia, the psychology profession is regulated by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act as overseen by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The School of Psychology is responsible for adhering to federally legislated professional and accreditation standards for training provisionally registered psychologists in full compliance with the APS Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines. Master of Psychology students, as provisionally registered psychologists, are expected to display the competencies, professionalism and reputable behaviours the discipline demands. In making their recommendation, the Program Director will consider these factors not simply from an academic standpoint, but as the discipline's chief authority on such professional and ethical matters within the program. Should a student disagree with a recommendation made by the Program Director, their avenue of appeal will be to the Head of School and/or School Board.

Program Fees

At UNSW fees are generally charged at course level and therefore dependent upon individual enrolment and other factors such as student's residency status. For generic information on fees and additional expenses of UNSW programs, click on one of the following:

Domestic Students
Commonwealth Supported Students (if applicable)
International Students

Pre-2019 Handbook Editions

Access past handbook editions (2018 and prior)
Pre-2019 Handbook Editions