Handbook

Overview

The combined Doctor of Philosophy/Master of Psychology (Forensic) program offers advanced training in research skills that are particularly relevant to forensic areas, and requires a minimum of four full-time years to complete.It is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as the fifth and sixth years of study leading … For more content click the Read More button below. Alongside a compulsory coursework component, students will work on their research project during the entire candidature until submission, and the same research-related requirements as the stand-alone PhD program (1400) will apply for the duration of candidature. University regulations and guidelines for good practice in postgraduate research supervision will apply to this program. See UNSW Higher Degree Research Learning Outcomes. Minimum Entry Requirements Prior to submitting an application, it must be established if supervision is available within the School. An academic’s willingness and ability to supervise is not a guarantee of admission. Applications must be approved by the School, the Faculty and the Graduate Research School, and an applicant for whom appropriate supervision or research infrastructure is not available cannot be admitted. The minimum entrance requirement is completion of an accredited four-year, or three-year plus a fourth year, APAC-accredited sequence in psychology, including a major research thesis, completed within the last 10 years with Honours Class 1 (85%) or equivalent. Psychology qualifications from overseas must include a major research thesis/project and must be assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) as comparable to a four-year APAC-accredited sequence of study in psychology completed in Australia. As the number of places available each year is limited, entry into the program is competitive. Selection is based on academic qualifications, two referee reports, and performance at an Assessment Centre. Only shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in the Assessment Centre and, under normal circumstances, participants are expected to attend in person. Applicants should refer to both the Faculty's program information page, and Graduate Research School's website for more detail about the application procedure and requirements. Registration as a Provisional Psychologist Enrolled students must register as provisional psychologists prior to program commencement. Registration must be maintained for the duration of their enrolment. Prospective applicants, regardless of current residency or citizenship status, should familiarise themselves with the registration standards and are encouraged to review AHPRA's "Pathways diagram" relating to the English language skills standard. Requirements Prospective applicants should familiarise themselves with the program's inherent requirements.

Alongside a compulsory coursework component, students will work on their research project during the entire candidature until submission, and the same research-related requirements as the stand-alone PhD program (1400) will apply for the duration of candidature. University regulations and guidelines for good practice in postgraduate research supervision will apply to this program.

See UNSW Higher Degree Research Learning Outcomes.

Minimum Entry Requirements

Prior to submitting an application, it must be established if supervision is available within the School. An academic’s willingness and ability to supervise is not a guarantee of admission.

Applications must be approved by the School, the Faculty and the Graduate Research School, and an applicant for whom appropriate supervision or research infrastructure is not available cannot be admitted.

The minimum entrance requirement is completion of an accredited four-year, or three-year plus a fourth year, APAC-accredited sequence in psychology, including a major research thesis, completed within the last 10 years with Honours Class 1 (85%) or equivalent.

Psychology qualifications from overseas must include a major research thesis/project and must be assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) as comparable to a four-year APAC-accredited sequence of study in psychology completed in Australia.

As the number of places available each year is limited, entry into the program is competitive. Selection is based on academic qualifications, two referee reports, and performance at an Assessment Centre. Only shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in the Assessment Centre and, under normal circumstances, participants are expected to attend in person.

Applicants should refer to both the Faculty's program information page, and Graduate Research School's website for more detail about the application procedure and requirements.

Registration as a Provisional Psychologist

Enrolled students must register as provisional psychologists prior to program commencement. Registration must be maintained for the duration of their enrolment.

Prospective applicants, regardless of current residency or citizenship status, should familiarise themselves with the registration standards and are encouraged to review AHPRA's "Pathways diagram" relating to the English language skills standard.

Requirements

Prospective applicants should familiarise themselves with the program's inherent requirements.

Stand Alone Programs

Click on the link below to find out more about each individual program.

Program

8257

Psychology (Forensic)

Program

1400

Psychology

Double Degree Structure

Students must complete 144 UOC.

1. Coursework - Weekly lectures and seminars with associated written forms of assessment

2. Professional Practice - Completion of a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice within the UNSW Forensic Psychology Clinic and in field clinical settings, weekly Clinical meetings and Skills Training Workshops

3. A PhD Research Thesis

Coursework Component

Students must take all of the following courses.

LAWS9800 and LAWS9810 are offered in alternate years. Students can complete these two courses in any order and should enrol in which ever is offered at the first opportunity.

Coursework Component

LAWS9800

6 UOC

Law for Psychologists 1

LAWS9810

6 UOC

Law for Psychologists 2

PSYC7402

6 UOC

Applications of Forensic Psychology

PSYC7403

6 UOC

Experimental Psychology and Law

PSYC7409

6 UOC

Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 1

PSYC7410

6 UOC

Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 2

PSYC7419

6 UOC

Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 3

PSYC7420

6 UOC

Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 4

PSYC7421

6 UOC

Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 5

PSYC7422

6 UOC

Professional and Ethical Practice (Forensic) 6

PSYC7423

6 UOC

Assessment in Forensic Psychology

PSYC7424

6 UOC

Forensic Interventions 1

PSYC7425

6 UOC

Forensic Interventions 2

Enrolment Disclaimer

Please read the Double Degree Program rules as some specific rules apply to particular Double Degree combinations.

You are responsible for ensuring you enrol in courses according to your program requirements and advice from 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.

Sample Programs

To access sample program(s), please visit:

Refer to the "Program Guide"

Additional Information

Note that the information listed under the Handbook entry for the Master of Psychology (Forensic) program relating to Recognition of Prior Learning and Study Load and Duration also apply to this Combined program.

Supervision

If you are considering applying for a PhD with the School of Psychology, you must first make contact with the School. This will help to establish that your research interests are aligned with those of the School and Faculty, and that there is suitable supervision available for your particular area of research. You can search the School's Research Strengths page, or the Find a Researcher page for more information.

For further information on policies, procedures and forms, see the Graduate Research website. For additional admission information see the Admission to Higher Degree Research Programs Procedure.

Professional Placement

Each Professional and Ethical Practice (PEP) course is linked with either 1) a Readiness Module (PEP 1) or 2) satisfactory progress on or successful completion of a professional placement (PEP 2 through PEP 6). Until the Readiness Module or any professional placement component of a PEP course have been successfully completed (or satisfactory progress has been made), a PE grade will be applied to the course. Failure to meet placement requirements and/or successfully complete the placement (as determined by both the Placement Coordinator and Program Director) will lead to failure of the PEP course. If the Readiness Module or any professional placement is not completed to a satisfactory standard, or placement requirements have not been met, a UF grade will be applied to the PEP course. Hours from a professional placement that is not completed to a satisfactory standard will NOT count towards the minimum 1000 hours of supervised practical placement experience required for completion of the program.

Course Fail

Should a student fail any course, approval to re-enrol in the failed course will be at the discretion of the Program Director (and Placement Coordinator, in the case of PEP courses)^. If approval is not granted, the Program Director may recommend discontinuation from the Combined PhD/Master of Psychology program and a transfer into the stand-alone Doctor of Philosophy program (Program Code 1400).

^ 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