Psychology Advanced

This course will increase students' understanding of theoretical and methodological aspects of research, develop their analytic, research and communication skills, and provide them with advanced knowledge in specific areas of the science and practice of psychology.

In this course students must complete learning activities designed to expand their knowledge of statistics and the ethics of psychological research and practice, and broaden their understanding of the discipline.

Students also undertake a supervised research project, which provides training in both discipline-specific and generic research skills.

The course is structured in three parts: Part A. Core Units, Part B. Research Units and Part C. Elective Units. All students complete all Parts.

PART A. Core Units

These units will address core issues in modern psychology, along with ethics and evidence-based approaches to psychological assessment and intervention. Building a strong foundation in your understanding of psychology and neuroscience will enable you to appreciate the major challenges in psychology today and in the future. These units will also provide you with the ability to identify and enhance specific employability skills acquired throughout the undergraduate study of psychology.

PART B. Research Units

These units will develop your understanding of scientific methodology, statistics, and their application in psychology. You will learn to critically evaluate contemporary claims relating to human behaviour and mental processes and apply your understanding to a generation of new research questions. You will design, conduct, analyse and communicate your own novel and scientifically rigorous study, investigating a current research topic.

PART C. Elective Units

These studies will enable you to further develop your knowledge of psychology through a choice of electives covering contemporary topics in the field – such as mental health and illness, or developmental clinical psychology.

Qualifications

An Australian undergraduate degree (or equivalent) with a major in psychology, accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) with at least a distinction (70%) average across second and third year psychology units (including psychology electives);

OR

A Graduate Diploma in psychology, accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) with at least a distinction (70%) average across all psychology graduate diploma units excluding any foundational units.

These qualifications must have been completed within the last 10 years. Applicants with international qualifications will need to have their qualifications assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

English requirements

Applicants must also meet the English language requirements.

University entrance requirements

Minimum entrance requirements for admission to Monash University Australia.

Learning outcomes

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 8 and Monash Graduate Attributes. Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that you will be able to:

1.

investigate and critically evaluate theories, research and current issues in the core discipline areas of psychology - perception, cognition, learning, motivation, emotion, language, social and biological bases of behaviour, abnormal psychology, lifespan development, individual differences, history and philosophy of psychology, testing, assessment, intercultural and indigenous psychology

2.

contribute to discipline knowledge through research, including critical review of scientific literature, identification of research problems, design and conduct of research, application of statistical analyses to evaluate research outcomes, and clear communication of findings according to the professional requirements of the discipline

3.

evaluate and discuss the ethical standards and legislative frameworks governing research and practice in psychology, and demonstrate an appreciation of the role of ethics in maintaining the integrity of the profession

4.

recognise the importance of the relationship between knowledge of the scientific discipline of psychology and the application of this knowledge in the practice of psychology, and to demonstrate this understanding across a number of applications of the discipline

5.

demonstrate the skills required to maintain professional competence by keeping up with recent developments and contemporary issues in the field and appreciate the importance of ongoing professional development and training and demonstrate a foundation knowledge in a selected range of related discipline areas that complement the theoretical and practical application of psychology

6.

explain the transferable skills and knowledge specific to the discipline of psychology and demonstrate the application of these psychology-related attributes for professional or highly skilled workplace settings and/or further learning.