Diploma
Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced)
- CRICOS code: 026666K
The experience
Overview
Our Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced) program offers an unparalleled range and quality of research supervision and contemporary coursework curriculum, which closely informed by cutting-edge research.
Student Profiles
Blake Davis
My project investigated residential college students' recommendations for interventions to reduce high-risk alcohol consumption.
I chose this topic because it allowed me to learn how to collect and analyse qualitative data, address a problem which affects both residential and non-residential university students, and the opportunity to speak to students about issues that impacted their social relationships, education, and identity.
Throughout the project, I was surprised by the degree of the opportunity and responsibility I was given in conducting the research. For example, with my supervisor's guidance, I learnt how to submit an ethics proposal and respond to amendments, develop an interview protocol, advertise for participants, interview participants and conduct the data analysis. It was a challenge that was very rewarding during and afterward.
I was inspired to pursue this topic because it involved addressing high-risk alcohol use and qualitative data collection and analysis. I relished being able to speak with people, listen to their narratives, and extract the latent themes.
As a result, I greatly developed my interviewing and rapport building skills which has enhanced my transition in psychological practice.
George Radford
My Honours research project investigated the impacts of sleep duration on children's sustained attention performance over their first three years of primary school. I was drawn to this project because of my interest in developmental psychology and wanted to understand how children can be given the best start as they begin school.
My Honours year allowed me to develop my skills as a researcher. The program at Melbourne sees you apprenticed to an experienced researcher as you learn first hand about study design, data collection, analysis, and communicating your findings. It was incredibly valuable for me to work so closely with my supervisor and understand the process of conducting research from start to end.
My thoughts on research changed over the year: I found that I really enjoy the exciting process of investigating and discovering new knowledge. As a result, I decided to continue my journey as a researcher alongside my clinical training. I feel prepared and excited for this work thanks to the key foundations from my Honours year.