Duration
1 year full time / 3 years part time
Mode (Location)
On campus (Parkville)
Intake
January, March, July
Key dates
Key dates
Fees
AUD $45,600 (2026 indicative first year fee). Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are not available
Learn more
Learn more
Career outcomes
Overview
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of psychological science and its applications
- Develop critical thinking, research, and inquiry skills to address complex human behaviour
- Prepare for further study or careers in psychology-related fields
The Graduate Diploma in Psychology at the University of Melbourne provides an in-depth exploration of psychological knowledge, spanning multiple perspectives from neural to societal levels. This program equips graduates with the skills and expertise to apply psychological principles to inform questions relating to human behaviour, psychological processes, and behavioural change.
Through this course, students will acquire academic distinction, active citizenship, integrity, and self-awareness – qualities that distinguish psychology graduates from the University of Melbourne. They will develop critical and creative thinking abilities, effective communication skills, and a deep respect for human rights, social inclusion, ethics, and diversity.
Graduate Diploma in Psychology careers
Graduates will be well-prepared for a range of career paths in:
- Research
- Counselling
- Human resources
- Marketing
- Education
- Healthcare
- Social services
- Business, and government organisations
Further study
The Graduate Diploma in Psychology serves as a pathway for further study in advanced psychology programs, such as:
- Graduate Diploma in Psychology (advanced).
From here, graduates can apply for the Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology), Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) - Master of Professional Psychology.
- Master of Applied Psychology
Read about Sarah's experience studying the Graduate Diploma in Psychology
Profile
Sarah Moneer
I’m a cognitive scientist, currently completing my PhD at the University of Melbourne.
My journey at the University of Melbourne started with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. I was near completion of a PhD in Immunology when I decided to change course and study psychology instead. I’ve always had a general interest in human health and I find psychology fascinating as it affects all aspects of our lives. I chose the Graduate Diploma because I could complete all the undergraduate units in one year full time.
The Graduate Diploma was a very intense course but it was incredibly interesting. For the first time in my life I was studying because I wanted to, rather than because I had to. The lecturers were all very engaging and I always walked out understanding some aspect of my life so much better.
The statistical component of the course can be challenging, but on reflection I found it to be the most valuable aspect of the course. It builds critical thinking skills that are useful not just for evaluating research but also in everyday life activities like reading news articles. It’s a very marketable skill, and many psychology graduates go into data science roles.
The capstone subject, where we worked closely with a lecturer on a research project, helped me rediscover my love of research. I had been leaning towards a clinical career, but that subject made me realise research is the right area for me.
I’m now part of a sub-group of cognitive scientists who specialise in building mathematical models to test psychological theories. I love the technical aspects of the work and that we apply rigorous testing methods to a field of science where it can be quite hard to do so. I have no regrets about switching to psychology.