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Career outcomes
Overview
The Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences Graduate Diploma prepares graduates who are distinguished by their breadth and depth of psychological knowledge, research and inquiry skills, and their ability to apply these to inform questions relating to human behaviour. Graduate Diploma in Psychology graduates demonstrate:
Academic distinction
- In-depth knowledge of psychological science with a broad understanding of its multiple perspectives, spanning the neural to societal levels.
- Critical, creative thinking with strong reasoning skills. They can apply psychological knowledge, information and research skills to complex problems relating to human behaviour, psychological processes, and behavioural change.
- Effective oral and written communication skills for explaining, and evaluating psychological theories, processes, and concepts.
- They are adept lifelong learners who generate bold and novel ideas by critically evaluating alternative possibilities and viewpoints.
Active citizenship
- A high regard for human rights, social inclusion, ethics and the environment.
- An awareness of the social and cultural diversity in communities and can work collaboratively with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
- In particular, they have an understanding of and deep respect for Indigenous knowledge, culture and values.
- They are equipped to be active, well-informed citizens who make substantial contributions to society and have the potential to become leaders in their professions and communities.
Integrity and self-awareness
- Self-direction, with the ability to set goals and manage time and priorities.
- The ability to work effectively both independently and in groups.
- Skills in self-assessment, reflective thinking and self-awareness; placing great importance on their personal and professional integrity, and on the willingness to explore, experiment and learn from mistakes.
- Empathy and concern for the welfare of others and have developed skills in managing their own well-being.
Psychology graduate pathway options
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology may be interested in the following psychology pathway options:
- 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
For more graduate pathway options and career examples view our brochure.
Read about Sarah's experience:
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.