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Career outcomes
Overview
The Master of Psychiatry will prepare you for life as an expert clinician, leader, academic or a clinician scientist – any role you may wish to pursue within this invaluable field. Work closely with leading academics and world-renowned mentors to reach your ambitions, and set yourself on the right trajectory to become a respected psychiatrist and thought leader.
Upskilling and career opportunities
Students of this course will experience prevention techniques for affected mental health and strategies for improved quality of life for those affected by mental health challenges.
In this program, you will undertake study that meets the formal education course requirements as a trainee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, gaining sufficient theoretical and clinical knowledge to pass the College exams. For non-psychiatry medical professionals looking to upskill, the Master offers many opportunities to build your knowledge and gain accreditation, CPD and training across an array of mental health issues. A Master qualification is also essential if you wish to pursue a PhD in the area.
Previous graduates of the program have gone on to have highly successful clinical careers as consultant psychiatrists. Others have become world leaders in their respective fields, establishing successful research units and securing millions of dollars in research funding. A high demand for skilled psychiatrists allows you to pursue many exciting opportunities both locally and internationally.
Master of Psychiatry students also have access to knowledge and expertise from other scientific and mental health fields. For example, Master students will have contact with additional research fields, including epidemiology, clinical services, sexually transmitted infection (STI) control, sex industry regulations, STIs in resource-poor countries, and maternal and child health.
An internationally recognised qualification
Graduates of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Psychiatry leave with a globally recognised qualification from one of the top ranked mental health courses in the country.
Read about Rahul's experience:
Rahul Khanna
I’m a consultant psychiatrist at Austin Health, working with returned veterans and defence force personnel, largely with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I also teach into the Master of Psychiatry and other graduate programs.
I was attracted to psychiatry because of its diversity and because you have an opportunity to get to know your patients much better than in many other specialties. Because mental illness is a complex condition that affects different aspects of our lives, including physical health, we work with the whole person rather than one particular body system. And there’s also a lot going on in terms of research, which really appealed to me.
Studying the Master of Psychiatry at Melbourne gives you access to international experts across a broad range of topics, and the opportunity engage with leaders in the field. It also means there is a great range of mentors and research supervisors available, who are actively involved in current research.
Another really useful aspect of the course is that it is mostly entirely taught by psychiatrists, which makes the entire content highly relevant to clinical practice. The selectives also give you the flexibility to dig deeper into your specific interests.
I’ve stayed in touch with the University since graduating, and I have an honourary appointment now. I was involved in developing the online version of the Master of Psychiatry, which I think is a really efficient way to do the course. Being able to refer back to previous lectures or notes is very useful, and of course the flexibility is a great option for so many people.
I’m about to start a PhD applying machine learning to psychiatry, so I’m still learning! Psychiatry has been a very rich and rewarding career path.