
The Graduate Diploma in Psychology explores the principles of psychology and theoretical issues of current empirical research.
Psychology is a discipline of both scientific research and applied practice. As a science, psychology is concerned with the study of behaviour and its underlying mental and neural processes.
The Graduate Diploma in Psychology provides students who have already been awarded a bachelor's degree with the opportunity to gain an accredited psychology sequence (the equivalent of an undergraduate psychology degree for accreditation purposes) in under two years part-time.
You'll develop critical thinking and skills in analysis and research methods and gain an integrated and comprehensive education in the main discipline areas, including developmental, social, cognitive, biological, physiological, abnormal psychology and research methods. This program is delivered online and runs on the UNSW online hexamester calendar.
Study with the best
The UNSW School of Psychology is one of the best in Australia. We’re ranked 24th in the world for psychology*, attracting award-winning staff and offering excellence and innovation in our teaching. The School of Psychology has strong links with professional practitioners in the areas of clinical, neuropsychological and forensic psychology.
Learn from industry-leading educators
You come to university to learn from the experts – researchers who are leaders in their fields, striving to create new knowledge. The School of Psychology is well known for its research tradition. Many of our staff have international reputations in their respective fields and a number are Fellows of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences. Our staff attract several million dollars in external research funds per year. Our staff publications receive more citations than any other psychology department in Australia and we have one of the highest rates of PhD graduations in psychology of any Australian university. We earn more competitive research funding and publish more Tier 1 journal articles per academic than any other psychology school in Australia.
*QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021
For entry into this program, you must hold either:
Minimum entrance requirements for admission to UNSW Sydney also apply.
Students may apply for recognition of prior knowledge if they’ve completed courses that are equivalent of PSYC5001 and PSYC5002. If students have completed these introductory courses as part of their prior degree, they may apply to have this counted as prior knowledge and will not be required to complete these units.
Please note that UNSW graduates holding a bachelor's degree in Psychology or Psychology major are not eligible to apply.
You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on your educational background and citizenship. English language skills are vitally important for coping with lectures, tutorials, assignments and examinations - this is why UNSW requires a minimum English language competency for enrolment.
If you do need to provide evidence of your English proficiency, this will be indicated in your application. You can prove this by providing evidence that you meet one or more of the following criteria:
UNSW Global offers courses and programs designed to help you reach the English language level required for entry into your chosen degree. Different options are available depending on your current English language level. Learn more.
For entry into this program, you must hold either:
Minimum entrance requirements for admission to UNSW Sydney also apply.
Students may apply for recognition of prior knowledge if they’ve completed courses that are equivalent of PSYC5001 and PSYC5002. If students have completed these introductory courses as part of their prior degree, they may apply to have this counted as prior knowledge and will not be required to complete these units.
Please note that UNSW graduates holding a bachelor's degree in Psychology or Psychology major are not eligible to apply.
You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on whether you are from an English-speaking background or non-English speaking background. English language skills are vitally important for coping with lectures, tutorials, assignments and examinations - this is why UNSW requires a minimum English language competency for enrolment.
If English is not your first language, you’ll need to provide proof of your English proficiency before you can be given an offer to study at UNSW. You can do this by providing evidence that you meet one or more of the following criteria:
If you need to improve your English skills before you start your degree, UNSW College’s Academic English Programs are for you. The programs are suitable for various English levels and help you prepare for university studies and life in Australia.
The Graduate Diploma in Psychology (GD Psych) will provide students with a solid foundation in the principles of Psychology. The program will cover theoretical and contemporary issues in psychology, with a focus on current empirical research. Students will develop critical thinking and skills in analysis and research methods. Students will gain an integrated and comprehensive education in the main discipline areas, including developmental, social, cognitive, biological, physiological, abnormal psychology and research methods. The program will further prepare students with the research skills and methods required for their future career in Psychology.
Students must complete 60 Units of Credit (60 UOC) as a standalone program.
This program consists of 10 core courses, each course is worth 6 UOC. Students must complete all 10 courses to be awarded the Graduate Diploma. Each course is delivered 100% online for 6 weeks. There are 6 hexamesters per year, allowing for personalised and flexible program structure.
For more information on program progression and course details, please visit the School of Psychology website.
The skills acquired during training in psychology are extremely valuable to a wide variety of careers within both the public and private sector.
These include clinical and health settings such as clinics and hospitals, counselling, developmental care, public, community and occupational health, as well as community development and relations, copyrighting, management consultancy, human resources, recruitment, training and development, industrial relations, banking, journalism, marketing, business and retail management, statistical and data analysis, and many other areas.
This is an APAC-accredited 1.7 year (full-time) bridging sequence in psychology. This program is the first step on the pathway to becoming a registered professional psychologist with the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council.
Applications must be submitted through our Apply Online portal. We encourage you to submit your completed application as early as possible to ensure it will be processed in time for your preferred start. You will indicate the hexamester in which you wish to commence as part of the application. See Key Dates for the application deadline of each hexamester.
If you wish to be considered for credit transfer, you can indicate this within your application. If you’re applying for credit you will need to upload the official transcripts as well as the official course outlines of the completed courses that you believe are equivalent in addition to the other required supporting documents.
Successful applicants will be emailed an offer letter which specifies the commencing hexamester and dates. If the session you are applying for has reached full capacity, you will be issued an offer to commence in the next available session. Ensure you accept your offer online and enrol into your courses by the relevant deadlines.
Applications must be submitted through our Apply Online portal. We encourage you to submit your completed application as early as possible to ensure it will be processed in time for your preferred start. You will indicate the hexamester in which you wish to commence as part of the application. See Key Dates for the application deadline of each hexamester.
If you wish to be considered for credit transfer, you can indicate this within your application. If you’re applying for credit you will need to upload the official transcripts as well as the official course outlines of the completed courses that you believe are equivalent in addition to the other required supporting documents.
Successful applicants will be emailed an offer letter which specifies the commencing hexamester and dates. If the session you are applying for has reached full capacity, you will be issued an offer to commence in the next available session. Ensure you accept your offer online and enrol into your courses by the relevant deadlines.
*Fees are subject to annual review by the University and may increase annually, with the new fees effective from the start of each calendar year. The indicative fees listed here are based on an estimated average and are for tuition only other fees and charges are not included. The amount you pay will vary depending on the calendar year to enrol, the courses you select and whether your study load is more or less than 1 Equivalent Full Time Student Load (8 courses per year).
Indicative fees are a guide for comparison only based on current conditions and available data. You should not rely on indicative fees. More information on fees can be found at the UNSW fees website.
Indicative fees to complete the program have been calculated based on a percentage increase for every year of the program. Fee increases are assessed annually and may exceed the indicative figures listed here.
Please note that Commonwealth Supported Places are not available for this program.
*Fees are subject to annual review by the University and may increase annually, with the new fees effective from the start of each calendar year. The indicative fees listed here are based on an estimated average and are for tuition only other fees and charges are not included. The amount you pay will vary depending on the calendar year to enrol, the courses you select and whether your study load is more or less than 1 Equivalent Full Time Student Load (8 courses per year).
Indicative fees are a guide for comparison only based on current conditions and available data. You should not rely on indicative fees. More information on fees can be found at the UNSW fees website.
Indicative fees to complete the program have been calculated based on a percentage increase for every year of the program. Fee increases are assessed annually and may exceed the indicative figures listed here.
Indicative fees to complete the program include tuition plus an estimate of study-related costs of approximately $1,000 per year. To find out more about other costs, visit UNSW International.
At UNSW, we award over $83 million in scholarships each year. We pride ourselves on rewarding excellence and making university accessible to students from all walks of life. Whether you’re a domestic or international student, our range of scholarships, prizes and awards can support your journey.
QS World University Rankings, 2024.
AFR Top 100 Future leaders Award.
#1 Australian uni attended by start-up founders.