APS Response to the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce – Scope of Practice Review

Students who have successfully completed their fourth year have up to 10 years to apply for entry into a postgraduate degree unless they hold general registration as a psychologist.  The Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) provisional registration standard applies to all students enrolled in professional masters and doctorate degrees.  This standard requires all postgraduate professional students to hold provisional registration.

Provisional registration is granted to postgraduate students if their 4th year studies were completed within the last 10 years. Moreover, many higher education providers have their own rules about the time interval between completion of the fourth year and enrolment into further study. Please check with each university regarding their specific eligibility criteria.

Entry into higher degree programs in psychology is extremely competitive.

There are often hundreds of applicants for a very small number of places. However, not being accepted into a postgraduate program doesn’t mean that you have to give up on becoming a psychologist.

If you would like to continue to pursue higher degree programs, you might seek feedback from university staff about why you may not have been offered a place in the course you applied for, and whether there are things you can do to improve your chances of being selected if you reapply in the future. Some factors that selection committees will be assessing include:

• academic results (thesis and coursework)
• experience in psychology-related areas (this could be practice oriented, research-based, or professional development activities)
• personal qualities.

If your academic results were sufficient to gain entry but as a result of competition you were not successful in gaining a place there may be things that you can to increase your chances of entry at a later date. For example, you could work on increasing your experience in psychology-related areas (whether paid or voluntary) and identifying the personal qualities that may or may not be desirable in a higher degree candidate and establishing whether you have those characteristics and/or how to develop them.

You may like to consider some of the following activities:

• University information nights about postgraduate studies
• Interview skills workshops – these may be offered by universities through their student employment centres
• Network with psychologists, other psychology students, or psychology student associations – this can help you to connect and learn from students who may already be in these higher degree programs or staff that may be involved with these programs
• Think about what research you would like to undertake and converse with those who may conduct research in these areas.

If you have any specific higher degree program questions, the APS suggests directing them to the relevant university course coordinators.

Though you may not have gained entry into a higher degree program, there are other pathways you may not have considered, i.e., 4+2 or 5+1 internships. To read more about internships, please visit the PsyBA website.

Alternatively, you may like to consider a career in research and complete a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in psychology. Research in psychology is an exciting field that many graduates choose. Contact your university for more information about entry into a PhD program.

The Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) requires that all students enrolled in an APAC accredited postgraduate psychology course must register as a provisional psychologist. The PsyBA has published a helpful fact sheet that explains this requirement. This fact sheet also provides links to apply for provisional registration both online or by completing a hardcopy application form.

Tips for applying for provisional registration:

1. Your application for provisional registration cannot be completed until the PsyBA receives a confirmation that you are enrolled in the course.
2. With the online application process you have 60 days to supply all supporting documentation to the PsyBA, including proof of enrolment. The APS recommends that you apply no more than 60 days prior to your course start date. This could potentially avoid the hassle of having to withdraw your application only to reapply at a later date.  
3. Your original undergraduate transcript(s) must be sent directly from the university to the PsyBA. The APS recommends that you apply for provisional registration prior to requesting copies of your transcripts. This will assist the PsyBA to more easily match your transcript with your application.