Master of Clinical Psychology

The Australian Clinical Psychology Association describes clinical psychology as a science-based profession that combines theory and clinical practice to understand, prevent, and relieve psychological problems or disorders.

‘Clinical psychologists use their knowledge of psychology and mental health for the assessment, diagnosis, formulation, treatment, and prevention of psychological problems and mental illness across the lifespan. They research psychological problems and use their psychological knowledge to develop scientifically based approaches to improve mental health and wellbeing.' (Source: AHPRA)

Discover more about the Psychology discipline at UniSQ.

All psychologists must be registered, but a psychologist with general registration (over 60% of Australia’s psychologists*) have a minimum of six years university training and supervised experience. They are not specialised in an endorsed area of specialised practice, such as sport and exercise psychology, community psychology, forensic psychology, health psychology, organisational psychology, or clinical psychology.

A clinical psychologist is a psychologist who is an expert in mental health and is trained to assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent psychological problems and mental illness.  Clinical psychologists do not prescribe medication; instead, they develop tailored treatment plans using psychological techniques and therapies. 

_{^{* Australian Psychological Society (APS), 2022}}

Psychologists can pursue a career in a multitude of industries. After graduating from a Masters in Clinical Psychology you can work in both public and private sectors, such as schools and youth organisations, government departments, community mental health services, or public hospitals. Clinical psychologists might have several roles and divide their time between seeing patients at a hospital or private practice as well as undertaking academic research.

If you don’t meet the admission requirements for this degree and haven’t completed an APAC-accredited four-year bachelor degree, you can apply for the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) or demonstrate an achievement of an APAC-accredited four-year honours program at a minimum Second Class Honours Division A, or equivalent.

A Masters of Clinical Psychology in Australia takes two years of full-time study to complete, or longer if you choose to study part-time.

You can choose to study full-time, part-time or online to work around your family and work commitments. If you would like to study psychology online, the External mode offers a combination of online workshops and mandatory mid-week residential schools held at the Toowoomba campus. Full on-campus study is available via obligatory mid-week workshops at UniSQ Ipswich. Discover more about the different ways to study at UniSQ.

Whether you are interested in working as a sports psychologist, a family therapist, relationship counsellor, or are just curious of why people do what they do and how they think, UniSQ’s Master of Clinical Psychology is the degree for you.

• Become industry ready and gain practical experience in UniSQ’s Psychology and Counselling Clinics, located in Ipswich and Toowoomba. Our postgraduate psychology students develop hand-on skills while offering vital services at a reduced rate to the wider community, under the guidance of clinical psychologists and supervisors.
• Build confidence through clinical placements and 400 hours of direct client contact and learn to build partnerships with allied health professionals and GPs.
• According to the Good Universities Guide 2025, we are rated 5/5 stars for postgraduate psychology:
  • full-time employment
  • overall educational experience
  • skills development
  • teaching quality.