Master of Psychology (Clinical)

Gain the knowledge, skills and accreditation required to work as a clinical psychologist in hospitals, community health and other clinical settings.

The Master of Psychology (Clinical) program began in 1971. It focuses on adult, adolescent and child clinical psychology as well as neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation. In addition to coursework, you’ll complete a research thesis, in the form of a scholarly journal article, on a topic relevant to clinical or abnormal psychology.

You’ll develop a broad range of psychological expertise based on academic knowledge, research abilities and clinical skills. Upon completion of the program, you’ll be equipped to diagnose, assess and treat people with psychological issues and disorders.  

• Professional accreditation
  This program is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), opens in a new window as the fifth and sixth years of study, leading to registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA), opens in a new window. When you graduate, you’ll be eligible for Associate Membership with the APS College of Clinical Psychologists. After completing a further two years of supervised practice (the Clinical Psychology Registrar Program), you can apply to the PsyBA for full membership and endorsement as a clinical psychologist.

• Clinical experience 
  This master’s degree involves supervised clinical practice within the UNSW Psychology Clinic as well as clinic and field placements. You’ll gain experience working with children, adolescents and adults with acute and chronic difficulties. Placement options include adult mental health, psychiatry, medical psychology, child and family and general community health.

• Study approach
  The program’s theoretical orientation has primarily been one of experimental empiricism. The clinical component adheres to the scientist-practitioner model for clinical training. The program uses cognitive-behavioural approaches as the foundation for understanding and managing clinical problems.

• Combined degree option 
  We also offer a combined PhD/Master of Psychology (Clinical). This four-year, full-time degree includes a research component as well as coursework and professional placements. 

Study with the best
The UNSW School of Psychology is one of the best in Australia. We’re ranked #2 in Australia and #32 globally for psychology (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2025), 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.

Prepare for professional practice
You’ll begin seeing clients in your first year of study. This program includes a professional practice component, where you’ll complete a minimum of 1,000 supervised practicum hours within the UNSW Psychology Clinic, opens in a new window and in at least two other field placement settings. Clinic work involves seeing both adult and child clients for therapy and psychometric assessments. This practical experience will build your confidence as a healthcare professional and expose you to a wide range of client groups and clinical settings. 

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.

Access cutting-edge facilities
Our teaching facilities include world-leading behavioural neuroscience laboratories and cognitive testing laboratories running specialist software that will allow you to design/implement your own psychological research and analyse/interpret the data you collect. You’ll also gain access to laboratories for the analysis of cognition and brain function, including electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and eye-tracking.