At UC we offer the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology – PGDipClinPsyc to study for registration with the the New Zealand Psychologists Board in the Clinical Psychologist scope of practice.
The New Zealand Psychologists Board are the regulatory authority for the profession of psychology in New Zealand refer to their website
http://www.psychologistsboard.org.nz/ for further information.
Yes. We accept applications from anyone who meets the admission requirements for the PGDipClinPsyc qualification.
There are two parts to the application process for International students.
First you should apply for admission to the University of Canterbury, where your previous qualifications will be assessed by our Admissions team.
Applicants who are based overseas, or who have completed their qualifications outside of NZ, are encouraged to apply for admission at least 2 months before the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology - PGDipClinPsyc application deadline. Any application received after the deadline will not be considered.
Once your admission to UC has been confirmed, you should follow the application process for the PGDipClinPsyc qualification.
You can search available scholarships for all students on our website.
No. This is a taught postgraduate qualification, and is only available at our campus in Christchurch, New Zealand for those selected into the qualification.
Up to 26 people are selected each year.
Information on fees is available on our website.
If your undergraduate degree is not in Psychology, a Graduate Diploma in Science (GradDipSc) in Psychology, or a Graduate Diploma in Psychological Science (GradDipPsycSc) followed by one year of postgraduate study (i.e., Honours, Masters Part 1 or PGDipSci all in a discipline of psychology) will provide the basic qualifications required for admission. Include the courses required for admissions within these qualifications, these include PSYC379 Introduction to Psychopathology and an approved 400 or 600-level course in research methods with a statistical focus. Please refer to the PGDipClinPsyc regulations for full admission requirements.
It is recommended you discuss your options with a Student Advisor in the Faculty of Science.
If you believe you have completed equivalent courses at a New Zealand university, please contact clinicalpsychology@canterbury.ac.nz so we can review and confirm this for you.
If you completed these courses at a university outside of New Zealand, you should first apply for admission to the University of Canterbury. As part of this process, your previous qualifications will be assessed by our Admissions team. After applying, please contact clinicalpsychology@canterbury.ac.nz and provide an official course outline from your institution for any course you believe to be equivalent, including detailed content for assessment of equivalence.
We require a postgraduate Research Methods course that comprises statistics and data analysis with applications for psychology. An example of this is PSYC 678 Research Methods in Psychology. Courses on research design and communication only do not meet this requirement. If you would like to check if a course meets these requirements, please contact clinicalpsychology@canterbury.ac.nz
If you do not have a qualification assessed as comparable to a New Zealand Masters (or PhD) in Psychology, then you will need to complete this concurrently with the PGDipClinPsyc.
If you have a qualification assessed as comparable to a New Zealand Masters (or PhD) in Psychology, then you do not need to complete another one. If you are currently completing a PhD in Psychology, you don’t need to complete a Masters in Psychology.
No, we offer a PGDipClinPsyc.
With approval from the Director of Clinical Training you can apply to concurrently complete the PGDipClinPsyc and a PhD in Psychology.
Applications are strengthened by having:
- clinical, or clinically-related experience, e.g. telephone counselling (Lifeline, Youthline), support/case worker (in a mental health setting), etc.,
- research experience, e.g. research assistant, summer scholarship student, etc.,
- cultural experience e.g. Te Reo Māori language course, increased knowledge of tikanga, etc.
Yes, provided you meet the admission requirements for the PGDipClinPsyc qualification.
Clinical experience cannot replace qualifications or courses required for admission as outlined in the PGDipClinPsyc regulations.
No. The PSYC670 Internship in Clinical Psychology is only available to students who have been accepted into the PGDipClinPsyc qualification and who have completed the first two years of training.
Yes. Upon completion of the PGDipClinPsyc (and either a Masters or PhD in Psychology) graduates can apply for registration under the Clinical Scope of Practice with the New Zealand Psychologists Board.
http://www.psychologistsboard.org.nz/
We do not give individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants, and instead encourage you to review our admissions and selections criteria to consider how your application may be able to be strengthened.
Yes, you can apply, although we recommend that you consult the course outlines of the admission required courses to check if you are confident that your knowledge is recent and relevant.
You may consider completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Science or a Certificate of Proficiency in required courses to refresh your knowledge.
