This article is intended for students who are already registered psychologists enrolled in the Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) who are interested in pursuing doctorate studies after their Clinical Psychology course.
For students enrolled in the standard pathway (not yet registered) see: Transfer from MPsych to DPsych process and/or Can MPP students transfer to the MPsych(Clinical) program?
At Cairnmillar we have two doctoral programs (AQF10).
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
If you do well in your MCP(Postreg) with a good grade in CLP651/652 and you are passionate about a specific research area then a PhD might be an option for you. A PhD is a Doctorate by Research which means it is (almost) 100% thesis (usually with publications included as part of the thesis requirements). Tuition fees are subsidised and the thesis is more substantial. For more information on our new PhD program, see: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
The main difference between a PhD and the DPsych would be that you miss out on the additional Advanced CBT unit from the DPsych and the two additional advanced placements. However, if you’re already practicing you could always apply to audit the Advanced CBT unit in addition to your PhD program (there would be no fee for this if you are a current PhD candidate) and you would be gaining advanced practice opportunities in your workplace as a registered psychologist anyway. For more information on our new PhD program, see: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)
The Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) is a Doctorate by Coursework which means it includes taught (coursework) units and placements in addition to a substantive research thesis (around 25,000 to 50,000 words and conducted over a minimum of 4 years study). This program combines a professional registration pathway, with Clinical endorsement, along with a substantive research thesis required for a doctoral degree and an advanced placement program. This pathway is designed for students who are not yet registered on commencement of the program.
Even with RPL from an MPP and/or MCP(Postreg) you should allow at least 4 years of additional study time if you apply for this program. You should also expect to need to repeat some content which is combined into single units with content you have not yet covered.
The standard pathway Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) and the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) are a combined program of study. The first two years of the Doctorate are the exact same units as the MPsych, which does allow articulation from the Masters level to the Doctorate at the end of the first two years (e.g. the whole Masters course). They also have a combined application and intake process. If you are enrolled in the standard pathway (e.g. not yet a registered psychologist), click here.
The Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration), also called MCP or Postreg, is a completely separate program specifically designed for registered psychologists. It shares no units or subjects with either the standard pathway Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) nor the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology). This would complicate RPL as it is not a simple one to one transfer the way it is from the nested MPsych to its parent DPsych. We do not currently offer nor plan to offer a direct articulation pathway from the MCP(Postreg) to the DPsych(Clin).
If you already hold an MPP or another standard pathway Master of Psychology, then completed your Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) or equivalent program, you may be able to get some cross-credit or RPL in the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) but it would be unlikely to be equivalent to the entire first two years of coursework study. There are some fairly unique units include the psychodynamic unit which are not taught in the MCP(Postreg).
The team also expect things would get a bit complicated when considering placements and the research requirements.
That said, the most relevant point is that the DPsych course is primarily looking to take on students who are just entering the MPsych(Clin) course and have a specified area of research, and a research supervisor who agrees to take the student on, that will take them through their 4-year course.
The thesis would still take a minimum of 4 years and due to the way the course is designed and accredited, it is likely that a student who has already completed an MCP(Postreg) may need to repeat many units even at the masters level which is likely to be frustrating.
As such, given that the Master of Clinical Psychology (Post Registration) is mainly designed around professional skills rather than as an entry point to the research focused DPsych program, our strong advice it that would be more advisable, and less disruptive and less costly for research-interested students who are already enrolled in the post-registration program to pursue a Ph.D. program after completion.