Study psychology online with a degree or postgraduate course from an Australian university.
Psychology is a naturally fascinating study area. Choose a good online course to give you every opportunity to earn your university degree or postgraduate qualification. There is the potential to become a registered or clinical psychologist.
The best online psychology degrees allow you to achieve outstanding learning outcomes. High-quality programs shown here include bachelors, graduate diplomas, advanced graduate diplomas, and masters. Online learners benefit from interactive content and collaboration opportunities.
List of Online Degrees
A Bachelor of Psychology or Bachelor of Psychological Science (or equivalent psychology degree) is a three-year program in Australia. Graduates with qualifying grades are eligible for a fourth year of study to achieve honours.
Students are able to combine psychology studies with complementary academic interests outside of the field. Combined degrees longer than 3 years are also widely available.
TOP-RATED ONLINE DEGREES:
DEGREE INFORMATION:
You can study psychology online for most of the popular degrees and qualifications. If you haven't studied at university before, consider 3-year bachelor degrees online and, eventually, one-year honours programs online.
For university graduates, you can study for a graduate diploma online. A grad dip is the equivalent of a 3-year bachelor degree, only shorter. Also available by distance education is an advanced graduate diploma – equivalent to an honours year.
Online learners participate in virtual classes. You'll be able to interact with classmates and instructors. The programs are designed to be flexible so that you don't have to participate at particular times, although live group sessions may be offered.
Related: Online Psychology Courses
To be admitted into Bachelor of Psychology courses or equivalent, you need to achieve the required ATAR score.
- For the Bachelor of Psychological Science at Deakin University, the lowest selection rank for cloud (online) students was a 66 ATAR in 2024.
- The University of Southern Queensland's Bachelor of Science (Psychology) had a required ATAR in 2024 of 58.
- In terms of ATAR requirements, the easiest psychology degrees to get into are the Bachelor of Psychological Science at ACAP and FedUni, and the Bachelor of Psychology at UniSA. They have a 50 rating, meaning academic thresholds are minimal.
To be eligible for 4th year psychology, you need to achieve good grades through your undergraduate degree or grad dip.
- The standard requirement is a GPA of at least 5.5, corresponding with a WAM of 75%. This is a Distincation average.
- UTS Online has an entry requirement for the advanced grad dip that the applicant's GPA should be at least 5.0 out of 7.
English language requirements also apply for international students or local applicants with international qualifications. For UTS, the English proficiency requirements are an Academic IELTS of at least 7.0 overall, with a minimum score of 7 in each component (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
Online programs are unavailable if you are an international student on a student visa.
When you study psychology online, you examine human thought and strategies to manage behaviour. The courses build research, analytical and writing skills.
Psychology is the study of human thinking, behaviour and interaction. By studying this field at university level, you learn about people in a disciplined way. Students gain skills that can be applied in both professional and personal capacities. Key elements in courses are:
- behavioural science – the science of how people act
- social science – the study of how people interact with one another.
The shortest psychology course from an Australian university is a Graduate Certificate in Psychology. You can earn this postgraduate qualification online by doing four subjects over eight months part-time.
As well as enhancing your knowledge, skills and CV or resume, completed subjects count towards graduate diploma awards.
JCU Online - Graduate Certificate of Psychology
If you are already a university graduate, a great way to launch into a new field is with James Cook University's Graduate Certificate of Psychology. The 4-unit course takes just 8 months of part-time study, doing one unit at a time. You earn a qualification that carries value in fields such as human resources, mental health services, relationship counselling, and family and social services. But, if you want, you can also make this course the start of a journey to become a psychologist. In effect, students join JCU's graduate diploma program for 4 units and have the option of continuing on to complete the 10-unit grad dip, which is equivalent to a bachelor degree.
If you have a university degree in a different field and now want to study Psychology, a Graduate Diploma in Psychology is probably the course you're looking for. It's equivalent to a three-year bachelor degree but shorter.
Students complete 10 subjects instead of the 24 that would be required for a bachelor's, making this a cost-effective bridging course.
JCU Online - Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Bridging)
If you have a degree in another field, the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Bridging) from James Cook University is worth checking out. The affordable, 100% online program is equivalent to a bachelor degree in terms of qualification. But you get there much quicker and without having to attend a campus. The course consists of 10 units. You do one unit at a time, each taking 7 weeks. Subjects include personality differences, human development across the lifespan, and environmental psychology. The qualification can be used as a path to become a psychologist.
UTS Online - Graduate Diploma in Psychology
The Graduate Diploma in Psychology from UTS Online follows the American Psychological Association (APA) Guidelines for best practice. Students acquire insight into the human mind and behaviour, social and biological influences, and research and practitioner methods. The flexible course from the UTS Graduate School of Health offers a pathway to becoming a registered psychologist. Online learners benefits from a 10-subject program that's been created just for them. Start almost as soon as you want, with intakes happening in Jan, Mar, May, July, Aug and Oct.
Fourth year psychology is a pivotal time when high-performing students try to prove they have the intellect and drive to become psychologists. Generally, you need a distinction average in your bachelor degree or graduate diploma to progress to this stage.
The options are an honours degree or Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced). Both are available online, although only advanced grad dip programs are designed for online learning from the ground up.
Several Australian universities now offer the option to complete a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) and similar degrees online. These programs mix four coursework subjects with equal emphasis on a significant dissertation or research projects.
To gain entry, the standard requirement is a Distinction average in psychology subjects during the latter stages of your bachelor's degree. To progress beyond honours, you need at least an upper second-class grade.
After a bachelor degree or graduate diploma, take another step towards becoming a psychologist with a Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced). 100% online courses are available that equate to a fourth (honours year) of psychology studies.
You'll learn techniques for assessing clients and applying individual interventions. As well, students develop research skills and complete major projects.
UTS Online - Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Advanced)
UTS Online's advanced graduate diploma is for people interested in a career as a psychologist, whether that's in a clinical, research or other specialist role. The program is equivalent to an honours year and consists in equal parts of coursework and major research projects. Topics include interpersonal and professional skills, psychological assessment and evidence-based intervention, and research methods. The 100% online course can be completed over 16 months part-time. You'll need a psychology bachelor's degree or graduate diploma plus strong grades to be admitted.
A Master of Professional Psychology is a program dedicated to the 5th psychology year. As part of the 5+1 pathway, you can do this 1-year masters online and then step into a paid internship program. Psychologist registration is available after 1 year of supervised practice.
This represents the fastest route to becoming a psychologist. The main downside is that this pathway does not provide a direct route to area of practice endorsement, should you want that.
Master of Psychology degrees are widely available across Australia. Among the two-year programs that qualify graduates for general registration, Clinical Psychology is the only specialisation available through online study.
Graduates of two-year clincal masters can work as registered psychologists. And, by participating in a registrar program, they can become eligible for endorsement as clincal psychologists.
Although there are 40+ psychology doctorate programs in Australia, the Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) from the University of New England is the only one available online.
To participate in this program, the standard arrangement is to enroll in the Master of Psychology (Clinical) at UNE and, all going well, transfer to the PhD after your first year.
Why Get a Psychology Degree?
A degree in psychology has value whether you become a psychologist or not. For those who don't, you're positioned for roles such as HR specialist, market researcher, education support worker, and many roles in the public and not-for-profit sectors. Bachelor of Psychology jobs benefit from analytical, communication and people skills.
If you aim for registration, you must decide on the type of psychologist you want to become. There are nine protected titles, including clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist. However, most practitioners work as registered psychologists, specialising via experience and professional development.
How much does a psychologist make? The average Clinical Psychologist salary in Australia is $120,253. Entry-level positions attract pay rates of around $92,582 while experienced professionals earn in the vicinity of $138,533 annually.
Qualifications to Be a Psychologist
The key qualification to be a psychologist is a master's degree or doctorate approved by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). This is built on a foundation of a psychology bachelor degree with honours.
Psychologists in Australia have at least six years of education and training behind them. The most common pathway is a 3-year Bachelor of Psychological Science, followed by a 1-year Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours), and a 2-year Master of Clinical Psychology.
The various pathways and specialisation options are complex. For a detailed explanation, refer to our well-researched article, How to Become a Psychologist in Australia.