Postgraduate Diploma in the Practice of Psychology

The Postgraduate Diploma in the Practice of Psychology is designed to meet the requirements for registration as a psychologist under the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act. Graduates of the Organisational Psychology stream will have developed practical skills in applying organisational psychology techniques, such as job analyses, test validation, training needs analysis and evaluation, career counselling and development, organisation development and workplace well-being. Graduates of the Applied Behaviour Analysis stream will have developed practical skills in applying behavioural principles to a range of behaviour problems in their area of specialty. Graduates of the Community Psychology stream will have developed practical skills in applying the principles and concepts of Community Psychology to a range of situations within their area of specialty. They will also be familiar with the evaluation of social service programmes, including needs assessments, formative evaluation, process evaluation and outcome evaluation, and major research methodologies relevant to applied community research, including surveys and interview studies, with a particular emphasis on qualitative research.

The University of Waikato, located in the central North Island cities of Hamilton and Tauranga, is an internationally recognised tertiary institution offering degree programmes designed to produce job-ready graduates. Each year, the University provides more than 2,000 industry placements and internship opportunities, believing its students benefit from the chance to put the theory they have learnt in classrooms, into practice in a real-world employment environment.

When students choose to study at waikato, they gain a globally recognised education. In 2019, the QS World University Rankings placed the University of Waikato 266th in the world, an improvement of 135 places in five years. The University is also in the top 5% of all globally ranked institutions for research impact, meaning their research is among some of the most influential in the world.