How to become a psychologist in Australia
Psychologists and Psychotherapists investigate, assess and provide treatment and counselling to foster optimal personal, social, educational and occupational adjustment and development.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the psychologists and psychotherapists group are projected to grow 30.6% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Collecting data about clients and assessing their cognitive, behavioural and emotional disorders
- Administering and interpreting diagnostic tests and formulating plans for treatment
- Developing, administering and evaluating individual and group treatment programs
- Consulting with other professionals on details of cases and treatment plans
- Conducting research studies of motivation in learning, group performance and individual differences in mental abilities and educational performance
- Collecting data and analysing characteristics of students and recommending educational programs
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the psychologists and psychotherapists group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 97% a degree or higher, 2% a diploma, 0% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria107 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Psychology (Honours) · ACU, Melbourne90.60 Psychology · Monash, Clayton87.75 Psychology (Honours) · Deakin, Online86.05 Psychology (Honours) (Degree) · VU, Footscray Park81.35 Psychology (Honours) · La Trobe, Online80.95 Psychology (Honours) · Swinburne, Hawthorn80.35 Marketing (Psychology) · Deakin, Online77.15 Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience · Swinburne, Hawthorn70.65Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 12 of 107 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT139 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) · UNSW97.05 Bachelor of Psychology Honours · Sydney97.00 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) · ACU91.25 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) · Wollongong91.05 Bachelor of Psychological Science (Advanced) · Newcastle90.60 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) · UTS90.30 Bachelor of Psychology · Sydney85.10 Bachelor of Exercise Science and Psychological Science · Southern Cross84.60Diplomas and other ways in
Diploma of Arts, Social Science and Humanities/B Psychological Science - B Social Science · Wollongong31.80 Diploma of Psychological Studies · Charles Sturt51.60 Diploma of Health (Exercise Science and Psychological Science) · Southern Cross56.95 Diploma of Health (Psychological Science) · Southern Cross58.25Showing 12 of 139 matches. Search every course.
Queensland121 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) · UQ, St Lucia89.00 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) · UniSC, Moreton Bay77.25 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) · Griffith, Gold Coast75.70 Bachelor of Exercise Science and Psychological Science · Southern Cross, Gold Coast73.00 Bachelor of Psychological Science · UNE, Armidale70.90 Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) · QUT, Kelvin Grove70.10 Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) · UniSQ, Online70.00 Bachelor of Psychological Science · Griffith, Gold Coast68.65Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 12 of 121 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia22 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Psychology · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling · ECU, Joondalup69.55 Bachelor of Science (Psychology and Human Resource Management) · Curtin, Perth69.55 Bachelor of Psychology · UWA, Perth65.50 Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - Science Education in Psychology · Curtin, Perth63.20 Bachelor of Psychology · ECU, Joondalup61.85 Bachelor of Psychology · Curtin, Perth60.60 Bachelor of Psychology, Criminology and Justice · ECU, Joondalup60.50Showing 8 of 22 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 389 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Investigative, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Clinical and Counseling Psychologists", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.