7.1 Entry requirements
7.1.1 Entry to the Program of Study requires prior conferral of a TEQSA‐accredited Australian degree at AQF Level 7, 8, 9 or 10, in any discipline or a qualification obtained in an Overseas Country which has been assessed as substantially comparable by an assessing authority recognised by APAC.
7.2 Purpose and learning outcomes
7.2.1 The stated purpose of the Program of Study is to provide graduates who possess a bachelor level degree (or higher) in a discipline other than psychology with a broad education in the scientific discipline of psychology.
7.3 Minimum credit point quanta
7.3.1 The Program of Study leads to an AQF Level 7 Bachelor Degree qualification and requires
completion of no less than 84 APAC Credit Points (105 ECTS) in psychology, even when undertaken in any accelerated mode.
7.4 Required elements
7.4.1 The Program of Study fully meets Standards 2.3 and 2.4 in this document.
DOMAIN 8 STANDARDS FOR MASTER OF ADVANCED PRACTICE (“SPECIALISED AREA”) PROGRAMS OF STUDY
8.1 Entry requirements
8.1.1 Entry to the Program of Study requires, at a minimum, current general registration with the PsyBA, as well as:
(i) completion of an APAC‐Accredited AQF Level 9 Program of Study, or
(ii) a qualification obtained in an Overseas Country which has been assessed as substantially comparable to (i) by an assessing authority recognised by APAC or
(iii) a certificate, issued within the last 18 months, of successful completion of the APAC Advanced Practice Qualification Entry Examination.
8.2 Purpose and learning outcomes
8.2.1 The stated purpose of the Program of Study is to undertake advanced level education and training in an area of specialised practice which prepares graduates for entry to a PsyBA Area of Practice Endorsement Registrar Program.
8.2.2 The stated learning outcomes of the Program of Study include a requirement to reach mastery in each of the competencies listed in one of the endorsed areas in the APAC Standards for Programs of Study Supporting the Development of an Area of Practice Endorsement (a separate document to these Standards).
8.3 Minimum credit point quanta
8.3.1 The Program of Study leads to an AQF Level 9 Masters (Coursework) qualification and requires completion of a total of no less than 48 APAC Credit Points (60 ECTS) even when undertaken in any accelerated mode.
8.4 Nomenclature requirements
8.4.1 The Program of Study has a title of the form “Master of Advanced Practice (xyz)”, where the part of the title in parentheses corresponds with one of the PsyBA Area of Practice Endorsements.
8.5 Credit and advanced standing
8.5.1 Credit /Advanced Standing of no more than 24 APAC Credit Points (30 ECTS) may be awarded on the basis of previous study and/or experience:
(i) that is assessed as closely comparable to the learning and experience contained in the units for which credit is sought;
(ii) that was completed within the last 5 years, and
(iii) provided the total amount of Advanced Standing or credit for placement granted to any student of the Program is never more than 33% of the total practical placement required by the Program.
8.6 Required elements
8.6.1 The Program of Study includes a range of coursework and pratica based on recent literature concerning the education and training of psychologists published in well regarded international journals.
8.6.2 The Program of Study shows evidence of careful integration of coursework and practical placement experiences to maximise acquisition and development of competencies.
8.6.3 The Program of Study requires supervised practica:
(i) of which no less than 700 hours is logged supervised Client Contact and Client‐related Activities, undertaken in the specialised area of practice;
(ii) in which all supervised practice with Clients occurs under the supervision of a psychologist who currently holds the appropriate Area of Practice Endorsement with the PsyBA as well as any required supervisor approval status with the PsyBA;
(iii) in which every supervised practice experience provided as part of the Program of Study includes a mandatory learning contract between the Education Provider and the
organisation in which the supervised practice occurs, containing learning outcomes and other details of the nature of the practice to be undertaken including the amount and nature of supervision to be provided;
(iv) each of which requires a review of the student’s performance and of the supervisor’s compliance with the contract at the midpoint and at the end;
(v) on conclusion of which a report setting out the student’s performance marks on a series of competency assessments derived from the relevant list of competencies in the APAC Standards for Programs of Study Supporting the Development of an Area of Practice Endorsement is always produced and held on file by the Education Provider;
(vi) for which entries are made into a log book of practica experiences maintained by the student and for which each entry is signed by the supervisor as true and correct.
8.6.4 The Program of Study requires each student to keep a single log book of practica:
(i) comprising of three sections: (1) a Record of Practice, (2) a Record of Professional Development and (3) a Record of Supervision;
(ii) in which the Record of Practice includes details of the nature and hours of all supervised practice (internal and external to the Education Provider’s facilities), signed by the student at least weekly, and sighted and signed by the Principal Supervisor on a regular basis and which clearly specifies the nature of all Client‐related work undertaken.
(iii) in which the Record of Professional Development includes a record of any professional development activities undertaken which are part of the requirements of the Program of Study and showing the date, duration, format and a description of the activity as well as the name and profile of the presenter;
(iv) in which the Record of Supervision includes an entry showing the date, nature and duration of each supervision session, clearly differentiating group from individual supervision, and in which the signed notation of the supervisor states that the entry is an accurate
representation of the practica undertaken and which clearly shows in a readable form the supervisor’s name accompanying each signature;
(v) a copy of which is retained by the Education Provider for 10 years after the date of graduation of the student and which is provided on request for inspection by APAC or the PsyBA, and
(vi) that is required to be checked at completion of the Program of Study, confirmed by the signature of the/a Principal Supervisor on the log book itself.
8.6.5 The Program of Study requires that each supervisor undertaking the supervision of students who are involved in any practica involving real Clients:
(i) must maintain general registration with the PsyBA;
(ii) must maintain qualifications and experience appropriate to the supervision of the student’s practice, and
(iii) must maintain the required supervisor recognition status with the PsyBA;
(iv) must supply to the coordinator of the Program an up‐to‐date curriculum vitae including details of her/his qualifications, registration and Area of Practice Endorsement status and relevant experience and these documents are made available to APAC or the PsyBA on request;
(v) must directly observe the student practising with Clients.
8.7 Assessment
8.7.1 The Program of Study requires the successful examination of a substantial capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship at the advanced level, relevant to one of the areas of practice endorsement which:
(i) must be examined by at least two examiners external to the Education Provider, neither of whom can be a Research Supervisor of the student or a collaborator who participated in the capstone experience and/or the piece of scholarship being reported on, and
(ii) may include a viva voce or other examination.
8.7.2 The Program of Study requires the successful completion of a range of formative and of summative assessments, including each of:
(i) written examinations;
(ii) viva voce examinations, and
(iii) observed structured clinical examinations (OSCEs),
designed to assess mastery of each of the competencies for the relevant area of practice
endorsement listed in the APAC Standards for Programs of Study Supporting the Development of an Area of Practice Endorsement (a separate document to these Standards).
8.7.3 The Program of Study requires that the assessment of each competence includes the formal recording of a mark reflecting the assessed level of mastery and professionalism achieved, and that these marks are stored in case of audit.
8.7.4 The Program of Study requires the successful completion of each and every competency, unit, component and requirement, including all assessment tasks, before any student is permitted to graduate from the Program of Study.