Begin your journey towards understanding others
You’re here because you want to make a difference. Maybe you’d like to diagnose and treat mental health conditions. Counsel others through life’s challenges. Or improve your people skills for a job you already love.
Whatever your goal, we can help you find the right course, enrol, and succeed as a psychology and mental health student.
Pick a speciality to explore your study options:
Popular psychology & mental health degrees
Undergraduate CUR-HPS-CTF
Undergraduate TAS-USP-DIP
Undergraduate MAQ-PSY-DEG
Postgraduate SWI-PYA-GDI
Popular psychology & mental health subjects
Undergraduate UNE-PSYC101
Related degrees
Undergraduate USA-BEHL3036
Undergraduate MAQ-PSYX3337
Related degrees
Postgraduate TAS-KHA601
Related degrees
Why study psychology & mental health online through us?
Access quality university courses without needing an ATAR.
Enjoy your pick of courses from across the country, including those accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC)
Study more flexibly with single subjects, short courses and degrees available to start throughout the year.
How Open Universities Australia (OUA) works
We partner with leading universities to make higher education easier for everyone to access. We're here to:
- offer you guidance on your course choices.
- unlock more flexible study options for you with your university.
- ease your mental load by supporting you with your student admin.
Psychology & mental health careers
Industries where graduates work:
Depending on what you study, you could enjoy a career in community support, social work, youth work, public health or counselling. Your skills could also be applied to positions in human resources, marketing, policy development or career coaching.If it's your goal to become a psychologist:
You can find courses that are accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) through Open Universities Australia. These courses satisfy the first step you’re required to take to become a registered psychologist.
From there, you'll need to complete further postgraduate study to achieve your dream.
Read more about how to become a psychologist.
You might also be interested in these study areas:
Meet Courtney, who followed her dream
"I knew I wanted to get into psychology. But I did not study Year 12. I didn't know if I could write essays and I didn't know if I could do the exams. I was really anxious about it.
Once I started getting my marks back, I found that I could do it! And damn did that feel good."
Frequently asked questions about psychology & mental health
How do I choose the right psychology & mental health specialisation?
It helps to think about what interests you most, and where you want to go in your career:
| Study area | Why you should consider it |
| Child psychology | If you want to work with children during their most important developmental stages, this is the path for you. Courses in this specialisation can support a career in teaching, social work or youth work. |
| Counselling | Choose this specialisation to guide individuals, couples and families though their daily challenges. |
| Mental health | Study mental health more generally to increase your knowledge about wellbeing, including in the workplace. You can also learn about mental health care for clinical roles like nursing. |
| Psychology | Focus on psychology to learn about human behaviour on a scientific level. Psychology courses can lead to a career as a psychologist, but can also strengthen your skills for human resources, marketing, journalism and business. |
Go ahead and browse a few courses in your chosen area, read the descriptions and outcomes, and see what feels right. You can book a free phone consultation with a student advisor to get more tailored advice.
If you can't quite find what you're looking for here, search for what you're passionate about on Open Universities Australia.
What types of psychology & mental health courses are available through OUA?
There are over 100 psychology and mental health university courses currently available through OUA. They cater to different study levels, interests and career outcomes.
Here's a quick breakdown of what's on offer:
| Course type | Why you might be interested |
| Short course | Short courses run for about 10-18 weeks, depending on the topic. You should consider one if you want to learn about a single element of psychology and mental health, like consumer psychology or counselling fundamentals. |
| Single subject | Try a single subject if you want to give the mental health field a test drive before deciding on a full course. Single subjects can help you meet the entry requirements for some undergraduate degrees, and count as credit towards a qualification. |
| Undergraduate degree | If you’d like to work in counselling, mental health, or as a psychologist, but you’ve never studied before, then you should explore undergraduate degrees. Undergraduate certificates and diplomas are short and have lower entry requirements, while a bachelor degree will open the door to more professions. You will need a bachelor degree as a starting point if you’d like to become a psychologist. |
| Postgraduate degree | Postgraduate degrees are designed for those who want to upskill in an aspect of psychology for their current job, as well as those who want to make a career change. Through us, you can enrol in flexible online graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and masters degrees. |
What are the entry requirements for psychology & mental health?
Entry requirements vary depending on the course type. We recommend reading each course page carefully to understand if you’re eligible to enrol.
Generally, short courses and single subjects don’t have any entry requirements, while undergraduate degrees may require you to have a certain ATAR or relevant work experience. Postgraduate degrees in psychology and mental health normally require you to have an existing qualification in the field.
But through Open Universities Australia, there are other pathways in.
How can OUA help me get into a course without entry requirements?
We have a unique arrangement with our university partners. It means we can help people who don’t have the right ATAR or academic history get into certain undergraduate degrees, no matter what.
Basically, you enrol in 2-4 introductory subjects from the degree, instead of applying for the whole thing. Once you successfully complete those subjects, you’re eligible to enter the full qualification.
We’ll tell you which subjects you should study—or you can find that information listed in the course’s entry requirements. We’re pleased to say that this entry option is available for many Bachelor of Psychology courses.
Read more about how to get into uni without an ATAR, or ask us for more information about how this works.
How flexible can my studies be?
When you study through us, you have the freedom to:
- start at multiple points during the year, instead of observing the traditional uni calendar
- control your study load by deciding how many subjects to take at once
- study subjects across multiple universities and multiple study areas
And those are only some of the flexible options available. To learn more, visit our study planning page or contact a student advisor.
How much it cost to study psychology & mental health through OUA?
It costs exactly the same as studying on campus with your chosen university. As a not-for-profit, we do not charge you to use our services.
Your course fee will be dictated by a few things, including the level of study, the number of subjects, and the university itself. You’ll find an indicative cost on each course page.
All courses available through Open Universities Australia, including single subjects, can be covered by a government HELP loan, provided you’re eligible. To understand more, visit our fees page.
I don’t want to be a psychologist. Should I still study psychology & mental health?
Absolutely! There are so many career pathways in the mental health field, beyond becoming a psychologist. Counsellors, mental health nurses, social workers, youth workers, occupational therapists, paramedics and community advocates (to name just a few) all benefit from understanding the nuances of human behaviour.
Learning more about mental health and wellbeing can also help you collaborate better with colleagues, support students, clients, and customers, or lead as a more empathetic manager. It can even help you improve your own wellbeing, and the wellbeing of those closest to you.
What to read before choosing your course
Help! What degree should I study?
You know you want to go to uni, but you have no clue what course to study. First of all, don’t panic. This is a very, very common problem, and one we’re known for solving. The following advice should help you narrow down your choices.
Student allowances explained: What payments can you get?
If you’re studying full-time, you may be eligible for income support. Find out about the three main types of Centrelink payments for students, Austudy, ABSTUDY and Youth Allowance.
University entry requirements explained
Learn more about how admission criteria works when you're applying for university—and what to do if you don’t meet the requirements.
Why single subject study could be perfect for you
Did you know you can take a single university subject without committing to the whole qualification? It’s a great way to upskill—or to give your degree a test run.
Find out more about how to get started
Speak to a student advisor for:
- free, impartial advice
- expert knowledge about courses and unis
- personalised recommendations
Looking for other ways to start the conversation? Contact us.