• Welcome
• CEDP Membership
• Student and Early Career Voice
• Helpful Links
• Postgraduate Study
• Preparing for Placement
• Entering the Workforce
• What Next?

---

Welcome

Welcome to the APS College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists (CEDP) student and early career section. This page is designed for students and early career psychologists that hold an interest in educational and developmental psychology (also known as Ed and Dev).

Educational and developmental psychologists work with individuals and groups of all ages. They have advanced training (6 years minimum) and work with diverse groups to provide evidence-based intervention (e.g., counselling) and assessment (e.g., diagnosing neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD).

Educational and developmental psychologists are trained in the stages of human development (infants to older adults). This developmental lens provides a holistic approach to psychological services with the psychologist understanding the individual in the context of their wider circumstances.

 

---

CEDP Membership

The College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists (CEDP) invites you, as students and early careers psychologists, to become a member within our professional network.

Students

As an APS Student Subscriber enrolled in an APAC-accredited psychology course you can join any of the nine APS Colleges as a College Student Subscriber at a cost of $15 per college. 

The APS is offering free membership for new members who are postgraduate psychology students currently enrolled in an APAC-accredited fifth year, fifth and sixth year psychology degree, or a postgraduate research degree in psychology. This offer also includes one free APS Student College membership.

Alternatively, undergraduate students can register to join the APS by providing proof of enrolment in an APAC-accredited psychology course and paying an annual fee of $55. When you register, you can choose to join the College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists, as well as any of the active Interest Groups at an additional cost.

Early Career Psychologists

Once you have completed an APAC-accredited Masters or Doctorate Program in Educational and Developmental Psychology you are eligible to upgrade your subscription to College Associate Member at a low cost. 

 

College Benefits

Joining the College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists (CEDP) provides you with:

• Subscription to the CEDP Newsletter

• Free access to our official journal, the Educational and Developmental Psychologist

• Discounted or no fees to CEDP events, such as professional development and conferences. 

• Access to the group supervision program, which provides affordable supervision to College members undertaking the Registrar program. 

To join, upgrade, or learn about the different levels of College membership, please click here.

 

 

---

Student & Early Career Voice

We invite you to join the discussion and contact your National Student Representatives with any matters that you would like raised to the CEDP National Committee using this email address: 

[email protected]

 

The CEDP Newsletter is always looking to incorporate student perspectives, so please touch base if you have any ideas for future contributions using the email address listed above.

 

---

Postgraduate Study Pathways

You might be asking yourself, how do I become an Educational and Developmental Psychologist? The following information provides an example study pathway, an overview of provisional registration, and list of available courses in the area of Educational and Developmental Psychology.

Example Study Pathway

There are different study pathways that you can choose from. As an example, the following chart shows a student who has undertaken an undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Science in Psychology) and then completed a fourth year of study (Honours). Thirdly, they completed postgraduate studies (Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology). See below:

 

Following completion of these studies, this allows the student to apply for general registration as a ‘psychologist’. To become an ‘Educational and Developmental Psychologist’, further training is required. This training is known as the registrar program and leads to the student becoming endorsed in the area of Educational and Developmental Psychology. See the below section detailing registration types and the What Next? section of this page for further information.

Provisional Registration 

At the commencement of a Masters course (fifth year of study), you can apply for provisional registration as a psychologist. To find out more about obtaining provisional registration, follow this link. As a provisional psychologist, you will work closely with ‘supervisors’ who are experienced psychologists. Supervisors help guide you in understanding professional practice requirements and support you when working with clients. 

Two important documents are the: Code of Ethics and multiple Ethical Guidelines (free with APS Student Membership). The Resource Finder is a good way to search for practice guides, templates and information sheets relevant to psychological services.

At the conclusion of a Masters course in Educational and Developmental Psychology, you can apply for general registration and use the title ‘psychologist’. This means that in order to call yourself an Educational and Developmental Psychologist, you require endorsement and will need to undertake the registrar program which is an additional period of supervised practice.

Masters Course

Once you have completed an accredited four-year undergraduate sequence in psychology, you can then undertake a further two years of study in educational and developmental psychology by completing an APAC-accredited postgraduate course at a Masters level (fifth and sixth year of study). This will allow you to gain general registration as a psychologist and pursue a period of supervised practice (known as a registrar program) to become endorsed as an Educational and Developmental Psychologist.

The following Masters courses are available in Australia:

 

 

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Some of the courses listed include an articulation pathway into Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) studies, which will extend the time taken for course completion. It is important to understand the different requirements of each course by looking at the corresponding university website for further information.

1-Year Bridging Course

Bridging programs are a type of course which are one year in duration. To be eligible, an individual must have completed an APAC-accredited Masters degree in psychology or held general registration as a psychologist for a minimum duration of 12 months.

The following bridging program is available in Australia:

APAC provides a list of available courses by clicking here and selecting an area of practise endorsement.

 

---

Preparing for Placement

Placement opportunities typically become available in fifth and sixth years of study. It can feel daunting working with clients for the first time but also presents exciting opportunities to apply your skills in psychology. Some of our tips for placement include:

 

 

 

---

Entering the Workforce

The following resources provide further guidance on entering the workforce as psychologists.

 

Q&A: Entering the Psychology Workforce

APS resource for newly registered psychologists. 

Career Planning for Early Career Psychologists

APS resource.

Tips for Landing a Job

APS resource.

PsychXChange

See available job opportunities and the types of skills workplaces are looking for. 

Curriculum Vitae (CV) Writing Tips

Indeed.com resource.

Tips for Writing an Impressive Cover Letter

American Psychological Association (APA) resource.

CEDP Infographics

Learn how you can promote the unique skill set held by psychologists that have completed postgraduate training in the area of Educational and Developmental Psychology.  

 

 

---

Helpful Links

APS Student HQ 

Provides the latest news and updates for psychology students.

APS Early Career HQ

Provides latest early career insights.

Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC)

Sets the accreditation standards for education providers who offer psychology study programs in Australia. 

Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBa)

National regulator for Australian psychologists, which is supported by AHPRA.

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

National regulator for Australian health practitioners.

Facebook Networking Groups

APS College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists 

Official page for the APS CEDP.

Educational & Developmental Psychology Networking Australia (EDPNA)
Australian-based professional networking space exclusively for AHPRA endorsed Educational and Developmental Psychologists, AHPRA registered General Psychologists who have training and are working in Educational and Developmental Psychology, and postgraduate psychology students in APAC-accredited Educational and Developmental studies.

Australian Psychologists in Schools Interest Group (APSIG)
Australian-based professional networking space for registered or provisionally registered psychologists in Australia with an interest in the practice of psychology within schools.

---

What Next?

 

To earn the title ‘Educational and Developmental Psychologist’ after completing your postgraduate degree, you must obtain an Area of Practice Endorsement by completing the registrar program. 

 

Please visit our Registrar section to find out more about what this involves.