Master of Educational Psychology

Get the skills and knowledge you need to help people with social or learning difficulties in a range of educational settings.

You’ll have the opportunity to develop and practise your skills under the expert guidance of world-class researchers and practitioners.

Explore a wide range of theoretical viewpoints and their practical applications in educational, community, and workplace settings. The programme has a bicultural focus and is tailored to meet the needs of communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Your studies will also prepare you to work in multicultural communities and overseas.

The School of Education offers two postgraduate qualifications in Educational Psychology—a Master of Educational Psychology (MEdPsych) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Psychology Practice (PGDipEPP). If you want to take the PGDipEPP, you need to complete the MEdPsych first.

The MEdPsych is a valuable qualification that prepares you to work in agencies that need people with specialised expertise in educational psychology. It’s a two-year programme. If you’re planning to apply for the PGDipEPP, there is a recommended sequence of courses to complete within the MEdPsych.

The PGDipEPP builds on the MEdPsych and enables you to apply for registration as an educational psychologist. The PGDipEPP is a one-year programme. You’ll complete four 30-point courses alongside a 1,500-hour internship.

Entry requirements

To be accepted into this programme you need:

A Master of Educational Psychology at this University, or a similar qualification elsewhere, with a B+ average for all coursework

At least 45 points from approved courses in Psychology at 200 or 300 level with an average grade of B or above

To have demonstrated relevant experience working with children and young people in settings such as education, health, social care, or community services (see “relevant experience” below)

A full current driver’s licence or medical exemption

To be accepted by the Associate Dean (Academic) of the Wellington Faculty of Education as capable of proceeding with the proposed course of study.

IELTS (Academic): minimum overall score of 6.5 with no sub-score below 6.0

TOEFL: minimum score of 90 for the internet-based test with a minimum of 20 in writing

Pearson Test of English: minimum score of 58 (with a ‘Communicative’ score of not less than 50)

Victoria University of Wellington English for Academic Purpose (EAP) programme: minimum final scores of 4,4,5,5

Cambridge English Qualifications: C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 176 or higher, with each skill score no less than 169

New Zealand Certificates in English Language (NZCEL): Level 5 (Academic)

NZAPA: English New Zealand Accredited Pathway Assessment Level 3 (with no skill lower than Level 2)