Members can elect to join an APS College and/or Interest Group. Membership requirements vary depending on the Member Group. Note that when becoming an APS member you are automatically allocated membership of an APS Branch.

Find out about joining:

Colleges

Why become a College Member?

APS Colleges promote specialist areas in psychology by:

  • Maintaining practice standards and quality assurance
  • Encouraging and supporting the education and continuing professional development of specialist practitioners
  • Holding seminars, courses and conferences
  • Publishing newsletters
  • Performing a range of other activities on behalf of members.

College members can display their membership status with APS post-nominals, for example:

Anne Davis, PhD, MAPS, Counselling Psychologist, (if permitted by Psychology Board of Australia to use title) Member APS College of Counselling Psychologists
or
Jane Bloggs MPsych, MAPS, Member APS College of Sport Psychologists

View a list of APS Colleges, all of which have their own websites.

How to join a College

The application process requires applicants to read the following documents as they relate to each College:

  • Membership requirements
  • College Information Form
  • Supervision requirements
  • College competencies

To access these forms, please visit the college website and select the College you wish to join:

For any other questions , please contact the APS National Office. Email colleges@psychology.org.au or call 1800 333 497 (toll free).

Membership requirements for Colleges

Members can join a College at varying grades of membership depending on their qualifications. Below is an outline of each grade and its requirements. Please refer to the Generic Rules for Colleges for specific details - see Governance section.

7.1 Member

To qualify for election to the grade of Member of a College, a person must hold the grade of membership of Honorary Fellow, Fellow or Member of the Society and have completed:

(a) an Accredited and College Approved Doctorate program in psychology in the specialist field of the College followed by a minimum one year full-time equivalent Supervised Practice; or

(b) an Accredited and College Approved Masters program in psychology in the specialist field of the College followed by a minimum of two years full-time equivalent Supervised Practice; or

(c) a PhD with Accredited and College Approved Masters coursework and practicum (combined PhD/Masters) program in psychology in the specialist field of the College followed by a minimum two years full-time equivalent Supervised Practice; or

(d) an Accredited and College Approved dual doctorate program in psychology in the specialist fields of two Colleges and a minimum of 9 months full-time equivalent Supervised Practice for each specialist field (ie a total of 18 months full-time equivalent Supervised Practice); or

(e) any other postgraduate qualifications and experience accepted by the College, provided that those qualifications and experience are at least equivalent to rule 7.1(a) or (b).

(f) In addition to the completion of appropriate qualifications, the College may require the passing of an examination prior to electing an applicant to the grade of Member of a College.

7.2 Academic Member

To qualify for election to the grade of Academic Member of a College, a person must not be eligible for qualification for election to the grade of Associate Member or Member of a College, hold the grade of membership of Honorary Fellow, Fellow or Member of the Society, and have:

(a) completed a research PhD program in psychology relevant to the specialist field of the College; and

(b) postgraduate experience of at least two (2) years as a researcher or an educator in psychology in the specialist field of the College; and

(i) been published in the specialist field of the College in a refereed journal of psychology; and/or

(ii) published a refereed book (including chapters in books) or published refereed conference papers in the specialist field of the College.

(c) In addition to the completion of appropriate qualifications, the College may require the passing of an examination prior to electing an applicant to the grade of Academic Member of a College.

7.3 Associate Member

To qualify for election to the grade of Associate Member of a College, a person must hold the grade of membership of Honorary Fellow, Fellow or Member of the Society and have completed:

(a) an Accredited and College Approved Doctorate program in psychology in the specialist field of the College; or

(b) an Accredited and College Approved Masters program in psychology in the specialist field of the College; or

(c) a PhD with Accredited and College Approved Masters coursework and practicum (combined PhD/Masters) program in psychology in the specialist field of the College; or

(d) any other postgraduate qualifications and experience accepted by the College, provided that those qualifications and experience are at least equivalent to rule 7.3(a) or (b).

7.4 Affiliate

To qualify for admission to the grade of Affiliate of a College, a person must hold any grade of membership of the Society other than Student Subscriber or Professional Subscriber and not be eligible to hold the grade of Member, Academic Member or Associate Member of the College.

7.5 International Affiliate

To qualify for admission to the grade of International Affiliate of a College, a person must hold the membership grade of International Affiliate of the Society.

7.6 Student Subscriber

To qualify for admission to the grade of Student Subscriber of a College, a person must hold a grade of membership of the Society and be able to demonstrate their current enrolment in an Accredited program in psychology.

7.7 Professional Subscriber

To qualify for admission to the grade of Professional Subscriber of a College a person must hold professional qualifications and be a member of a relevant professional association, although the applicant need not hold any grade of membership of the Society.

Maintaining College membership

Continuation as a Member of a College relies on completing relevant continuing professional development programs and activities. Find out about continuing  professional development.

College Supervisors Directory

The APS maintains a directory of College supervisors who provide their services to prospective college applicants. The directory is used for the purpose of helping Associate Members meet the requirements for full APS College membership. College members who would like to be included in the directory must have been a full College member for at least two years.

 

Applying to be included:

Please refer to the APS Colleges website, choose the College that is relevant to you, click on 'How to join' and download the Application for approval as a supervisor form. This form includes an option to be listed on the public APS Supervisors directory.

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Interest Groups

Application Forms

All members can join one or more Interest Groups. Download an application form at www.groups.psychology.org.au/igs. 

Why join an Interest Group?

Interest Groups support members with special interests and assist communication between members interested in similar fields. The groups also advise the Society on issues pertinent to their area of interest. Interest Groups hold seminars, courses and conferences, publish newsletters and perform a range of activities on behalf of their members.

For more information, download the Generic Rules for Interest Groups in Governance.

View a list of APS Interest Groups, most of which have their own websites.

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