Specialise or go broad
You can specialise and become a registered psychologist, or apply insights, analysis and communication skills in other careers.
Cultural influence
In courses and at our Centre for Indigenous Psychologies, explore how world views affect people's thoughts and behaviours.
Make a contribution
Make sense of the world from different perspectives through Massey. Contribute to education, defence, sustainability and more.
Study your way
Our flexible learning options allow you to learn on campus, online or a mix of both. Fit study around your work and personal life.
Overview
Understanding people helps us make sense of the world. Our wide range of courses explores the human side of business, cultures, education, health, and many other areas.
Learn from world-class lecturers and researchers with expertise in areas such as indigenous and bicultural psychology or workplace stress. Delve into human behaviour, how the brain works, and how people interact. Hone skills in research, analysis and communication. Apply these skills and insights in different careers, or specialise to become a registered psychologist or mental health and addiction practitioner.
Psychology and mental health are a good fit if you:
- enjoy school subjects such as psychology, sciences or social sciences
- want to know what makes you and other people tick – or understand what shapes mental health and wellbeing
- like exploring new solutions and helping to improve lives.
Course examples
Psychology courses may cover:
- attention, memory and decision-making
- child psychology
- clinical psychology
- forensic psychology, which explores issues related to psychology and the law
- human development
- indigenous psychologies – how communities' world views can influence thoughts and behaviour
- neuropsychology – how the brain relates to behaviour, emotion and thoughts.
Mental health courses may cover:
- addiction and mental health
- factors that can impact mental wellbeing
- developing meaningful relationships with people you'll support – individuals, whānau and communities
- shared decision-making to plan and evaluate interventions
- te reo Māori, tikanga and engaging with Māori.
How to study psychology and mental health
Discover what we offer if you’re interested in psychology and mental health – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.
Undergraduate study
Bachelor's degrees
Business Psychology – Bachelor of Arts
Combine your strong business sense with deep insights into human behaviour, and you’re all set for an amazing career.
Educational Psychology – Bachelor of Arts
With Massey’s BA (Educational Psychology) you will explore what supports and hinders learning and how you can make a difference.
Psychology – Bachelor of Arts
Massey’s BA (Psychology) will help you explore how the brain works, and understand how we think, behave and make decisions.
Mental Health and Addiction – Bachelor of Health Science
Massey’s Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health and Addiction) will help you start or advance a career in the mental health and addictions workforce.
Psychology – Bachelor of Health Science
If you’re interested in improving people’s health and wellbeing, and want to make real changes in the community, the Bachelor of Health Science (Psychology) is a great career choice.
Psychology – Bachelor of Science
Join Massey’s market-leading Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and learn how people perceive, learn, think, develop, behave, and relate to one another.
Undergraduate certificates
Certificate in Arts – CertArts
With Massey’s Certificate in Arts, you can study what you enjoy and explore subjects within history, beliefs, societies, languages, and cultures.
Graduate certificates
Educational Psychology – Graduate Certificate in Arts
Help students learn, develop and achieve. With Massey’s Graduate Certificate in Arts (Educational Psychology), you can study educational psychology without completing a second bachelor’s degree.
Psychology – Graduate Certificate in Arts
Understand more about yourself and others. With Massey’s Graduate Certificate in Arts (Psychology), you can study psychology without completing a second bachelor’s degree.
Undergraduate diplomas
Diploma in Arts – DipArts
With a Massey Diploma in Arts, you can study what you enjoy and explore subject areas that spark your interest.
Educational Psychology – Diploma in Arts
With Massey’s Diploma in Arts (Educational Psychology) you’ll learn about both psychology and education, introducing you to new ways of thinking about learning and development.
Indigenous Psychologies – Diploma in Arts
If you have an interest in how culture influences psychology, then Massey’s Diploma in Arts (Indigenous Psychologies) is for you.
Psychology – Diploma in Arts
Psychology explores the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals and groups in a social and cultural context. The goal of psychology is to understand, describe and predict behaviour.
Graduate diplomas
Educational Psychology – Graduate Diploma in Arts
Help people learn, develop and achieve with Massey’s Graduate Diploma in Arts (Educational Psychology).
Psychology – Graduate Diploma in Arts
The Graduate Diploma in Arts (Psychology) will give you the equivalent of an undergraduate major in psychology without completing a second bachelor’s degree.
Graduate Diploma in Science and Technology – GDipScTech
The Graduate Diploma in Science and Technology gives you the opportunity to retrain in an area of science that interests you.
Relevant undergraduate subjects to major or specialise in
When you apply to study at Massey, for some undergraduate qualifications, you can choose what subject you’d like to specialise in. You can usually change your mind after you get to university, depending on the courses you enrol in.
Postgraduate study
Postgraduate bachelor's degrees with honours
Psychology – Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Keen to take your Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) one step further? This qualification equips you with the research skills to advance to master’s level.
Psychology – Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Keen to take your Bachelor of Science (Psychology) one step further? This qualification equips you with the research skills to advance to master’s level.
Master's degrees
Psychology – Master of Arts
With Massey’s Master of Arts (Psychology) you'll build on your undergraduate study and complete advanced research of a psychology field that interests you. This provides a competitive edge of knowledge in psychology among your peers.
Master of Clinical Psychology – MClinPsych
The Master of Clinical Psychology is a competitive-entry professional qualification that will train you to become a registered clinical psychologist.
Master of Counselling – MCouns
Massey’s Master of Counselling will prepare you for a career as a counsellor and a provisional member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC).
Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology – MEdDevPsych
Massey’s Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology will develop your expertise in working with others to enhance wellbeing for all.
Master of Emergency Management – MEmergMgt
With Massey’s Master of Emergency Management, you’ll learn to become a leader in managing emergencies effectively at operational and strategic levels.
Psychology – Master of Health Science
With Massey’s Master of Health Science (Psychology), you’ll study in more detail the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals and groups to help you make sense of the human impact on the world.
Psychology – Master of Science
With Massey’s Master of Science (Psychology) you'll build on your undergraduate study and complete advanced research of a psychology field that interests you. This provides a competitive edge of knowledge in psychology among your peers.
Psychology - Health Psychology – Master of Science
Understand the application of psychology to health issues with the MSc (Psychology - Health Psychology). Explore health promotion and policies, the meaning of health and illness, and how to analyse treatment structures.
Postgraduate certificates
Postgraduate Certificate in Educational and Developmental Psychology – PGCertEdDevPsyc
Massey’s Postgraduate Certificate in Educational and Developmental Psychology will develop your expertise to work across educational and community contexts in the areas of learning, assessment, wellbeing, and change.
Postgraduate diplomas
Psychology – Postgraduate Diploma in Arts
Have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and keen to take a step further? This qualification provides a stepping stone to a higher-level qualification such as a master’s degree.
Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Guidance Studies – PGDipCounGuidSt
Develop and advance your knowledge and understanding of the dimensions of counselling and guidance.
Postgraduate Diploma in Educational and Developmental Psychology – PGDipEdDevPsych
Become an educational psychologist by completing Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Educational and Developmental Psychology. This qualification is a 1-year internship and provides a framework for supervised professional practice.
Māori Health – Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science
This qualification enables you to specialise in Māori knowledge within advanced health studies. Explore the progress made and the potential to further develop the health and wellbeing of Māori communities.
Psychology – Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science
With Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science (Psychology), you’ll study in more detail the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals and groups in social and cultural contexts.
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Practice – PGDipPsychPrac
Become a registered psychologist with Massey's Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Practice.
Psychology – Postgraduate Diploma in Science and Technology
Build on your interest in psychology with Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Science and Technology (Psychology). In detail, learn the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals and groups in social and cultural contexts.
PhD and other doctoral degrees
Doctor of Philosophy – PhD
A prestigious research qualification that demonstrates your ability to carry out independent and original research in your chosen field.
Doctor of Clinical Psychology – DClinPsych
The Doctor of Clinical Psychology is a competitive-entry professional qualification that will train you to become a registered clinical psychologist.
Get more detail
Find out what you need to apply for postgraduate study in psychology.
Postgraduate psychology study
Explore specialisations
Relevant research areas at Massey
Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to psychology and mental health at Massey.
What our students say
“My experience at Massey set me up extremely well to get relevant and appropriate jobs in the field.”

“I’m interested in how people manage around adversity and what can be done to help them in a dignified way.”

Our facilities
You'll have access to a wide range of first-class facilities when you study with us.

Centre for Indigenous Psychologies
The centre is an inclusive physical and intellectual space.
Through our teaching and research, indigenous psychologies are embraced, experienced, understood and developed – in ways to benefit all communities.
Location: Manawatū campus

International Media Psychology Laboratory
This laboratory researches how humans interact with new and emerging VR technologies. It houses a state-of-the-art, fully ambulatory, room-scale virtual reality (VR) system.
Location: Manawatū (Palmerston North) campus
Jobs in psychology and mental health
Deep insights into human behaviour or mental health add value to many careers.
Some graduates become psychologists or counsellors – or work in mental health and addiction services – after completing specialist qualifications. Others work in community organisations, in government, in businesses, in the justice system, or in schools.
Careers include:
- counsellors
- HR consultants and managers, who focus on recruitment and/or staffing
- mental health and addiction practitioners
- policy advisors or analysts, who interpret information for government or businesses
- psychologists, who may specialise in clinical or educational psychology
- psychotherapists
- researchers.
Annual salary ranges for jobs
- Counsellor – $57,000 to $119,000
- Policy analyst or advisor – $71,000 to $170,000
- Psychologist – $55,000 to $150,000
Salary ranges disclaimer
Indicative pay rates are:
- in New Zealand dollars
- based on careers.govt.nz data.
Becoming a psychologist
To be a psychologist who supports clients, here are the steps to follow.
1
Get a bachelor's degree specialising in psychology. If you already have a bachelor's in another subject, you need to do a graduate diploma specialising in psychology.
2
Complete a postgraduate qualification specialising in psychology which includes coursework and a thesis, such as an Honours degree or Postgraduate Diploma followed by a Masters thesis.
3
The Doctor of Clinical Psychology, Master in Clinical Psychology, and Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Practice offer pathways towards registration as a psychologist.
(The New Zealand Psychologists Board has identified individual scopes of practice that apply to anyone operating as a registered psychologist in New Zealand. Psychologists have a legal and ethical responsibility to practise only in areas in which they are suitably qualified and experienced. Specialisations such as clinical psychologist and educational psychologist have different requirements.)
4
Apply to the New Zealand Psychologists Board for registration and a practising certificate.
Which psychology and mental health qualification?
Examples of where our qualifications may take you.
Jobs | Examples of what you could study |
---|---|
Counsellor | Master of Counselling |
Clinical psychologist |
Doctor of Clinical Psychology Master of Clinical Psychology |
Educational psychologist | Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology |
Mental health and addiction practitioners | Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health and Addiction) |
Policy analyst or advisor |
Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) Bachelor of Science (Psychology) Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health and Addiction) |
Psychologist | Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Practice – after you have a postgraduate degree specialising in psychology |
Accreditations and rankings

DAPAANZ - Drug and Alcohol Practitioners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Addiction Practitioner Pathway in the Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health and Addiction) is accredited by the Drug and Alcohol Practitioners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (DAPAANZ). Graduates are eligible to apply for provisional registration to work in the sector as addiction practitioner.

IUHPE Accreditation (Mental Health Promotion)
The Mental Health Promotion Pathway in the Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health and Addiction) is accredited by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE). Graduates are eligible to apply to IUHPE to become registered Health Promotion Practitioners

QS Ranking - Psychology
Massey is ranked in the world's top 300 universities for psychology by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
Get an information guide
Download our guides to find out more about studying psychology at Massey.
Download our health guide to find out more about studying mental health and addiction at Massey.