Academia and education

What qualifications do I need?

Many people who work in mental health research originally pictured themselves in clinical practice. However, they found they loved research and decided to follow the academic pathway through to a PhD and beyond. Below is a typical academic path for psychology, including undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.

While majoring in psychology for all of the below is common, this area of research may attract academics and researchers from a wide range of areas, including social work, neuroscience or even unrelated fields.

Bachelor’s degree 

The first step is completing a four-year undergraduate degree in psychology, generally with an honours research thesis in the fourth year. 

Master’s degree 

Some students will choose to complete a master’s degree in psychology. However, the more common pathway to psychological research is to go from a bachelor’s degree straight to a doctorate.

Doctorate degree 

Several universities in Queensland and across Australia offer PhD programs in psychology. To be accepted, students will need to meet grade requirements from previous studies and/or other admission requirements. 

The program takes at minimum three or four years to complete. Students will complete an extended research project that allows them to develop expertise and experience in a psychology area of their choice. 

A PhD in psychology is the key qualification people need to pursue a career in research psychology. They may begin an academic career at a university, where they will build on their research and teach. Alternatively, they may leave university and work in other public or private settings.

Qualified research psychologists are sometimes also known as mental health researchers or experimental psychologists.

Mental health research settings

Psychology and mental health researchers and teachers or professors work in a number of different settings, including:

• universities
• schools
• government departments and agencies
• private research labs and businesses
• think tanks
• hospitals
• the military.

The daily life of a mental health researcher in Queensland

Mental health research is interested in increasing our knowledge of the brain and human behaviour. Professionals within this field analyse how people think, feel, behave, and interact with others and how these decisions are influenced by a range of environmental and social factors.

This line of work is highly collaborative. In Queensland and across the globe, mental health researchers work closely with individuals from different departments and disciplines, including other researchers, mental health clinicians, industry partners, and community members.

As part of their daily work, mental health researchers may do the following:

• identify trends in the mental health field
• review mental health research literature
• develop research protocols and methodologies 
• gather quantitative and qualitative data from different forms of research, including clinical trials 
• manage research projects and data 
• analyse and report on research findings 
• publish journal articles 
• perform administrative and clerical duties, including attending  research meetings
• lead, manage or provide support to research teams
• foster and facilitate relationships with a range of stakeholders, including internal and external collaborators.

This work is diverse and wide-ranging but always seeks to answer meaningful research questions and have a positive impact on people.