Master

In Luton

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    Master

  • Location

    Luton

  • Duration

    1 Year

To help you acquire a systematic understanding of knowledge in Health Psychology and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights in the theory and practice of the discipline. To enable you to develop a conceptual understanding of Health Psychology in order to critically evaluate current research in the field and to be able to evaluate and critique the methodologies adopted in Health Psychology research. To give you opportunities to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Health Psychology from a theoretical and practical perspective in a variety of health care settings. Suitable for Psychology graduates who wish to specialise in the psychology of health and illness.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Luton (Bedfordshire)
See map
Faculty Of Health & Social Sciences, University Of Bedfordshire, Luton Campus, LU1 3JU

Start date

On request

About this course

Applicants to the course should:

1. have attained a good Honours degree in Psychology.
2. provide evidence of the Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) with the BPS (a requirement of the BPS as the programme is accredited by them)

For non-native speakers of English there is a minimum requirement of IELTS 6 or equivalent

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Reviews

Subjects

  • Health Psychology

Course programme

MSc Health Psychology
Mode: full-time

The MSc Health Psychology curriculum is an up-to-date and innovative one. The programme is designed to cover the Core Curriculum for Master’s degrees in Health Psychology, as stipulated by the BPS and forms Stage 1 of the training required to become a Chartered Health Psychologist – it has also been commended as an example of good practice.

The core philosophy of the course revolves around using a scientist-practitioner model to equip you with both research and practical skills, all within the diverse cultural background that the community in Bedfordshire provides.

Students completing the course will have not only a strong theoretical background in health psychology but also a variety of practical skills required for working in the field such as the ability to design, deliver and evaluate behaviour-change interventions; communication skills drawing on Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; advanced research methods and so much more.

The Division of Psychology is particularly proud of its research informed teaching. Not only do students benefit from the results of studies of the student experience but they take active part in staff research (as well as their own) and have presented at national and international conferences (something which we encourage and support).

The success of the programme is represented in the successful careers of our former students who have gained or are about to gain PhDs. Further success of our students include: smoking cessation co-ordinator for an NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT), SHARED CARE support worker, Research Assistant in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), a position in the Clinical Health Psychology Unit of Northampton General Hospital and a Chartered Health Psychologist in Specialist Obesity Services.

The Course comprises eight compulsory taught Units and a research project designed to cover the Core Curriculum for Masters degrees in Health Psychology, as stipulated by the British Psychological Society (BPS). The research project will give you the opportunity to undertake your own research in an area of health psychology that interests you, under one to one supervision; the results of this supervised work will form the basis of your MSc dissertation.

We have links with local healthcare providers and schools for research and work experience. Course tutors as well as academic counsellors are there to support and help you with both academic and personal difficulties. The Department has, amongst others, a Biological and Cognitive laboratory, as well as a Qualitative analysis laboratory and a Video Processing Suite, all of which are available for use by MSc Health Psychology students.

The course also benefits from having members of the teaching team who are active in the Division of Health Psychology. Many staff members are included on the Consultation and Specialist Knowledge list, which responds to consultations from the Department of Health and NICE, and Dr Angel Chater is currently the Chair of the Publicity and Liaison Sub-committee for the Division of Health Psychology. We further have members of staff who are Board of Examiner Approved Stage 2 supervisors, therefore, the option to continue to full Chartered Health Psychologist status is a possibility.

Why choose this course?

  • We offer a “Forward-thinking and progressive” curriculum.
  • We have excellent links with healthcare providers and the University of Bedfordshire’s Postgraduate Medical School.
  • Our applied research, in areas such as stress and health promotion, has gained national and international recognition and has been published in nationally and internationally recognised journals.
  • Many of our teaching staff are also practitioners in their specialist fields, therefore, you also get the benefit of learning from their experience in the field (such as stress management, coaching, weight reduction and substance misuse).

Career Opportunities

This MSc in Health Psychology forms an important first stage in becoming a Chartered Health Psychologist.

As a Chartered Health Psychologist, you could be working within the health sector at management level or be applying health psychology knowledge and methods to educate and improve health, patient recovery and adjustment to illness.

You will gain the theoretical background and professional skills that would be needed in a practice setting, and will also conduct research in a health-related context, all of which expertise is likely to increase your chances of a successful career within health.

Examples of career options include:

  • Work in the Government – advising on policy making, effective interventions and health advertising strategies.
  • Research – Project management – e.g. research into preventing illnesses, especially the big two Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and Cancer; patient-practitioner communication and adherence to medication.
  • NHS – e.g., preparation for surgery/coping skills, psychological methods to manage stress, pain or terminal illness.
  • Projects to do with the local community – e.g. Health promotion interventions (to include healthy eating, exercise and sexual health); Smoking cessation projects and interventions in the areas of drug and alcohol misuse.

Teaching/learning methods and strategies

The Course is varied both in content and delivery methods. Lectures, seminars, small-group work, presentations and role plays are all used extensively.

There are also monthly research seminars on current health psychology research, given either by members of the team or guest speakers and a research ‘away-day’.

Dissertation/project and research

Dissertation: You will be given the opportunity to carry out a substantial piece of research in the field of health psychology. The research process can be followed from start to finish allowing the individual to utilise knowledge and skills gained in other Units, in particular Advanced Research Methods.

You will be able to chose a research supervisor whose interests are relevant to the dissertation topic you are interested in.

This person will be there to support you in both your research and professional development across the Academic Year (or for the two years if following the part time option).

Examples of successful dissertation research projects carried out in the past include looking at the role of psychosocial factors affecting the outcome of interventions aimed to reduce dental pain perception and anxiety, the effects of health locus of control, unrealistic optimism, conscientiousness and future time perspective on perceived risk and engagement in health preventive behaviours as well as female smokers’ construction of their own smoking behaviour in the face of pressure to quit.

Attendance

Full-time students will be taught on two consecutive days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday, 10am-4pm).

The BPS requires that students should attend at least 80% of all taught sessions in order to be eligible for an accredited Masters degree.

Health Psychology

Price on request