MSc Health Psychology (on-campus)

Mode of delivery: Full time, on campus, (distance learning course available). Teaching on campus takes place on two full days in the week (usually Mondays and Wednesdays). All additional work, independent study, coursework etc. needs to be organised to fit your own circumstances. We understand that some students need to work but emphasise that this is a full-time course and so if working in the daytime you will need to work on your studies in the evenings.

Duration: 12 months

Intake: Up to 20 students per year

Entry requirements:

• We welcome applications from candidates interested in our course who have the skills and capability to excel. All candidates are considered on an individual basis based on their qualifications, experience, references and motivation.
• Applicants with an Honours Degree, normally 2.1 or above, (makes student eligible for Graduate Basis Recognition of the British Psychological Society (BPS)) will be considered. Applicants may be called for interview.
• Students who are applying from outside the UK, or who do not have a BPS accredited Bachelor’s degree in Psychology must check with the BPS to see if they qualify for Graduate Basis Registration (GBR).
• Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of an English language qualification. English language test requirements may be waived where students’ undergraduate degree was studied in an English speaking country. Find out more about our English language requirements.
• The information contained on this website details the typical entry requirements for this course for the most commonly offered qualifications. Applicants with alternative qualifications may wish to enquire with the relevant admissions teams prior to application whether or not their qualifications are deemed acceptable. For less commonly encountered qualifications this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the academic admissions tutor.
  

Start dates: September (September 2018 for international, EU students and UK students).

How to apply:

• Apply here
  
• The application deadline for UK / EU students is 31st August 2018.
• The application deadline for international students is 1st August 2018.
• If you are applying close to the deadline, please ensure you have all supporting documentation ready for the application. If the deadline has passed, we may still be able to consider you, so please contact us.

For 2017 entry:

• UK/EU students: £6,900
  
• International students: £14,100

• The MSc Health Psychology course is fully accredited by the BPS and confers Stage 1 Training to become a Health Psychologist.

  During the course you will:

  • Develop an in-depth understanding of the theory underpinning health psychology;
  • Develop your understanding of advanced research methodology and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to carry out independent work of publishable standard;
  • Develop awareness of the contribution and application of health psychology within multicultural and multidisciplinary settings;
  • Develop professional and transferable skills in preparation for becoming a health psychologist.
  Discover more in this short interview with Programme Director, Dr Rachel Shaw.

  This course follows the BPS curriculum for professional training in health psychology. There are six compulsory taught modules and you would be expected to take one to two modules per term depending on your pace of study. There is also the Research Project module.

  • Qualitative Research Methodology: Qualitative research design, interviewing, focus groups, appraising qualitative research, reflexivity, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis, grounded theory.
    
  • Quantitative Methods and Advanced Statistics: Experimental design, questionnaire design, systematic review methodology, univariate statistics; measures of association, measures of difference, GLM, multiple regression, logistic regression, meta-analysis, factor analysis, structural equation modelling.
    
  • Health Behaviours: Fixed health factors, personality, risk perceptions, physical activity, smoking, screening, binge-drinking, health behaviour change and theory-based health interventions.
    
  • Health Inequalities Across the Lifespan: The social context of health and illness. Psychosocial aspects of both health and illness which contribute to morbidity and mortality in the population: inequalities in health related to socio-economic status, gender and ethnicity. Changes in health and health behaviour over the lifespan.
    
  • Illness Processes and Behaviour: How biopsychosocial systems integrate. Stress and coping. Relationship between stress, personality and illness such as coronary heart disease. Diagnosis of illness, models of illness behaviour and the impact of illness. Self-management of chronic disease and management of pain.
    
  • Professional Issues and Applications: Career planning; health psychology professional training; professional conduct; intervention development and implementation; consultancy; working in practice; motivational interviewing; cognitive behavioural therapy.
    
  • Research Project: You will also carry out a research project under supervision in a specific area of health psychology.

  In addition to the knowledge that you will acquire, you will be gain a range of transferable skills, such as:

  • Critical enquiry
    
  • Report writing
    
  • Active listening
    
  • Research methods
    
  • Statistical and qualitative analyses
    
  • IT skills
    
  • Group work
    
  • Time management
  • Reflective practice