Health Psychology

Location:: Stoke-on-Trent campus
Location:: Stoke-on-Trent campus
Study option:: Full-time
Study option:: Part-time; Choose another study option
Duration:: 12 Months
Duration:: 2 Years
Start date:: 14 September 2020; 14 September 2020
School:: School of Life Sciences and Education

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The first course of its kind to be accredited by The British Psychological Society (BPS), our MSc Health Psychology provides the initial step towards gaining Chartered Psychologist status and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Health Psychologist.

The Health Psychology MSc is for individuals seeking advanced training in the application of psychological theories, methods and research to the understanding of health, illness and healthcare. It’s the first stage of accreditation towards becoming a Health Psychologist and follows the BPS Division of Health Psychology framework for teaching.

Taught in our multi-million-pound Science Centre, the course will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of the core issues and debates within health psychology theory, research and application. This includes exploring models and theories of health behaviour, considering the impact of living with long-term conditions, contemplating communication issues in healthcare settings – and investigating how psychology can impact on practice through areas such as health promotion and behavioural change.

In addition to support from the teaching team, our award-winning technicians will assist you. One has been awarded HEA Psychology Technician of the Year Award. Another achieved the ‘Best MSc Health Psychology Thesis’ by the Division of Health Psychology (DHP) and the BPS Technical Support in Psychological Teaching Award and is the current chair of the Association of Technical Staff in Psychology (ATSiP).

Our technicians provide high quality support, particularly in terms of research. Support is also available from our subject-specific librarian. A student-led journal club helps enhance critical evaluation skills.

We’ve recently introduced a new module to the course – Introduction to Applied Therapeutic and Clinical Skills.

Full-time students are required to attend the University on Tuesdays and Thursdays during term-time.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: MSc Health Psychology

Part-time study

During part-time study, the seven compulsory full-time modules will be spread out over 2 years

Course content

Studying over one year full-time (or two years part-time), you’ll complete seven compulsory modules, followed by an empirical piece of research that is presented in a journal-article format. The dissertation allows you to work independently, under supervision, to research a health psychology topic of your choice.

Professional body accreditation

Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). Graduates from the programme are deemed to have met stage 1 of the requirements for Chartered Membership of the Society (CPsychol) and full membership of the Division of Health Psychology

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.

Standard route

Year 1 compulsory modules
Year 1 compulsory modules
Applications Of Health Psychology	15 credits
Communication Issues In Health Care Settings	15 credits
Dissertation	60 credits
Health Psychology Core Issues	30 credits
Introduction To Applied Therapeutic And Clinical Skills	15 credits
Psychology Research Methods	30 credits
The Impact And Experience Of Long-Term Conditions	15 credits

Year 1 compulsory modules
Year 1 compulsory modules
Health Psychology Core Issues	30 credits
Psychology Research Methods	30 credits

Entry requirements

UK qualifications

International qualifications

You’ll need:

• A First or 2:1 (Hons) degree (or equivalent) in Psychology as recognised by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as providing Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC).

• An academic reference.

• A personal statement outlining your interest in Health Psychology.

Additional requirements for overseas applicants:

• If you have not completed a British Psychological Society-accredited BSc at a UK university, you must obtain Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) from the BPS and include evidence of this with your application.

• If your first language is not English, you must have achieved 7.0 or above on all components of the IELTS.

If you don’t meet our entry criteria:

• If you have a BSc (Hons) Psychology at a 2:2 level and recent relevant experience or other relevant qualifications, you may be eligible to register for the Certificate in Health Psychology, with the potential to progress to the MSc. In such cases, admission normally follows interview with the course director, and is at the discretion of the course team.

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For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country

Facilities

Science Centre

Our £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent contains specialist laboratories with the latest state-of-the-art equipment.

Psychology - Observation and Cognitive Suite

The observation laboratory is a large room setup with digital video cameras and microphones and is used to carry out research on focus groups, interviews, behavioural observations and presentations. The cognitive suite of laboratories is a purpose-built set of five individual testing rooms linked to a central control room and houses two eye-trackers.

Careers

Graduates from the course have continued with further training, including the Professional Doctorate (Stage 2) in Health Psychology or a PhD. Graduates have also gone on to pursue a range of careers including:

Careers include:

Research assistants
Systematic reviewers
Assistant psychologists
Roles in drug and alcohol support
Stop-smoking advisors
Roles in public health / health promotion

The psychology of fake news and conspiracy theories

Discover why people believe in conspiracy theories and fake news.

Teaching and assessment

Overview

Study time

Teaching

Teaching has been designed to provide a framework on which to build your independent study. Taking place in small group settings, teaching strategies and learning opportunities include interactive lectures and seminars, workshops, practical sessions and both student-led and video presentations.

Research skills workshops will help prepare you for individual research projects and will include training on industry standard data analysis software. You’ll also be introduced to applied clinical and therapeutic techniques.

Assessment

Assessment includes both informal (formative) and formal (summative) methods, including tutor and peer feedback and self-evaluation. You’ll receive clear guidance on the submission and marking of assessments and be given both verbal and written feedback.

Assessment methods are varied and will provide the opportunity to develop transferable skills. In addition, assessments are designed to include elements linked to real-word tasks to enable you to develop skills essential for a future career in health psychology.

To encourage you to achieve the highest grades, you’ll be required to demonstrate creativity, innovation, excellent research and critical evaluation skills. You must present your work in a compelling and authoritative style that illustrates your ability to synthesise evidence to support new ideas.

Summative assessment is included in each module and will be accompanied by detailed and constructive feedback to support you in identifying areas for improvement. There are no exams on this course and all summative assessments take the form of coursework and presentations.

Learning support

Your course tutors will provide lots of support. But you can also take advantage of our Academic Skills team, who can help you with:

Study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills)
Written English (including punctuation, grammar)
Academic writing (including how to reference)
Research skills
Critical thinking
Revision, assessment and exam skills (including time management)

Additional support

If you have additional needs like dyslexia or a sensory impairment, then our AccessAbility Services are here to help make sure nothing stands in your way.

Feedback

We know that it’s important for you to be able to gauge your progress. So, your tutor will give you feedback on any practice assessments you do.

We usually give you feedback on formal assessments within 20 working days, but the format will vary for each module.

Blog

The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research

For more information on our staff, their research interests and publications please visit our blog

Your study time will include scheduled classes, independent learning and assessments.

Independent learning

As well as timetabled sessions, we know it’s important for you to discover things on your own terms. This could involve:

Reading journals, articles and books
Working on projects, alone or in a group
Researching in the library
Preparing coursework

We’ve invested in state-of-the-art facilities to help you make the most of your private study time. Whether you need a library, a computer, or a lab, you’ll find it at Staffordshire University.

Staff

The course is taught by Health Psychologists who are actively involved in conducting high-quality research, as well as teaching and consultancy in a wide range of areas spanning health, illness and healthcare.

Our teaching team includes staff qualified to Professional Doctorate, PhD, Associate Professor and Professor level. We run an extensive speaker programme which students are required to attend, and we organise a wide variety of guest lectures.

Dr Gemma HurstSenior Lecturer

I am the Course Leader for the MSc Health Psychology. My research focuses on measuring the impact of environment exposures on health and wellbeing and exploring the wider determinants of health in relation to health inequality. I am also experienced in evaluating health promotion programmes and behaviour change interventions.

Read full profile

Fees

Overview

Additional costs

Financial support

For the course starting on 14 September 2020 the tuition fees are:

Tuition fees for MSc-Full-time
Study option	UK / EU / Channel Islands	International (Non-EU)
Full time	£7,850 per course	£14,500 per course

Tuition fees for MSc Part-time
Study option	UK / EU / Channel Islands
Part time	£3,915 per year of study

If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.

Alumni discount

If you've previously completed a Staffordshire University undergraduate degree (excluding HND and foundation degrees) you may be entitled to a discount of up to 25% off your course fees for any subsequent postgraduate taught course (terms apply, see the postgraduate fees page for details). If you have any questions about how this relates to you, please contact feesandbursaries@staffs.ac.uk.

Not included in tuition fees
Not included in the fees:
You may be required to cover the cost of attending various non-compulsory, external conferences during your studies. You may be required to cover the cost of attending various non-compulsory, external conferences during your studies.

Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation

Sources of financial support

Providing you are studying towards a full Masters qualification you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan of up to £10,609 to help with tuition fees, maintenance and other associated costs. Student loans are available for many of our postgraduate degrees and are provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC). The loan can cover a wide range of postgraduate study options; part-time, full-time and distance learning.

For more information and how to apply visit masters loan.

Bursaries and scholarships

Our students

Student stories

Lucy Field
MSc Health Psychology (2015-2017)

I really enjoyed the variety of topics on the MSc in Health Psychology, and the course ignited my interest in areas including mindfulness, physical health and stress. I especially learnt a lot about research methods and how to conduct good research.

Sophie Phillips
Graduate, MSc Health Psychology

I would strongly recommend anyone who is considering studying Health Psychology to apply to Staffordshire University. The diversity of the module content and assignments equip you with skills and knowledge that are beneficial beyond the Masters.

For me personally, the chance to conduct systematic reviews and engage with both quantitative and qualitative research methods have provided me with the ability and confidence to use these different research methodologies as part of my PhD research.

Szilvia Vas
Graduate, MSc & Professional Doctorate, Health Psychology

I really loved the interactive aspects of teaching; we received a great amount of support from the lecturers. The lecturers were always friendly, very well prepared and made the sessions enjoyable. I learned a lot about research methods during the MSc in Health Psychology, and because of that I felt confident to continue with the Doctorate in Health Psychology.

Thanks to these good foundations, my critical analytical thinking and problem-solving skills have further developed during the doctorate. I found that these things are super important for people who work in health-related jobs, as science and societies are changing constantly. Also, the other major ‘best part’ was being with like-minded students, I made some friends for life at Staffs.

Apply

Location:

Award:

Study option:

Start date:

Apply link

Location:

Stoke-on-Trent campus

Award:

MSc

Study option:

Full-time

Start date:

14 September 2020

Apply now

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at Staffordshire University, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of Staffordshire University enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.