This course is open for applications
Page last updated 8 October 2024
This part-time programme provides BPS-accredited Stage 2 training, a doctoral-level education and a professional Health Care Professions Council qualification. Taught by a highly experienced team, it gives you the research, training and supervision to take your career to the next level.
For individuals working in a health setting, this course provides the knowledge and skills to develop careers and become a Chartered Psychologist. You will come to UWE Bristol for around 12 Doctorate Training Days and supervision meetings each year over three years, while working in your existing role as you carry out your research. You receive strong course support in person and online, so wherever you are in the country you can be sure of the best support.
You will learn from our outstanding team of HCPC-registered Health Psychologists, benefiting from their expertise in research, behaviour change, consultancy and teaching and training and their extensive professional network and strong links in the region. Each year ends with a review day, where you can speak to tutors face to face about your progress.
You will prepare for accreditation as a Chartered Psychologist through training and supervision in five areas of competency. These five areas are specified by the British Psychological Society's Board of Examiners in Health Psychology. On completing this course you'll be eligible to apply for the Register of Health Psychologists held by the Health and Care Professions Council.
The BPS accreditation team commends this course based on:
The course covers the five areas of competency laid out by the British Psychological Society's Board of Examiners in Health Psychology. These are covered in the following modules:
You will explore an area of Health Psychology and produce a doctoral level thesis based on a major piece of empirical research.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.
The course is mostly distance-based, with normally around 12 days per year on campus. This approach is highly popular for employers and employees, and is supported by a range of clinical experts alongside the UWE academic team. It's designed to give you the knowledge and skills needed to practice in a safe and competent manner, and the education and research base to evaluate and inform current and future practice.
There are opportunities for professional collaboration and shared learning in practical settings.
For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
You will continue working in your existing role, but attend campus for normally 12 workshop days per year. During this time, you will undertake empirical research.
We assess your work through modular assignments looking for evidence you've acquired the professional teaching and training, consultancy and behaviour-change interventions skills you need. And your thesis, which includes your systematic review and report on a major piece of empirical research, plus an oral exam.
For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.
This Professional Doctorate is accredited by the British Psychological Society, and provides Stage 2 training to become eligible for Chartered Psychologist status. It is also approved by the Health and Care Professions Council, so you are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
UWE Bristol's School of Social Sciences, based at our Frenchay campus, provides an extensive range of teaching and learning resources, and the Frenchay Campus library contains a huge selection of books, e-books, journals, and audio-visual materials - including access to specialist health and social care software packages. You can access much of this material online.
Find out more about the facilities and resources UWE has to offer.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Psychology, Sociology and Criminology facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
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Once you have completed the course you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council to become an accredited practitioner, and for full membership of the British Psychological Society.
Our award-winning careers service helps you develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering and community activity plus support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.
There is currently no published fee data for this course.
More information can be found on the Graduate School fees and funding pages.
You should have:
If you don't have BPS Stage 1 accredited MSc Health Psychology, you'll need to indicate whether the material covered in your MSc Health Psychology maps onto specified standards of proficiency listed by the Health and Care Professions Council. You'll be provided with further information and an accredited prior learning form on receipt of your application.
Disclosure of Criminal Background - the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply and all convictions, including those which are spent, must be disclosed. Applicants who are offered a place must undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form. All information will be treated in confidence and only taken into account when absolutely necessary.
All short listed candidates will be required to attend interview.
The deadline for applications is Monday 14 April 2025, but we may close earlier due to high demand.
All applications will be reviewed after the closing date. If you apply after the deadline, we can't guarantee that we'll consider your application.
If you're selected for interview, these will be held online in May (between 5 and 23 May). Decisions will be made no later than 6 June.
Depending on application numbers for the course, we may need to put some applicants on a reserve interview list when shortlisting for interview. You'll be notified of this following the application deadline. We may also need to operate a reserve list for places on the course following interviews.