This course is open for applications
Page last updated 13 September 2024
Introduction
Ideal for students with Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC), the MSc provides Stage 1 training towards Practitioner Health Psychology status.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Interest in health psychology is growing rapidly among psychologists and other health service and occupational health professionals mostly thanks to the shifting emphasis in provision and governance of healthcare in the UK, and changes to the NHS' organisation and mission.
Excellent teaching and research
As a health psychologist, you'll provide valuable insights to a range of activities, and your skills will be highly sought-after in roles across the NHS, in private practice and in the charitable sector.
You may be providing psychological assessment and support in acute care situations, managing the psychological care and rehabilitation of people with chronic illnesses, or getting involved in health promotion activities including smoking cessation and dietary management.
There are also opportunities, after the MSc Health Psychology, to go on to academic teaching and research positions.
Psychology at UWE Bristol has particular strengths in teaching and research in the area of health psychology, and provides Masters and PhD programmes.
The faculty is also home to the world-leading Centre for Appearance Research, the Centre for Health and Clinical Research, and the Centre for Understanding Social Practice as well as the Institute for Sustainability, Health and the Environment.
You'll be among experts whose knowledge and experience feeds directly into the course's taught modules and supporting resources.
Transferable skills
If you hold Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS), the MSc provides Stage 1 training towards Practitioner Health Psychologist status.
As well as covering the BPS' core curriculum, this course has a particular emphasis on transferable practical, professional and employment-related skills, and the opportunity to gain course credit through practical work in health psychology settings.
Structure
Content
The course carries 180 M-Level credits available through six M-Level modules. You will need to complete all six to achieve the MSc qualification:
- Health, Stress and Cognition (30 credits) - Learn about health and illness perceptions and how these influence stress and coping behaviours.
- Bio-psychosocial Perspectives on Health (30 credits) - A holistic approach to understanding the pathways of health, disease and disorder.
- Conducting and Evaluating Psychological Research (30 credits) - Gain the skills you need to carry out and evaluate psychological research.
- Dissertation in Psychology (45 credits) - Carry out a critical literature review and a piece of independent research in an area of health psychology, linking either to current Department expertise and/or to local health care providers.
- Applications and Professional Skills in Health Psychology (30 credits) - The opportunity to design and conduct a behaviour-change exercise and develop your skills as a professional health psychologist.
- Health Psychology In Action (15 credits) - Apply a critical analytic approach to a work placement carried out during the year.
This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.
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.
Learning and Teaching
The course team is internationally recognised in health psychology, and has close links to the British Psychological Society division of health psychology, the Health and Care Professions Council, and the NHS.
We pride ourselves on presenting a balance of expertise in research and practice of health psychology.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Study time
Full-time students attend on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Part-time students attend on Mondays in Year one and Tuesdays in Year two.
Assessment
The course uses a wide range of assessments, including poster and seminar presentations, essays, exams, article and model critiques, reflective journals and a dissertation.
For more details, see our full glossary of assessment terms.