MSc Health Psychology

Institution Sheffield Hallam University
Method At the institution
Location Sheffield
Type Masters
Course fee By request

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MSc Health Psychology

Entry requirements Entry requirements Normally you need one of the following • BSc or BA Psychology giving Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) of the British Psychological Society (BPS) with a 2.1 or above • GBR by an alternative route, for example by examination, or by BPS acceptance of an overseas psychology degree. If you do not have GBR for the BPS you can take a conversion course to gain GBR for the BPS before starting the course. We offer a Graduate Diploma in Psychology, which gives such a conversion. You should be enthusiastic about psychology and have a good understanding of the British Psychological Society’s core areas. If English is not your first language, the English language test of the British Council must be passed at IELTS 7 or more, or equivalent.
Academic title MSc Health Psychology
Course description This course offers a flexible programme of study in health psychology, which forms stage one of a two stage process to gain Chartered Health Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society (BPS).

The course combines distance learning with some traditional on campus classroom teaching. This allows you to study on-line at times to suit you.

The course starts in January and runs for fourteen months until the following March for full-time students.

We designed the course to give you the knowledge, skills, values and academic approach to improve your work and study in health psychology.

You learn to
• critically evaluate and apply different approaches to psychological health-related issues
• develop advanced skills in research methods
• apply problem solving strategies to complex professional scenarios
• critically reflect on your practice, planning and personal development

You use your experiences of the workplace to aid your training, for example work-based reflection is part of your continuing personal development.

On campus study
Full-time students attend a block week of on campus study at the beginning and end of the course, plus one day a month on campus.

Part-time students attend both study weeks but only half of the monthly study days each year.

Associated careers

Health psychologists work in areas such as identifying psychological issues that can damage our wellbeing. This opens career opportunities inside and outside the tradition health services.

Examples are
• the health service, particularly in public health
• other areas such as education, industry, research and private consultancies

This course enables you to progress to stage two to become a chartered health psychologist (subject to accreditation by the BPS).

Course content

Modules
• applications and practice of health psychology
• healthcare contexts: work-based reflection
• health cognitions and behaviour
• individual differences in health and illness
• lifespan, gender and cross-cultural perspectives on health and illness
• perspectives, contexts and issues in health research and practice
• psychobiological determinants of health
• research methods and measurement issues in health psychology
• health psychology research project