Health Psychology

A 2.1 undergraduate Honours degree in Psychology. This must be recognised by the British Psychological Society for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).

The MSc in Health Psychology is a one-year taught programme run in collaboration with NHS Fife and the School of Medicine and the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at St Andrews. Upon successful completion, you will be equipped with the necessary skills to embark on your Stage 2 training or to facilitate research at MPhil or PhD level.

The programme is intended for graduate psychologists who wish to apply theoretical knowledge from their initial degree into a qualification that can launch them into a career of health psychology working for a health care provider or into health-related research.

Highlights

• Completion of the course provides a Stage 1 Professional Training for Chartered Health Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society.
• Students have the opportunity for placements in clinical settings, participating in at least 12 clinical placement visits (students will be required to meet travel costs of approximately £120).
• Students can access numerous labs including the Prep and Consultation labs (used for behavioural health-related research) and the Simulation Lab at the School of Medicine (used for running experimental studies and conducting face-to-face or telephone interviews).

Teaching format

The programme consists of two full-time semesters of taught modules followed by an independent research period culminating in the submission of a 5,000-word dissertation. On average, the Health Psychology cohort makes up around 10 to 12 students per year.

Students will take six compulsory modules. Teaching is delivered through:

• tutorials
• seminars
• individual supervision
• computer exercises
• practical observation.

Assessment approaches include:

• thesis
• peer-assessment
• written assignments
• presentations.

Students will have access to a broad, well-qualified and experienced team of academic and health psychologists from both Schools of Medicine and Psychology. In addition, students will be assigned a supervisor who will provide advice and support on the research dissertation project.

Modules