Health Psychology

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Course objectives Students on this course will understand and critically evaluate the theoretical basis of health psychology and apply this knowledge to understanding health, health behaviours and health care issues.

The course has a strong experiential focus it includes contributions from health care practitioners and allows you to carry out a brief placement in a health care setting. You are encouraged to carry out research in health care settings where possible.

This MSc is designed to meet the British Psychological Societys requirements for Stage One training towards Chartered Health Psychology status. Via formal teaching and practical experience, you will acquire relevant skills and core competencies as a basis for professional training in health psychology (Stage Two), or other applications of psychology to health issues.

Structure and content The course comprises the following modules in Semester 1:

* Perspectives in Health Psychology: Introduces and provides a context for different theoretical approaches within health psychology. It promotes critical understanding of the relationship between biological, psychological and social approaches to health and illness, health behaviours and health care in relation to specific topics such as stress, cardiovascular disease and pain.
* Applications of Health Psychology: Communication, Systems and Context: Helps you develop critical understanding of the way health care is delivered in the National Health Service (NHS) and other settings. You will evaluate psychological interventions and examine the relationship between health care providers and clients. The module will develop understanding of the professional role of the health psychologist, multidisciplinary working and sensitivity towards ethical/professional issues. It includes a brief experiential placement in a health care setting.
* Quantitative Analysis: Develops understanding of quantitative analysis. It includes principles of literature review, experimental design and data collection and offers both study and practical experience of statistical analysis to enable you to carry out a piece of empirical research to a publishable standard.

The following modules are taken in the Semester 2:

* Qualitative Analysis: Develops understanding of qualitative analysis, such as thematic analysis and phenomenological analysis.
* Individual, Social and Cultural Differences: Develops awareness and critical appraisal of the influence of individual psychological, social, cultural and biological differences on health, illness, health care provision and usage. Topics include personality, lifespan, gender and cultural factors which influence health and health behaviours (such as alcohol use and sexual behaviour).
* Approaches to Illness, Disability and Coping: Applies health psychology theories and models to understanding specific illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It also includes an evaluation of factors which promote wellbeing in people with acute or chronic illness or disability and the role of interventions to improve wellbeing.
* Research Project (MSc only): In this module, you will carry out your own supervised empirical research project in an area of health or health care which interests you, allowing you to integrate theoretical approaches with practical research methods and techniques learned. The investigation is conducted and reported to publishable standard.

Delivery and assessment The modules are taught in two- to three-hour seminars which include lectures, workshops, and practical or experiential sessions. You need to complete and pass the seven modules above to be awarded the MSc Health Psychology. Assessment is by formal exams and coursework (including oral presentations, essays, group work and critical reviews of research).

Entrance requirements A single or combined upper second class Honours degree in Psychology and eligibility for graduate basis for chartership with the British Psychological Society.Non-Psychologists or those without graduate basis for chartership with the British Psychological Society. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

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Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

A small number of NHS-funded bursaries are available to cover tuition fees and other expenses.

Accreditation

70 percent of research in Psychology at Stirling was recognised as being of a quality that is internationally recognised in terms of originality, significance and rigour in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).