Refugee Care

Advertisement

Do you or are you looking to work with refugees, asylum seekers or other displaced groups of people? How can you care for these people more effectively? How can therapeutic dimensions of care and psychosocial perspectives help to understand the multi-dimensional complexities of the refugee experience?

Our MA Refugee Care combines expertise from both our Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies and the Tavistock Centre to bring an innovative twin-site Masters (two modules are taught at the Tavistock Centre in London and two modules at our Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies in Colchester) in the study of refugee care.

The central focus of this course is to introduce a therapeutic dimension and a psychosocial perspective to working with this group of people and is the only postgraduate course to offer a combination of modules with this emphasis, making a clear distinction between offering psychotherapy and being therapeutic in working with refugees.

There is a good mix of practical and experiential elements, such as placements and institutional observations, to support a sound theoretical framework to understand the complexities of the refugee experience, such as family and societal factors, interactions with various services, institutions and organisations, and the inter-personal dynamics involved between refugees and their workers.

Our course is offered one year full-time, two years part-time or modular (up to five years), and teaching is for 25 weeks (over two and a half terms from October to mid-May). It is also possible to apply for a doctoral programme in refugee care, completing this MA first (without the dissertation) and then continuing to work on your PhD thesis (for an additional two years full-time or four years part-time).

Why study MA Refugee Care at Essex?
Our Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies is internationally recognised as one of the leading centres for work that focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in mental health, as well as in culture and society generally. Our research and teaching is deeply grounded in knowledge deriving from clinical practice, to which our highest standards of academic thinking are then applied.

We enjoy an outstanding reputation for research and have consistently achieved the highest rating in the UK's most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), in December 2008. Being located within the UKs leading university of the study of social sciences means you are surrounded by strong departments that fully support and enhance our work. This allows you to gain the opportunity to work with and be taught by senior clinicians and world-class scholars in their fields.

Our facilities
If you are studying within our Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.

In addition, our strong connections to the local NHS and other organisations facilitate placements and institutional observations for our students.

A Masters course is an academically rigorous programme during which you explore your subject in depth, reaching a high level of specialist knowledge. You draw on knowledge and skills from your undergraduate study or your professional life to produce work of a high academic standard, informed by current thinking and debate.
A Masters course lasts for twelve months (full-time), starting in October, and consists of taught modules during your autumn and spring terms, and normally a research-based dissertation or other project-based work submitted in September. Your balance of modules and research varies according to the subject but, typically, your research counts for 60 credits and there are 120 credits of modules, varying from 10 to 40 credits each. (If you are from the EU, then our Masters courses are regarded as second-cycle qualifications under the Bologna Declaration and consist of 90 ECTS credits).
In some subjects, Postgraduate or Graduate Certificates and Diplomas are available, which last for six to nine months (full-time) and consist of 60 or 120 credits, respectively. These include the modules and assessed work of a Masters, without a dissertation. Our Graduate Diplomas equip those with a Bachelors with knowledge to proceed to a Masters in a different subject.
Please note that module information on our course finder provides a guide to course content and may be subject to review on an annual basis.

Modules
Core modules
* Dissertation - Ma Refugee Care
* Therapeutic Care For Refugees

Compulsory modules
* Context Of The Refugee Experience
* Placement
* Psychoanalysis Of Groups And Organisations
* Psychosocial Perspectives On Human Rights

Core modules must be taken and passed.
Core with options modules selected from limited lists must be taken and passed.
Compulsory modules must be taken.
Compulsory with options modules selected from limited lists must be taken.
Optional modules are selected from course specific lists.

Our applicants should have a 1st, 2:1 or high 2:2 degree or an equivalent professional qualification, plus a sample of written work demonstrating academic ability. Applicants without such qualifications, who can otherwise demonstrate relevant experience and academic ability, will also be considered. If English is not your first language, then we require IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. 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.

For up-to-date information on funding opportunities at Essex, please visit: