clinical psychologist phd salary uk

King's College London

Doctorate in clinical psychology dclinpsy.

Key information

The three-year, full-time Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is based within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN). Trainees spend three days a week on supervised clinical practice placements and two days a week are dedicated to teaching, study and research.

Aims & philosophy

To benefit service users, carers and wider society by training clinical psychologists who:

• are skilled in evidence-based psychological assessment and intervention
• produce applied research of the highest quality and impact
• progress to become leaders within the NHS, clinical academia and beyond

The training programme values the reflective scientist-practitioner model as a basis for clinical psychology. There is a strong emphasis on integration of theory, research and practice in all aspects of the programme.

The biopsychosocial framework underpinning the Programme identifies biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of psychological difficulties and mental disorders across the lifespan. Our understanding of the framework is that it is linked to a continuum view of psychological difficulty. Thus, the programme seeks to understand these difficulties from an assumption of commonality of experience and human potential to support wellness and resilience.

The programme takes cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) as its primary therapeutic modality, reflecting the world-leading research expertise within the IoPPN and its evidence base. Family therapy/systemic practice is the second therapeutic modality.

The Programme is based predominantly within King's Health Partners (an Academic Health Sciences Centre) which comprise King's College London and three of the highest rated NHS Foundation Trusts in the country: South London and Maudsley, King's College Hospital, and Guy's and St Thomas'. A particular strength of the programme is the cohesive and comprehensive range of local and national specialist placement opportunities across these trusts and other placement services. In line with the goals of the NHS long term plan, placements offer trainees opportunities to work in local clinical pathways improving access to services for people from our diverse local communities.

The IoPPN DClinPsy Training Programme is committed to the principle of equality of opportunity for all trainees and staff. The Programme values and positively promotes equality, inclusion and diversity. At the IoPPN and local Trusts, there is much expertise relating to Culture, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) in clinical, research, and teaching activities.

Additional information

The programme meets the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) education and training standards – the statutory regulator for practitioner psychologists in the UK, and has full accreditation from the British Psychological Society (BPS).

The course is also accredited by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) – Level 1 (for all trainees) and Level 2 (for a subset of trainees), alongside the Association of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT) – Foundation Level (for all trainees).

On successful completion of the programme trainees are awarded the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. The award confers eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC to practise as a clinical psychologist in the UK, and graduates are able to apply for full membership of the Division of Clinical Psychology from the BPS.

Trainees are full-time professionals in the NHS, registered students at King's College London and key stakeholders whilst training. Throughout the training programme, trainees are encouraged to synthesise and reflect on different aspects of their learning and work as part of their professional development and integration of their personal and professional aspects. Key contributors to this process are the use of clinical supervision, discussions in teaching workshops, meetings with personal tutors and appraisers, and reflections in their logbook and clinical assessments.

Trainees help to shape the Programme's development and evolution through representation and participation in the majority of the Programme committees. There are also a number of opportunities for trainees to begin working as partners and leaders whilst training via involvement in working parties and groups focused on priorities within clinical psychology training.

The Programme has a number of support systems in place to help ensure that trainees are well supported and to create a stimulating and rewarding environment for trainees to develop personally and professionally during their training.

• Before joining the Programme, each new trainee is contacted by their ‘buddy’ (one of the current first year trainees) to facilitate their transition onto the Programme.
• Trainees will be line managed by a Clinical Director on the Programme
• Each trainee is allocated a personal support tutor and mentor – a qualified clinical psychologist available for confidential advice and support who is available to meet at least once per term throughout training. The personal support tutor, where possible, is matched to trainee career interests to allow for mentoring alongside pastoral support.
• Each trainee is also allocated a clinical tutor who will visit them on placement throughout the three years to maximise continuity, support and development.
• Each trainee is allocated an appraiser from within the Programme team to support progression across all aspects of the Programme.
• Each trainee is allocated a research tutor from the Programme team to support them with any questions or concerns about any aspect of their research.
• Reflective practice groups and themed reflective case discussions run throughout training, which provide an opportunity for trainees to reflect on training and the impact of clinical work.
• Dedicated reflective spaces are offered to trainees from racially and ethnically minoritised (REM) backgrounds. These spaces aim to offer support in a safe environment.
• Trainees’ identifying as White will be invited to attend a dedicated reflective space to consider the impact of their identity in training.
• A support group is available for trainees with childcare responsibilities, which includes drop-in meetings with clinical tutors.
• Orientation meetings are scheduled in the timetable to facilitate transition into the following year of study. At the end of the final year there is an exit meeting to allow trainees to reflect with the Programme Team about their experiences of the training programme.
• Trainees with disability support needs can book a confidential appointment with a Disability Adviser at King’s College London Disability Support . This will help develop an Inclusion Plan which summaries aspects your disability and provides recommendations of support strategies to ensure we can best support you throughout your training experience.

As a course, we care about the psychological well-being of our trainees and aim to ensure we can best support trainees who may be experiencing difficulties or have additional support needs. We recognise that whilst training you are likely to experience periods of increased stress given the various pressures that need to be managed across different components of the course, as well as any additional stressors including physical and mental health concerns, or other personal factors that may impact on well-being. We have a number of sources of support available to our trainees as well as resources and signposting of services.

• How to apply
• Fees or Funding

UK tuition fees

Home applicants who meet the above entry requirements criteria are eligible for an NHS funded place and are not required to pay tuition fees.

International tuition fees 2023/24

Full time tuition fees: £31,260 per year

International tuition fees 2024/25

Full time tuition fees: £33,450 per year

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.

The International deposit is £2000.

• If you receive an offer before March, payment is due by 20 March.
• If you receive an offer between 1 March and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer between 21 May and 15 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer between 16 July and 15 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
• If you receive an offer from 16 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

If you are a current King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.

• Study environment

Base campus

Denmark Hill Campus

Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

The Doctorate is intensive, running for three years full-time. The programme consists of academic, clinical and research components, and trainees are required to pass in all areas..

Academic teaching, research supervision and clinical supervision are mainly carried out by members of the Department of Psychology or other departments within the Institute of Psychiatry, or by clinical psychologists working within King's Health Partners, giving the programme an overall cohesion and sense of community. The Programme also receives specialist contributions to its academic teaching from invited outside speakers and experts.

For departmental and Institute research interests visit the IoPPN webpages.

In each year, trainees spend three days per week on supervised clinical placements (Tuesdays to Thursdays, 9:00 – 17:00) with Mondays and Fridays dedicated to teaching and research. Trainees undertake six 6-month placements. The four ‘core’ areas of the programme are Adult and Child Mental Health, (year 1) and Older Adults and Intellectual Disability (year 2). The third year comprises two specialist or supplementary placements.

Attendance at all course components is mandatory. Trainees are also expected to undertake their own independent learning.

The length of the Programme cannot be reduced through the accreditation of prior learning or experience. All trainees are required to complete the full Programme of training in order to qualify and while on the Programme, all trainees take annual holiday entitlement within set time periods to fit in with teaching and placement attendance requirements.

Academic curriculum

The curriculum comprises of teaching streams that are led by academic clinicians and NHS service-based specialist clinicians. This curriculum is revised through consultation processes with NHS specialists, trainees, service users and NHS commissioners. A foundational theme that sits across all the teaching streams is that of culture, diversity, equality, and inclusion. The specific teaching streams fall under the following headings:

• CBT Fundamentals
• Adult General
• Adult Addictions
• Adult Anxiety
• Adult Forensic
• Adult Psychosis
• Clinical Health Psychology
• Clinical Skills
• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Culture, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
• Family Therapy
• Intellectual Disability & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Additional Therapy Approaches
• Professional Issues
• Reflective Practice & Reflective Case Discussions
• Research, Assessment and Methodology
• Supervision

The programme delivers teaching based on research, theoretical literature, practice-based experience and lived experience (expert by experience and carer input). Teaching is provided in lectures, workshops, seminars and tutorials. Methods of delivery include, discussions, polls, case examples, role-plays, video displays, and didactic teaching. This is designed according to the material to be covered and the stage of training. Trainees are encouraged to contribute to the process; significant aspects of learning and development will come from each other.

Clinical practice placements

Trainees undertake six 6-month placements. The four ‘core' areas of the programme are Adult and Child mental health (year 1) and Older adults and Intellectual disability (year 2); the third year comprises two specialist or supplementary placements. The majority of placements are located within South London and are accessible via public transport links. Trainees prior experience and future career preferences are taken into consideration in placement allocation.

The third year comprises two specialist or supplementary placements. There is a wide, exciting range of specialist placement opportunities for trainees to choose from, at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH), Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) and in other organisations. SLaM provides the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK.

Placements are offered in a variety of specialisms and settings, including primary care, secondary care, inpatient, secure settings and non-statutory organisations. We are fortunate to have many national services across the Trusts, meaning that trainees have access to a number of specialist placements. Placements may be based in the community or hospital settings.

By May of the final year, trainees are required to submit a doctoral level research thesis of between 25,000 to 55,000 words.

The thesis is comprised of:

• Service-Related Project
• Empirical Project
• Systematic Review

The Service-Related Project is completed in the first year, supervised by a clinical placement supervisor. Trainees gain experience of conducting an NHS-related project that will inform service development. Recent projects have directly investigated issues of equality and diversity in service provision.

The Empirical Project and Systematic Literature Review are completed in the second and third year, supervised by a main and second supervisor. Staff in the Department of Psychology and wider Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience offer research expertise and supervision in a wide range of clinical topics. Most trainees are able to choose their research topic based on their interests and learning needs, and to co-create a research project with their supervisors. Trainee research is supported by the rich research environment at King’s, including close links with the department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics.

A developmental, competency-based approach is taken to assessment, combining formative and summative assessment methods. Please note that a number of the summative assessments undertaken by trainees in the third of training will be dependent on their pathway (either BABCP Level 2 or AFT Intermediate).

The failure of two placements, or of an examination resit, or resubmitted/resat case studies, case conferences or assessments of clinical competence, or the viva examination, will constitute a Programme failure. No lesser exit award is available under the Programme.

Summative Assessments (all trainees)

• Qualifying examinations are held in June of the first year. The pass mark is 50% and trainees who fail are allowed to re-sit on one occasion in August.
• Case Conferences : In the first year of training, trainees are asked to present a case that demonstrates their CBT knowledge and skills. In the second year of training, trainees are asked to present a case where they have worked with more than one person in the room, and to offer a systemic formulation and treatment plan to assess their knowledge and skills in systemic practice.
• Case Studies : Early in the second year of training, trainees will need to submit a CBT case study that will demonstrate theory practice links and reflection on their learning and development as CBT therapists.
• All six practice placements are graded Pass/Fail by placement supervisors.
• The research thesis is assessed at a viva by two external examiners.
• Research Progress Report trainees submit a report on their research progress every 6 months, which is formally reviewed by their supervisor and a panel of research tutors; a satisfactory outcome of the review is required for progression.

Head of group/division

Professor Katharine Rimes

Contact for information

Kayleigh Rawlings, Programme Coordinator

[email protected]

Important Information:

Before contacting the programme, please note we are unable to offer individual advice on how to create a successful application or advise on what route applicants should take. There are many different routes onto the Doctorate, therefore the pathway undertaken should be the applicant’s choice, based on their interests and career aims.

Contact email

Further resources:

• DClinPsy Clearing House Profile
• KCL-DClinPsy information about applying (padlet.org)
• Twitter: @KingsDClinPsy
• Entry requirements

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• Home: Explore careers

Clinical psychologist

Alternative titles for this job include.

Clinical psychologists help people manage mental health issues, phobias and addiction.

Average salary (a year)

£35,000 Starter

£50,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 39 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends occasionally

How to become

How to become clinical psychologist.

You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.

The first step is to get a degree in psychology accredited by The British Psychological Society .

If you have a degree in a subject other than psychology, you can apply for an accredited conversion course .

Postgraduate course

After your degree, you'll need a postgraduate doctorate (PhD or DClinPsych) in clinical psychology. There's usually a lot of competition for places on doctorate courses.

To get a place, you'll need:

• a first or 2:1 (upper second class) in your degree
• evidence of excellent research skills
• some work experience

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 3 A levels or equivalent

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• student finance for fees and living costs
• university courses and entry requirements

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Clinical Associate in Psychology Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship.

As a qualified clinical associate, you could apply for graduate membership of The British Psychological Society.

You would work within the field you trained for under the supervision of a registered clinical psychologist.

You would also continue with further postgraduate doctorate training (PhD or DClinPsych) to become a clinical psychologist.

a degree in a relevant subject

• guide to apprenticeships

Registration

• you'll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council

Professional and industry bodies

You can join The British Psychological Society for professional development and training opportunities.

Further information

You’ll find more about careers in clinical psychology from The British Psychological Society and Health Careers .

You can also explore other careers in the psychological professions .

What it takes

Skills and knowledge.

You'll need:

• knowledge of psychology
• counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
• the ability to understand people’s reactions
• sensitivity and understanding
• analytical thinking skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• excellent written communication skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks  as you may work with children and vulnerable adults

What you’ll do

What you'll do, day-to-day tasks.

As a clinical psychologist, you'll:

• work out what your client needs using interviews and tests
• decide on the best treatments, like therapy or counselling
• go to conferences and research different topics
• work closely with medical professionals like other doctors
• write reports and act as an expert witness in court

Working environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a client's home, at a university or at a health centre.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

Career path and progression

With experience and further training, you could:

• specialise working with certain people, such as children or young offenders
• specialise in clinical neuropsychology
• move into research or teach at a university
• work as a freelance consultant, advising other professionals and clients
• set up your own psychology practice

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships in england.

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a Clinical psychologist right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

• Provider: TURTON SCHOOL
• Start date: 10 September 2024
• Location: Bolton
• Provider: THE THOMAS HARDYE SCHOOL
• Start date: 21 September 2024
• Location: Dorchester

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

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Search further careers, related careers.

• Psychologist
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• Psychological wellbeing practitioner
• Psychotherapist
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Clinical psychologist

Clinical psychologists assess and treat clients with a range of mental or physical health issues, conditions and disorders

The main purpose of your role as a clinical psychologist is to reduce the distress and improve the psychological wellbeing of your clients.

Working in partnership with your clients, you'll diagnose, assess and manage their conditions. Assessment can be done through a range of techniques including interviews, observation and psychometric testing. Once assessed, you'll provide a treatment plan that may include counselling, advice or therapy.

You'll work with individuals, including children, adolescents and adults, as well as families, couples and groups in a range of settings. Liaising with other professionals such as psychiatrists, social workers and counselling psychologists over your clients' complex issues.

Types of conditions and disorders

You'll work with a range of mental and physical health conditions, including:

• mental illness
• adjustment to physical illness
• neurological disorders
• addictive behaviours
• challenging behaviours
• eating disorders
• personal and family relationship problems
• learning disabilities.

Responsibilities

As a clinical psychologist, you'll need to:

• assess your clients' needs, abilities or behaviour using a variety of methods, including psychometric tests, interviews and direct observation of their behaviour
• plan, monitor and adapt appropriate treatment programmes and interventions, including therapy, counselling or advice, in collaboration with colleagues
• offer therapy and treatments for issues relating to a range of mental health conditions
• evaluate the efficacy and outcome of treatments
• provide consultation to other members of the multidisciplinary team, encouraging a psychological approach in their work
• counsel and support carers
• develop and evaluate service provision for clients
• carry out applied research, adding to the evidence base of practice in a variety of healthcare settings
• provide clinical supervision to less experienced psychologists and members of the wider multidisciplinary team
• provide psychology teaching and training to other members of the team.

More experienced clinical psychologists may be called on to write legal reports and act as expert witnesses. In these cases, you'll keep detailed paperwork about clients in order to monitor the progress of their treatments.

• Trainee clinical psychologists start at £35,392 (Band 6) of the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) pay rates . After qualification, salaries within the NHS start at £43,742 (Band 7).
• More experienced psychologists can earn between £50,952 and £57,349 (Bands 8a and 8b).
• Consultant-level clinical psychologist roles typically range from £70,417 to £96,376 (Bands 8c and 8d).
• Heads of psychology services may earn in the region of £99,891 to £114,949 (Band 9).

The NHS pays a London high-cost area supplement at 20% of the basic salary for inner London, 15% for outer London and 5% for fringe areas.

Salaries in private hospitals and private practice vary.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours are typically Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, although you may do some extra hours in the evenings or at weekends. Occasionally, you may work as part of an on-call system covering emergency situations.

What to expect

• You'll work as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside doctors, nurses, social workers, education professionals, health visitors, psychiatrists and occupational therapists.
• Jobs are available in most cities and large towns, with fewer opportunities in rural areas. Self-employment or freelance work is possible in private or clinical practice and for industrial or commercial consultancy.
• The work can be challenging as it involves contact with different types of people who are often distressed in some way. Occasionally, you might encounter situations of potential personal risk.
• Supervision by colleagues is important throughout your career.
• You'll often need to travel during the working day to visit clients. However, you're unlikely to spend time away from home overnight or work abroad.

Qualifications

To practise as a clinical psychologist in the UK you must be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), which involves training at Doctorate level.

To begin training you'll normally need Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), which is achieved by completing a psychology degree or conversion course accredited by The British Psychological Society (BPS). For a full list of GBC qualifying courses see the BPS Accredited Psychology Courses .

You'll then complete a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology that is accredited by the BPS and approved by the HCPC. Currently, most places on clinical psychology doctorate courses are funded by the NHS. This situation may change, however, so check when applying for a place whether funding is available.

You'll usually need a first class honours degree or a 2:1 (some courses will require an upper 2:1) to get a place on a Doctorate course. Some providers may accept a 2:2 (or a lower 2:1) if you have a relevant Masters or PhD. You'll also need relevant clinical/research work experience. For details of entry and work experience requirements, check with individual course providers.

You'll also need to have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme in Scotland).

Applications for most doctorate courses are made through the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology . However, the University of Hull and Queen's University Belfast operate their own admissions process. Applications usually open during September and close in November. Most courses are full time over three years.

You'll be employed throughout the course by the NHS as a trainee clinical psychologist and will receive a salary. Training follows a structured programme of learning which combines academic and practical training, including clinical placements and research.

On successful completion of your Doctorate, you're eligible to apply for registration with the HCPC and chartered status with the BPS.

You'll need to have:

• excellent communication and interpersonal skills for dealing with people in distress
• empathy and a person-centred approach to clients
• the ability to apply your knowledge of academic psychology and research to clinical problems
• the ability to recognise your own limitations and respond to difficult situations
• the capacity to be critical and analytical and to work in a self-motivated, independent way
• the ability to think clearly in challenging situations
• the ability to collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines
• the determination to succeed
• time management and prioritisation skills
• good general IT skills
• a strong understanding of the profession and the role of a clinical psychologist, and an awareness of current NHS issues
• driving licence - is useful for local travel.

Work experience

You'll need relevant work experience, often a minimum of 12 months, to get a place on a Doctorate course. Most course providers have specific requirements on the amount and type of experience they want or give advice on how to go about gaining the necessary experience.

Some course providers are particularly keen on experience gained as an assistant psychologist in an NHS clinical psychology department under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. Competition for these posts is particularly fierce.

Experience in clinically-oriented research that contributes to your understanding of clinical psychology practice is also relevant. It's helpful to have a good balance of experience in both academic and clinical areas.

Paid or voluntary work in other areas such as nursing, social work, care work, mental health work or services for individuals with disabilities can also be useful. Relevant jobs include graduate primary care worker, nursing assistant, healthcare assistant or support worker and psychological wellbeing practitioner,

Any experience you get should be with groups and services that are directly relevant to clinical psychology and must provide you with the opportunity to interact with people with health or psychological difficulties. Mental health charities such as Mind and Rethink may have relevant opportunities as well.

For free mentoring resources and experiences designed to support aspiring healthcare and legal professionals - including virtual work experience that is accepted by medical schools, see Medic Mentor .

Find out more about the different kinds of  work experience and internships  that are available.

Most clinical psychologists are employed by the NHS. Opportunities are available in a range of health and social care settings, including:

• psychiatric units
• local clinics and health centres
• community mental health teams
• children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS)
• social services
• schools and universities
• Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services.

There are also opportunities to work on a self-employed basis and in private practice.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Healthjobsuk.com
• Jobs in Psychology
• NHSScotland Jobs

Specialist recruitment agencies such as Pulse and JobMedic also advertise vacancies.

Professional development

Once qualified, you must keep your skills up to date and follow ongoing developments in research. Continuing professional development (CPD) is an essential part of continued registration with the HCPC and chartered membership of the BPS, and should include a mixture of directed and self-directed activities.

Activities can include:

• taking post-qualification training courses that help to develop your knowledge of different theoretical approaches or specialist areas or work
• clinical supervision training
• attending conferences, workshops and events
• writing articles or papers for journals
• carrying out and presenting research and papers at conferences
• lecturing or teaching
• mentoring, supervising or assessing trainees
• developing expertise with a particular client group.

You'll need to keep an up-to-date and accurate record of your professional development activities, showing that your CPD contributes to the quality of your practice and service delivery and is beneficial to your clients.

More information can be found at the BPS Professional Development Centre .

Career prospects

There is a structured career path within the NHS, and you should be able to progress through the pay bands as you gain experience and move into new roles.

You may choose to specialise in a particular area of clinical psychology, such as:

• clinical neuropsychology
• clinical health psychology
• forensic clinical psychology
• oncology and palliative care
• psychosis and complex mental health.

With experience you may move into a supervisory or clinical management role, taking on more responsibility for both staff and clinical psychology services.

Clinical psychologists with the right combination of skills and experience may be eligible to apply for consultant-level positions. From here, a small number of heads of specialty posts are available (in areas such as adult mental health) with progression to overall head of a psychology service.

With experience, you may become involved in the teaching, supervision and training of other clinical psychologists. You may also choose to move into clinical academic research.

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Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ClinPsyD)

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• Course details
• Entry Requirements
• Teaching and assessment
• Employability

Our Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ClinPsyD) leads to a professional qualification in Clinical Psychology and eligibility to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. It is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers Chartered status with the BPS.

This programme comprises a combination of academic teaching, research and research training, and professional training during clinical placements.

The programme will enable you to deliver psychology-based treatments by drawing upon a range of models, tailoring interventions to client needs within a range of service contexts.

Our staff have expertise across a range of specialisms, skills and models. Like all similar courses, we give special consideration to cognitive-behavioural approaches but we also equip trainees with knowledge and skills in systemic practice and in psychodynamic and behavioural approaches. In year two, you will be able to choose which of these approaches you wish to specialise in. We will also prepare you for the wider organisational demands of the NHS by providing opportunities for you to understand, appraise and develop your own leadership behaviours.

In the Centre for Applied Psychology, we are committed to involving experts by experience in all the different aspects relevant to our teaching and research. The Experts by Experience Steering Committee (EBESC) is a group that meets regularly to discuss, organise and support the work of experts by experience linked to the Clinical Psychology Doctorate Programme. We comprise members from various backgrounds, including local experts by experience who contribute to the course and staff from the Centre for Applied Psychology.

We contribute to our different courses in various ways:

• Contributing to teaching, including training workshops
• Reviewing, supporting, designing and contributing to research projects
• Contributing to the course at a strategic level through feeding into course management committees
• Involvement in the course admissions process

This programme comprises a combination of academic teaching, research and research training, and professional training during clinical placements. You complete five placements in a range of health settings in the West Midlands.

You will spend approximately 50% of your time in clinical practice, with the remainder divided between teaching, research and academic workshops. Workshops are delivered by experienced local clinicians and experts in the relevant clinical area. Time is scheduled for private study, academic assignments and research. Although there are some longer teaching blocks, a typical week consists of one day teaching, one day study and three days placement throughout the year. The programme is examined by continuous assessment, with students completing a series of assignments and projects over the three years.

Research, which is conducted in the second and third years of the programme, is written up for examination in the form of two papers for publication. The programme is organised on a collaborative basis with local NHS psychologists, and many local clinicians are involved in teaching.

The programme has a long and distinguished history, producing over 500 qualified Clinical Psychologists since 1967. It leads to a professional qualification in Clinical Psychology and eligibility to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. It is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and confers Chartered status with the BPS.

Our location in the West Midlands, which has a large and diverse population, means you will have access to a broad range of clinical placements and research opportunities. The course is also well integrated with clinical psychology services in the local area.

Birmingham is one of the major centres for clinical psychology training in the UK and most graduates take up posts in NHS departments. At present UK/EU trainees are hosted by a local NHS Trust and paid a salary. University fees are paid by the NHS.

This programme is subject to a Code of Professional Conduct and Fitness to Practise regulations, to which trainees are required to sign up. 

Related links

• School of Psychology website
• Clearing House for Clinical Psychology website:  https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/

The course has close links with local clinicians who provide teaching and reflective practice and they work really hard to fit the placements to our learning needs, interests and ambitions. We have five placements across the course working with adults, children, people with intellectual disabilities and older adults, plus a placement in a specialism of our choice, meaning we get to experience a wide range of clinical settings. Our research projects were very flexible in that you could choose pre-arranged projects or general topic areas, and the department established links with appropriate supervisors for the area you wanted to study. Tom Watson, Clinical Psychology Doctorate alumnus

• Research in Clincal Psychology
• Reflection Practice in Clinical Psychology

You will continue to attend workshops relating to the academic underpinnings of clinical practice, work under supervision on a clinical psychology placement(s) in the NHS and undertake self-directed learning. You are required to complete one clinical practice report which in due course is bound into the thesis. You also pursue your research project.

You must attend a minimum number from a wide choice of workshops relating to clinical psychology. You continue to work under supervision on a clinical psychology placement(s) in the NHS, undertake self-directed learning and complete work on your research thesis. You are required to complete two clinical practice reports which are bound into the clinical volume of the thesis.

At present UK trainees are hosted by a local NHS Trust and paid a salary. University fees are paid by the NHS. This model may change in the future but candidates should not be deterred from applying and should check the Clearing House for updates at:  https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/

The International self-funded fee for 2024/25 is £30,420.

How To Apply

Uk applications for 2024 entry (via the clearing house and directly) are now closed. interviews will take place between 20 - 26 may 2024 inclusive..

For those assessed as being ‘home for fees’, applications to the ClinPsyD for NHS funded places should be made through the  Clearing House in Clinical Psychology .   Home applications close at 13:00 on 22 November 2023.

International/Overseas self-funding applicants

International applications for 2024 entry are now closed (26 January 2024). We are unable to accept late applications.

The application process for overseas applicants has three stages:

• The application form is screened when received through the University Application Portal.
• Candidates meeting the admission requirements are invited to complete an online ‘written exercise’ between 26 February to 8 March 2024.
• Successful candidates will be invited to interview with us (via Zoom) week commencing 6 May 2024.

Our Standard Requirements

You must have at least a 2:1 degree or recognised equivalent at undergraduate level and you will need to provide a certificate or transcript showing your degree level at the time of applying. We welcome applicants with higher degrees which should ideally be in a clinically relevant area. Unfortunately, we do not accept applicants with a 2:2 at undergraduate level, even if they have a Master's or PhD. Whilst people who have taken conversion courses are not at a disadvantage in our process, we do require their original degree to be 2:1 or above.

We also require evidence of competence in research methods as evidenced by a score/rating of at least 60% on the undergraduate research dissertation – noted on the undergraduate transcript. Applicants who do not yet have an undergraduate transcript, or who have completed a conversion course without a detailed transcript, would need to provide formal evidence of research competence from the awarding University. This could take the form of an academic referee commenting specifically upon these competences, including explicit reference to the applicant's scores on research and statistics modules.

Candidates must have Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society. For guidance on the kinds of experience considered to be relevant when applying for the Clinical Psychology Doctorate, please visit the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology’s website .

Selection Procedure

We operate our selection procedures in line with NHS Values Based Recruitment .

Our selection process is as follows:

• NHS funded applications are initially made via the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology’s website (for international applications please see below).
• Applications are screened to ensure that candidates meet our minimum academic entry criteria (as described above).
• Applicants who meet our minimum academic criteria are short-listed according to information presented on the application form. This includes elements such as academic/research competence and relevant experience. Seventy five short-listed candidates are invited to attend the University of Birmingham for half a day (morning or afternoon), which includes a series of interviews and a written exercise designed to assess competence in research. Experts by experience and local clinicians are involved in the interview process. After the final interview date, offers are made to the most suitable candidates subject to satisfactory DBS disclosure and Health and Immunisation checks . Please note : the offer process at the University of Birmingham has several steps, and the final formal offer will be made by the University of Birmingham Admissions Team.

Equal opportunities

We are very conscious of being situated in an area of rich ethnic and cultural diversity, and the course particularly welcomes applications from people from ethnic minority groups.  We take measures to ensure that no applicant is discriminated against on the grounds of age, social class, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religion. 

We are actively addressing issues of race and diversity in the curriculum and in all aspects of the course. We do not currently use equal opportunities data during the selection process and we do not currently subscribe to the " Disability Confident Scheme " (also known as "double tick"). However, we are actively considering how best to include contextual admissions values in our selection procedures, and although we don’t yet have a formal position on this, we will update this webpage with any developments.

Please note that if you have given your consent, we may use equal opportunities data collected by the Clearing House during selection to inform future selection strategies.

Work experience

Applicants must demonstrate that they have been engaged in work experience that allows them to understand the profession of clinical psychology, and to demonstrate skills that can be enhanced through training, that are relevant to the role. We require applicants to have completed at least one year's full-time clinically relevant experience (which can include placement experience from a clinically relevant Master's degree) at the time of applying. This experience could come from a variety of roles, including Assistant Psychology and research posts, and graduate roles within IAPT services. However, this is not an exhaustive list of potential relevant experience. Applicants need to demonstrate that they have been applying psychological principles in a clinical setting, preferably under the supervision of a psychologist, or have been engaged in research that is relevant to a clinical population (eg as a research assistant or as part of a 3-year PhD). The experience could be spread across more than one year but must equate to one year full-time as a minimum requirement. Candidates are required to describe this experience clearly on the application form. Candidates who have previously pursued relevant professional careers will be considered on an individual basis; however, all applicants must meet our minimum academic requirements and requirements for GBC (see above for details).

Please ensure when detailing Clinical Experience gained, that you are clear how many hours you worked per calendar week if this role is part time. In addition, it is helpful to detail the tasks / role carried out and the profession of the person supervising or overseeing that work. This information could be within your supporting information or an uploaded CV.

Please note that for applications for the ClinPsyD, a research proposal and names of proposed research supervisors are not required as research projects are developed during the first year of training in collaboration with staff and local clinicians.

International students

We welcome applications from international self-funding candidates. Such applicants must meet the same entry criteria as those applying for NHS funded places (see above) and also have overseas fees status. This is assessed by the University Admissions team.  Applications for overseas candidates are made directly to the University of Birmingham and not through the Clearing House . 

Standard English language requirements apply

For candidates whose first language is not English or whose first degree was not taught in English the minimum requirements are IELTS 7.0 with no less than 6.5 in any band. 

International Requirements

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 14/20 from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

Applicants who hold a Masters degree will be considered for admission to PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Diplomstudium/Magister or a Masters degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

• A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
• A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good post-2001 Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.  Please note: for the subject areas below we use the Shanghai Ranking 2022 (full table)  ,  Shanghai Ranking 2023 (full table) , and Shanghai Ranking of Chinese Art Universities 2023 .

需要具备学士学位（4年制）的申请人可申请研究生课程。请根据所申请的课程查看相应的入学要求。 请注意，中国院校名单参考 软科中国大学排名2022（总榜） ，  软科中国大学排名2023（总榜） ，以及 软科中国艺术类高校名单2023 。  

Business School    - MSc programmes (excluding MBA)  

商学院硕士课程（MBA除外）入学要求

School of Computer Science – all MSc programmes 计算机学院硕士课程入学要求

College of Social Sciences – courses listed below 社会科学 学院部分硕士课程入学要求 MA Education  (including all pathways) MSc TESOL Education MSc Public Management MA Global Public Policy MA Social Policy MA Sociology Department of Political Science and International Studies  全部硕士课程 International Development Department  全部硕士课程

  All other programmes (including MBA)   所有其他 硕士课程（包括 MBA）入学要求

Please note:

• Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience. 如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
• Please contact the China Recruitment Team for any questions on the above entry requirements. 如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室   [email protected]

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, or a GPA of 3 out of 4, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalár from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), or a good post-2002 Magistr (Masters), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters/ Magisterkonfereus/Magister Artium degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B, or a good one- or two-year Magistrikraad from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

Holders of a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 4/5, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters/Maîtrise with a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, or a Magistère / Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies / Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Specialisées / Mastère Specialis, from a recognised French university or Grande École to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5, or a good two-year Lizentiat / Aufbaustudium / Zweites Staatsexamen or a Masters degree from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, from a recognised Greek university (AEI), and will usually be required to have completed a good Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis (Masters degree) from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.  Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés or Egyetemi Oklevel from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 3.5, or a good Mesterfokozat (Masters degree) or Egyetemi Doktor (university doctorate), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study. Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution, with 100 out of 110 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.  Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of  2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/50

Holders of a good Postgraduate Diploma (professional programme) from a recognised university or institution of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10, or a post-2000 Magistrs, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 16/20 or 80% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, or a good post-2001 Magistras, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, or a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées (comparable to a UK PGDip) or Masters degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from the University of Malta with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons), and/or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10, and/or a good Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters, Mastergrad, Magister. Artium, Sivilingeniør, Candidatus realium or Candidatus philologiae degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0/4 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.    

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of the Bachiller, Licenciado, or Título Profesional with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4 out of 5, dobry ‘good’, and/or a good Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Studiów Podyplomowych (Certificate of Postgraduate Study) or post-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus 'better than good', will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, and/or a good Mestrado / Mestre (Masters) from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree/Diploma de Master/Diploma de Studii Academice Postuniversitare (Postgraduate Diploma - Academic Studies) or Diploma de Studii Postuniversitare de Specializare (Postgraduate Diploma - Specialised Studies) to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Диплом Специалиста (Specialist Diploma) or Диплом Магистра (Magistr) degree from recognised universities in Russia (minimum GPA of 4.0) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/PhD study.

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’, and/or a good Inžinier or a post-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10, and/or a good Diploma specializacija (Postgraduate Diploma) or Magister (Masters) will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 7 out of 10 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good "PostGraduate Certificate" or "PostGraduate Diploma" or a Masters degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) may be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0, 3.5/5 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for entry to our postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree or Mphil from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

• Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
• De La Salle University - Manila
• University of Santo Tomas
• University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest 2.1 = 1.75 2.2 = 2.25 

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest 2.1 = 3.0 2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages 2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83% 2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.  Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree / Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

• 2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement 
• 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement 

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.  Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.  Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

International Students

• How to apply
• Online chat events

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Tackle the biggest challenges in biology, medicine and health in a world leading research environment, and prepare for your future career.

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PhD Clinical Psychology

Year of entry: 2025

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We require applicants to hold, or be about to obtain, an Upper Second class Honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in a related subject area for entry to a PhD programme. A Lower Second class Honours degree may be considered if applicants also hold a Master's degree with a Merit classification.

Full entry requirements

Apply online

Before applying you must:

• Choose a programme or find a project you want to apply for and check you’re eligible.
• Speak to the listed supervisor about your suitability for their project or programme.
• Understand how your project is funded and, if it is self-funded, consider how you plan on funding it.
• Read our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more and ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission.

Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Postgraduate Research page to find out more.

Programme options

Programme overview

• Undertake research in a field you’re passionate about and join a project addressing leading challenges in the area while working with some of Europe's leading researchers and academics.
• Choose to research at a university ranked and 6th in the UK (QS World University Rankings, 2025) and 2nd in the world for social and environmental impact (THE Impact Rankings, 2024), where 93% of research activity is ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (Research Impact Framework, 2021)
• Access some of the best research facilities in the world at the University, through our industry partners, and at hospitals around Greater Manchester.
• Benefit from dedicated support throughout your PhD journey, from pre-application to graduation and everything in between, through our Doctoral Academy
• Undergo training in transferable skills critical to developing early-stage researchers and professionals through the Doctoral Academy's training programme and progress into a career in research, academia or industry.

Visit our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Postgraduate Research page to find out about upcoming open days and events.

Fees for entry in 2025 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2024 were as follows:

• PhD (full-time) UK students (per annum): Standard £4,786, Low £11,000, Medium £17,500, High £23,000 International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £27,000, Low £28,500, Medium £34,500, High £40,500
• PhD (part-time) UK students (per annum): Standard £2393, Low £5,500, Medium £8,750, High £11,500 International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £13,500, Low £14,250, Medium £17,250, High £20,250

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

Contact details

Programmes in related subject areas.

Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview, english language.

For applicants whose first language is not English, or if you have not studied recently in the UK, you must provide evidence of how you meet the English Language requirement.

We mainly accept IELTS or TOEFL tests. Please note IELTS and TOEFL are only valid for two years.

We require a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 overall or TOEFL iBT 100. For the writing component, we expect that you have achieved a minimum of 7.0 (IELTS) or 25 (iBT). 

If your IELTS or TOEFL expires before the start of your programme, you will need to take another official English test before we can issue you with a CAS for your visa application. This is a requirement of UKVI.

For more information about English language tests see  English language requirements .

Please contact us at [email protected] for further information.

English language test validity

Other international entry requirements, application and selection, how to apply, advice to applicants.

Before you start your application, you should:

• Identify the programme or find the specific research project you'd like to apply for.
• Contact the listed project supervisor and speak to them about your suitability for the project.
• Understand how your project is funded or, if you are self-funding, you should have an idea of how you are funding your project and have discussed this with your supervisor.

If you already have funding:

• Find a specific self-funded project and contact the project supervisor to talk to them about your suitability for the project; OR
• Determine your own research project and title, find a potential supervisor in this research area and contact them to discuss supervising your research.

Supporting documents

You'll also need to make sure you have the following documents before you apply:

• Personal statement
• Certificates and transcripts
• Confirmation of funding (if you are self-funded)
• English language ability
• Names and details of two referees to support your application

Visit our ‘How to apply’ page to find out more about the information required for each of these supporting documents.

Any missing information may delay the processing of your application.

Application deadlines

You must submit your application for a postgraduate research programme before the relevant deadline to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these deadlines have passed.

• January entry: 15 October (of the year prior entry)
• April entry: 15 January (year of entry)
• September entry: 15 June (year of entry)

Interview requirements

Candidates will be required to attend an interview with their prospective supervisor as well as an independent Postgraduate Tutor. If it is not possible for you to attend in person, we are able to interview by Zoom/video conferencing.

Disclosure and Barring Service check

Programme details, programme description.

Our PhD/MPhil Clinical Psychology programme enables you to undertake a research project that will improve understanding of Clinical Psychology.

Research within clinical psychology spans the spectrum of key research themes integral to improving our understanding of psychological disorders. These include:

• the integration of psychological explanation to derive understanding and intervention;
• interpersonal and family environments;

Research training within clinical psychology provides a flexible platform for career development while offering structured progression to ensure study objectives are met.

You will join a research group and quickly be immersed in the current research activity being conducted. With your supervisory team, you will follow an intense induction, including agreeing on the key objectives of the study, resources available, relevant seminars and opportunities for personal development.

Within the wider research group, you will have the opportunity to discuss your research with fellow students, post-doctoral candidates and academics.Divisional seminars and research group journal clubswill provide background to recent developments within the discipline and there will be ample opportunity to share personal research findings, contribute to publications and attend/present at prominent conferences.

Most academics are clinical academics and as such have clinical posts within local NHS Trusts, helping to ensure that research ideas and findings are grounded in clinical practice. NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) is also an important funder for clinical psychology PhDs.

All research students are encouraged to attend course units from within the programme that are relevant to their research topic.

Typical units include:

• Practical Issues in Psychological Research;
• Advanced General Methods in Psychology;
• Structured Approaches to Qualitative Data in Psychology;
• Philosophical and Conceptual Issues in Psychology;
• Using Advanced Statistics in Psychology;

If you intend to pursue doctoral study in clinical psychology (i.e. a three-year programme of academic and clinical training) then please note that the entry route for this is different to that for a PhD; please click here for information on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (ClinPsyD).

Special features

Training and development

All of our postgraduate researchers attend the Doctoral Academy Training Programme delivered by the Researcher Development team . The programme provides key transferable skills and equips our postgraduate researchers with the tools to progress beyond their research degree into influential positions within academia, industry and consultancy. The emphasis is on enhancing skills critical to developing early-stage researchers and professionals, whether they relate to effective communication, disseminating research findings and project management skills.

Teaching and learning

Applicants are specifically matched with a Primary Supervisor and individual project based on their research interests and background.

International applicants interested in this research area can also consider our PhD programme with integrated teaching certificate .

This unique programme will enable you to gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning, whilst also carrying out independent research on your chosen project.

Scholarships and bursaries

Funded programmes and projects are promoted throughout the year. Funding is available through UK Research Councils, charities and industry. We also have other internal awards and scholarships for the most outstanding applicants from within the UK and overseas.

For more information on available the types of funding we have available, please visit the  funded programmes  and  funding opportunities  pages.

What our students say

Disability support, career opportunities.

Your postgraduate research degree will open up a range of career opportunities after you graduate. Find out more on the  Careers  page.

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UCL Doctorate In Clinical Psychology

Applying to the Course

The course welcomes applications from interested international candidates. International candidates apply directly to the Clearing House .  For details on the criteria for entry and application process, please visit the international DClinPsy website . 

For details of the application process for home fee candidates, please see details below

The Clearing House application portal will open for autumn 2025 entry during September 2024 (date to be confirmed). The closing date for applications is 1pm on 20th November 2024

Home Fee Status applicants

• Why apply to UCL?

Core Purpose, Values and Philosophy of the Course

• Criteria for entry
• Trainee Job Descriptions
• Application process

Why apply to UCL? The UCL Course is at the forefront of many of the national and local developments and innovations which impact on the profession, and many members of staff are closely involved in NHS planning at both national and local level. We aim to equip trainees with the knowledge and skills they need to become effective clinical practitioners in a rapidly changing NHS. Our guiding principles are the integration of theory with practice, the encouragement of a capacity for independent thinking and reflection, and the fostering of trainees' personal and professional skills. Taken as a whole, teaching and clinical practice should promote the skills essential for the development of evidence-based practitioners. The Course has an explicitly pluralistic ethos and exposes trainees to a variety of approaches. It also encourages practice that demonstrates an awareness of equal opportunities and a sensitivity to the multi-cultural contexts routinely encountered in clinical work in London. The Course is designed and organised with the close involvement of clinicians and Special Interest Groups. A range of support systems are built into the programme, not only to help with the known stresses of training, but also in recognition of the personal and professional change that training promotes. The Course encourages the development of personal qualities such as reflexivity, enthusiasm for learning, and valuing the importance of supervision. These qualities are essential in helping the individual to prepare, once qualified, for continuing professional development and a career as a practising clinical psychologist.

Core purpose The core purpose of the training course is to produce clinical psychologists trained to a high standard in academic, clinical and research domains, enabling them to meet the standards described by the HCPC Standards of Education and Training and Standards of Proficiency and the accreditation criteria of the British Psychological Society for Chartered status, and to qualify them for work within the National Health Service (NHS).

Values The values of the Course are aligned with those set out in the following codes, all of which can be found on the Course website:

• The HCPC Standards of Conduct
• the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct
• UCL Student Disciplinary Code
• the NHS Constitution

The values embodied in these codes are reflected at all stages and in all domains of the programme - in its application processes, in the content and delivery of the teaching programme, in clinical placements and in the professional and personal support offered to trainees.

The NHS constitution sets out some core values which can be summarised as follows:

• putting clients first and involving everyone who is relevant to their care
• speaking up in the client's interests when things go wrong
• affording respect and dignity to clients, their families and fellow professionals, valuing them as individuals and respecting their aspirations and commitments
• offering resources to the benefit of the whole community and ensuring that people are not excluded or discriminated against
• offering high-quality, safe and effective care
• offering care that is compassionate and responsive to the needs of clients, their families and carers
• improving health and well-being and people's experience of the NHS

Philosophy 1. The Course has a pluralistic ethos: it aims to expose trainees to a variety of approaches within clinical psychology rather than just one. This is designed to ensure that trainees can respond flexibly to the demands that will be made of them in a rapidly changing NHS.

2. The Course aims to promote strong links between theory and practice and is organised to ensure that the clinical, academic and research components of training are well integrated. Reflecting this concern:

a) Diversity in teaching methods is encouraged, matching the method to the material to be taught.

b) Skills teaching is integrated within the academic programme, along with the use of experiential teaching methods.

c) Trainees are encouraged to adopt a hypothesis-testing approach to their work and to adopt a thoughtful and critical approach to the use of research evidence concerning the effectiveness of therapeutic techniques.

3. The Course endeavors to enable trainees to achieve high standards of clinical competence. To ensure high quality and relevance to the field, teaching is organised by a mixture of academic staff and clinical psychologist practitioners, many of whom have a national reputation in their fields.

4. The Course aims to promote good practice in teaching and research across a wide range of specialties, and to ensure that teaching of specialities with recruitment difficulties is of the highest quality.

5. The Course tries to ensure that trainees can practice effectively and equitably in the context of the diversity that characterises clinical populations in London. The promotion of equal opportunities in the selection of trainees and in teaching is an important feature of the Course philosophy, and a theme of the programme.

6. The Course aims to ensure that trainees develop a professional role that is both active and collegial, and hence a capacity to understand the roles and approaches of professional colleagues, and an ability to maintain good working relationships which promote the psychological well-being of clients.

7. The Course aims to foster an awareness of, and a responsiveness to, the needs of service users and carers, both through its teaching and by encouraging trainees routinely to consult with service users in order to understand their perspectives and needs.

8. As is consistent with the learner-led model of teaching appropriate for students at this level of training, the Course aims to be responsive to feedback at all levels of its organisation. The Course aims to ensure that its systems of assessment and evaluation of trainees also accord with best practice in this area and that trainees are involved in the assessment process.

9. The Course aims to foster an enthusiasm for learning and an openness to questioning, in teaching, in clinical practice and in research. Trainees are encouraged to follow up their interests and to develop personally over the three years of training.

10. The Course aims to make research an integral part of training by developing trainees' capacity actively to make use of available research, and equipping them with the skills to contribute to the evidence-base of the profession. The Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology has an internationally recognised research programme and trainees are encouraged to work with members of staff to maintain the same  high standards for their own research

12. The Course aims to be responsive to its purchasers (Health Education North Central and East London) and to Clinical Psychology services in the London region who offer supervision to trainees and employment to graduates from the course.

13. It is widely recognised that clinical psychology training can be stressful and the course endeavours to ensure that good sources of support are available to trainees. As is consistent with the general course philosophy, no one approach is favoured, but rather a variety of systems (including access to personal therapy) are offered.

The standards set out above are those by which the Course wishes to be judged. The measure of our success is our capacity to enable trainees to develop personal and professional competences congruent with our aspirations, and to become effective practitioners who can apply their skills for the benefit of service users and carers and go on to shape clinical practice and research in the future.

Criteria for entry The UCL Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is a 3-year full-time programme which entitles graduates to apply for registration as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council and as a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.

Candidates need to meet some basic academic criteria. After that, they also need to demonstrate (by gaining some relevant clinical experience) that they have some awareness of the roles undertaken by clinical psychologists, are familiar with the sorts of clients psychologists see, and have an idea of the contexts within which psychologists work. In addition, they need to show that they have the appropriate personal characteristics needed to work effectively with a wide range of potentially vulnerable individuals, and to contribute to the work of fellow professionals in the NHS or equivalent organisations.

Academic criteria All candidates need to have obtained a good pass in an undergraduate honours degree in Psychology. The degree needs to confer eligibility for Graduate Basis for Charted Membership (GBC: see below). Because training leads to a Doctoral degree it is important that candidates show us that they can undertake work at a Doctoral level. For this reason candidates must obtain a minimum of a good 2.1 pass in their undergraduate Psychology degree.

Candidates who have not achieved a good 2.1 may need to think carefully about whether it makes sense to pursue a training in Clinical Psychology, since it is unlikely that they will be offered a place on a Doctoral Course. However, we recognise that sometimes degrees under-represent someone's academic ability - for example, illness or major life-events may have meant that there were periods when it was hard to maintain a good standard of work. If this is the case applicants need to offer clear evidence of their academic capacity in their application. This evidence must be supported by an academic referee who has monitored the candidate's work and can clearly demonstrate that certain academic achievements results underestimate the applicant's academic abilities.

Candidates with a 2.2 will not usually be accepted on the course unless there is unequivocal evidence of subsequent academic achievement equivalent to a good 2.1. In practice this means obtaining a higher degree, but the type of degree needs to be thought about carefully. Some Masters degrees will not offer enough academic challenge, making it hard for an academic referee to make the unequivocal judgment about a student's ability that a course needs. The more academically demanding a course, the more likely it is that they will be able to do this.

Graduate basis for chartered membership In order to be considered for a place on any training course in Clinical Psychology it is essential to have Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC)with the British Psychological Society (BPS), usually at the time of applying or certainly by the time shortlisting is completed (in February). Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership is the same as Graduate Basis for Registration: all that has changed is the name. So if you previously had GBR you will now have GBC. The usual way of obtaining this is by completing an undergraduate degree in Psychology, or by taking a qualifying exam or programme which confers eligibility. Not all Psychology programmes confer eligibility for GBC. If you are unsure whether you are entitled to GBC you should check this with your programme staff or write to the BPS (St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR; Tel: 0116 254 9568; e-mail: [email protected] ) for more details.

Relevant clinical experience In order to have a realistic chance of being selected it is essential to gain some relevant clinical experience before applying to the course. There are several reasons for this. It gives applicants a chance to test out whether work in this field is for them - it is much better to discover this before making a major career commitment. It also means that courses know that candidates' applications are realistic, and gives them an idea of how applicants have responded to the clinical work they have undertaken. Many trainees find that they make good use of their pre-training experience during training, so it is not 'wasted' time.

We know that asking for relevant experience causes people to think twice about applying for Clinical Psychology course. It means that there is a gap between completing an undergraduate degree and starting training, with no guarantee of getting on a course. This presents a real challenge to many people, not least a financial one. There is also a risk - widely recognised by courses - that potential applicants feel themselves obliged to work for a number of years in the hope of gaining enough experience to be taken onto a course. We know that most people work for around 1-2 years before getting on a course, and in most cases this should be sufficient.

Being clear about what counts as experience is hard to specify, especially because suitable posts vary enormously. As above, and very broadly, candidates should look for experience which gives them:

.  an idea of what clinical psychologists actually do .  some direct clinical contact with the sort of clients psychologists work with .  an idea of what work with clients actually entails .  a sense of the organisational context in which clinical psychology usually operates

One common route is to find work as an Assistant Psychologist. These posts are advertised in the BPS Bulletin (distributed monthly to all members of the BPS) and also (although less frequently) in other relevant publications - for example, the health section of papers such as The Guardian. 

As assistant posts are in relatively short supply, it is important to emphasise that they are not the only route to gaining relevant experience. For this reason applicants should think broadly about the possible options open to them. For example, employment in a social work context or as a nursing assistant in a psychiatric unit, or as a worker in a MIND Day Centre would be extremely valuable; all would count as relevant experience. Another route is to take a post as a research assistant, though the research should usually offer at least some direct involvement in a clinical area. It is worth remembering that a very "academic" research post would not give candidates much of a sense of how the clinical world operates, or how they react to the sorts of clients seen in clinical contexts.

There is something of a myth that applicants need to build an extensive 'portfolio' of experience, with more than one client group, and with a mixture of research and clinical experience. Speaking at least for selectors at UCL, we are not looking for this. We are looking for people whose posts map onto the bullet-pointed criteria just above, and who can show (and reflect on) the benefits of this experience in the way they present themselves. Basically it is the quality of experience - and what the person makes of it - that is as important as the quantity of experience.  

Part-time work Part-time work is an acceptable way of gaining experience. However, there can be problems if the work is very part-time. While working (say) for 3 hours a week could give candidates some relevant experience, this is inevitably going to be rather limited. If your circumstances mean that this is all the experience that you are able to gain then it is important to be clear about why this is so, and to show how (despite its brevity) the experience has been used to good advantage.

Voluntary work Voluntary work in an appropriate area "counts" in the same way as paid work. It is the type of work being undertaken (rather than whether there is a salary) which determines its relevance.

Because of the shortage of posts a number of applicants take voluntary posts, and this can be one way of gaining entry to paid employment. Although these posts can offer high-quality experience, candidates should be careful not to accept inappropriate "terms and conditions". The Course is concerned that people should not place themselves in a position where their motivation to undertake training exposes them to exploitation. Despite their voluntary nature, these posts should offer supervision and support.  

Gaining experience outside the NHS As above, relevant posts can be found outside the NHS. However, it is a good idea to work (at least to some extent) in a context which gives you a general sense of the statutory healthcare system. For example, a MIND daycare centre, or a stand-alone unit for people with substance abuse services might operate outside, but have links to, the NHS. Clients would almost certainly have (or have had) contact with NHS provision, and there would be opportunities to learn (albeit indirectly) about the way in which the healthcare system operates.

English Language Proficiency Requirement As per the UCL graduate admissions policy, command of the English language is considered essential. All applicants whose first language is not English must provide recent evidence that they have an adequate command of both spoken and written English. Candidates are required to achieve a minimum of 'good level' of English proficiency as specified by UCL. For more details of qualifications accepted and criteria for a 'good level' of English, please click here .

Home fee status Because places offered through the Clearing House are NHS funded we can only consider applicants who meet home fee status. If in any doubt about your fee status, applicants should contact the UCL admissions office directly before making an application to the course. Further information can be found here.  

Funding All places on the course for home fee status trainees are funded by the NHS - this includes a salary and payment of academic fees. We do not accept home fee status trainees on a self-funding basis.

Currently trainees are paid on Band 6 of the Agenda for Change pay scales. Travelling expenses are paid at the Whitley public transport rate. University fees are paid directly by the NHS. Trainees are full time employees of the health service and have annual leave and other benefits in line with usual NHS entitlements.

Trainee job descriptions

• Trainee Job Description
• Person Specification

How to Apply 

Making an Application - the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology As is the case for all UK courses, applications for the UCL course are administered through a central clearing house. They provide a handbook giving details of all courses and deal with all applications. A hyperlink to the UCL handbook entry can be found below.

For an application form and information about other courses in the UK write to: The Clearing House, Fairbairn House, 71-75 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2 9PH, e-mail them at: [email protected] , or visit their website: https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/

The deadline for receiving completed applications is usually in November each year, but applicants should confirm this.

UCL process  Selection falls into several distinct phases: First, candidates' forms are screened and those which do not meet the basic entry criteria (e.g. the absence of GBC, no relevant experience, no home/ EU fees status) are excluded. Subsequently each candidate's form is rated in order to reach a decision about who to invite for interview. Selectors look for evidence of academic ability, and indicators of clinical aptitude (such as motivation, realism, appropriate preparation for training), and will pay particular attention to the candidates' personal statements.

We interview about 200 applicants for 85 home fees places. Each candidate attends for a half day; the interviews focus on academic, clinical and professional issues and service user issues. Interviews are designed to be challenging at the same time as giving applicants an opportunity to engage with the panel and show their best. Current trainees are available throughout the day to provide information about their experience of training. The course regrets that it cannot pay travelling expenses to those who attend for interview.

Equal opportunities: We aim to ensure that applicants will not be disadvantaged in selection because of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social class, disability or age. The Course is particularly keen to ensure that trainee cohorts reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the population of London. We wish to encourage applications from suitably qualified individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds and are continuously reviewing our selection procedures to ensure that they do not inadvertently discriminate against some groups during the selection process.

Frequently asked questions We find that the majority of the queries we receive can be answered through the below listed information. We therefore ask that before getting in touch with us with your query, please do first review the below information. If after doing so, you still have questions, we would be more than happy to answer them if we can. If this is the case, please do then get in touch with us on our enquiries email address which is listed below. In the email please do: 

In the title of the email put “[Your name] - Follow-up query having reviewed FAQ information” in the email set out to us your specific queries and we will do our best to answer them for you 

Questions about how to apply All applications to the DClinPsy are made via Clearing House. Details and dates for application can be found at:   https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/applications

Deadlines are announced late summer and will appear on the application pages. They are usually mid to late November.  Application deadlines are final. You can also find further details about our course on our Clearing House page and on this website: https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/courses/courses-z/north-thames-ucl Questions about visa status  UCL has recently updated its information regarding fee status here that you can check: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/fees-and-funding/pay-your-fees/fee-schedules/student-fee-status        If you still have any queries or uncertainties about your fee status after reviewing the above webpage, we suggest that you contact the UCL admissions team directly ( [email protected] ) as they would be best placed to advise regarding fee status. 

Questions about Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS) One of the essential entry criteria for our DClinPsy programme is for applicants to have GBC with the BPS. We are not able to answer questions about whether your degree course(s) would confer you GBC, or to support your applications for GBC. Please liaise with the BPS directly for any queries regarding GBC: https://www.bps.org.uk/join-us/membership/graduate-membership

Questions about academic requirements when I completed my course in another country   Please check this UCL page for information of grade equivalents for courses completed in other countries:  https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international/country-search   If English is a second language or your undergraduate degree was not taught in English, you would need to provide with your application evidence of language proficiency.  Evidence of English language proficiency may take the form of the following:  

An acceptable English language qualification or test result no more than three years prior to the proposed date of enrolment. The qualification or test result must be equivalent to an IELTS 7.5 overall with a minimum score of 7.0 on sub-tests (what UCL classify as “Level 4”) A minimum of eighteen months' work experience conducted in English and conducted in the three years prior to the proposed date of enrolment.   A successfully completed one-year taught graduate programme undertaken in English and undertaken no more than three years prior to the proposed date of enrolment   

Please see the link below for more details on UCL’s policies on English language requirements: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/english-language-requirements

Which conversion or Masters course shall I pick? We are often asked which conversion or Masters course is ‘better’ to pick. Our main advice is to pick the course that best serves you, your particular context and learning hopes. 

In terms of specific conversion courses, it seems important to decide what best works for you, for example, in terms of location, your experience or interest, course content/ethos and any personal needs. The only requirement would be that it is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), which means you will be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) from the BPS, which is essential for minimum requirements for pursuing the doctorate in Clinical Psychology. The BPS has a search function for accredited courses, please see: https://portal.bps.org.uk/Accredited-Courses

Please also consider different ways to research the feel and content of the course, including the institutions themselves and the link section at the bottom of this section.  

In terms of Master courses, please see our academic criteria listed in the section above to note that you do not need to have a Masters, assuming you have sufficiently demonstrated your academic ability in your undergraduate course. If you have not scored highly in your undergraduate course, please see the section below re scoring below a high 2:1. Some applicants choose to read a Masters to further their understanding in an area of interest; we look at each application on a case-by-case basis to build a picture of the different experiences you have and what you have learnt through these. We are not in a position of naming one institution or course over another; different institutions and courses offer different people valuable experiences at different points in their life. Instead, we invite you to reflect on what is needed to be demonstrated within an application and which course is the best fit with this, taken together with the rest of your experience and academic history.  If you are linked in with someone who is a Clinical Psychologist they may be in a better placed to think with you about what you are hoping to gain from pursuing the masters, how this fits with Clinical Psychology and which course may be the best fit for you at this point in your career. Alternatively, you may simply wish to pick a course that you’re likely to enjoy the most, and therefore perhaps learn the most through too. In terms of the institution you choose, we acknowledge that there are many factors that influence why people choose the courses that they do, and we do not categorise people based on the institutions they studied at. 

I have extenuating reasons for why I scored below a high 2.1, will I still be eligible to apply?  A helpful place to find the answers to this type of question is to review the above section on entry requirements, where there are full detail on the requirements for entry into our Clinical Psychology Doctorate including the academic requirements.    Overall, we look for people who have demonstrated that they can perform at a high academic level, so that we can be certain that the applicant will be able to manage the academic demands of a doctoral level course. We are keen to take seriously the range of reasons that can affect someone’s academic attainment, at the same time as ensuring we are confident someone is at a point where they could manage the demands of the course. We look carefully at everyone’s application. Please note:

- For candidates who did not achieve a high 2:1 due to mitigating circumstances, we would consider these applicants but advise that candidates make clear in their application the mitigating circumstances (you can use the final question of the application form for this) and ask their academic referee to explicitly comment on this and their overall academic ability in light of their performance. 

- Candidates who did not achieve a high 2:1 in their undergraduate degree but subsequently go on to achieve at a high 2:1 or above (i.e., a high merit or a distinction) on a postgraduate or conversion course will be considered. You must still provide the transcript from your undergraduate course but may wish to choose an academic referee from your postgraduate or conversion course who is able to comment on your academic ability within the context of your performance on postgraduate study and how this is more representative of your academic ability than your undergraduate performance.  

We will use your academic transcript to gain evidence of your overall degree grade, so please do ensure to include transcripts from any degree courses you have completed.

My degree transcript does not provide a final overall percentage  If at all possible, we ask that applicants whose transcripts do not provide an overall percentage, get confirmation from their university about what their percentage would have been for their degree. This can either be a letter from the department or email correspondence with the department / registry.

If your university does not provide the percentage but they give you instructions of how to calculate your overall percentage yourself, please do this and include your overall percentage on your application form. You should then upload the correspondence detailing the instructions of how to calculate the percentage with your application to explain how you have calculated your percentage.

We understand that some universities are not able to provide confirmation of what your overall percentage grade was for your university degree or instructions on how to do so. Please be assured that we will still consider your application if this is the case. If your university does not provide you with the percentage or instructions of how to calculate your percentage, please do simply upload the correspondence you had with your university confirming they are not able to provide the overall percentage for you or instructions of how to do so. Alongside this please do upload your transcript(s) for us to review. We would also suggest that you ask your academic reference to comment on your overall performance in your studies and whether your final degree was equivalent of a high 2:1.

If you achieved a 1 st on your degree, we would not require a letter confirming the overall percentage for your degree.

Questions about A/AS Levels, Highers and equivalent school qualifications We are often asked whether grades achieved at A-Level (or equivalent) are taken into account when selecting applicants for interview.

While we do consider A-Levels or equivalent qualifications as part of the overall picture of academic suitability for the doctorate, we do not consider these to be as relevant an indicator of academic ability as University-level study. When assessing academic suitability, assessors will give greater consideration to achievement at degree level, together with the academic reference.

However, if you are concerned that your performance at A-Level was not indicative of your academic ability, we would advise that you may use the final section of the application form to highlight any reasons for this (“If there are any other factors and/or any further context that are relevant in assessing your application please give details here”). For example if there were extenuating circumstances that impacted on your attainment at A-Level, you could provide some details to contextualize the grades that you provided on your form and we will take this into consideration when reviewing your application.

Questions about quality and quantity of clinical experience: including ‘do I have enough experience’, ‘does this type of experience count’ and ‘where do I get experience from’.  Once again, we would refer to the above sections which detail our requirements for entry to our course including the relevant experience requirements. We do hope that this offers clarity around the value of clinical experience prior to training – not only for your own learning and confidence that this is the field you wish to commit to, as well as to develop relevant skills and understandings ahead of training, and also to highlight that experience can come in many forms. 

Please also note within this that it is not a pre-requisite that you have to serve a long “apprenticeship” before entering training. In brief, what an individual learns through experience, as you may imagine, is very dependent on various factors and so it is not a case of X amount of time in a certain role equates to particular learning outcomes. Indeed, we find that those who are successful at gaining a place on our course have a wide range of type of experience as well as amount of experience. On average though, we find that most successful applicants have at least 2 years relevant experience at the point of applying to the course.  

One aspect we would invite you to consider is whether your experience has allowed you to develop a solid understanding of what Clinical Psychologists actually do, and what they do not do. Through your application, we are keen for you to demonstrate your understanding of the roles that clinical psychologists have within healthcare and therefore gaining experience that offers you this is what is most important. We find that it helps if the applicant has had a reasonable amount of direct contact with clinical psychologists. While this is not a pre-requisite for applying to the course, applicants, who have not had the opportunity to work with clinical psychologists, find it much more difficult to demonstrate the level of understanding we expect. This exposure to clinical psychology practice in the NHS can be acquired in different ways and does not mean that you must have had an assistant psychologist post prior to applying.  

We are also interested in how you write about and reflect upon your experiences: this is one of the reasons why, unfortunately, we cannot answer in a straightforward way the question we often get of ‘Will my experience be enough?’.  We would also strongly recommend looking at some of the links in the final section at the end of this email given how common these sorts of dilemmas are, and how much helpful information is available more broadly to those hoping to enter the profession.  

Questions about Health Education England (HEE) funding for psychological professions training programmes  HEE guidance about future funding for training in psychological professions was most recently updated in July 2022. This update clarified that there would be no retrospective application of rule changes to those starting a training programme by 31 st  March 2022. Following these exemptions, we understand that anyone who has completed one of the affected programmes listed on the website (link below) will not be eligible for further HEE funding for 2 years following completion of the award. We will continue to update this section as further information becomes available.

Please see the HEE website for further information: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/mental-health/psychological-professions/funding-psychological-professions-training-programmes .

HEE have also provided a FAQ document, available here:  https://healtheducationengland.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/MHPe/EV2JbH8FHo9GgvBuKXnnQZUBqGH1_Xlh6oj0l6aqVQ1kRQ?e=XBHPCp .

Our course starts in the final week of September. If you would like to know the exact start date for next year, please do contact us in a follow-up email and we will be able to confirm this for you. If you have any individual queries about a course that you have completed and the above mentioned 2 year rule, please contact HEE directly.

Choosing who to ask for your reference It can feel difficult to know who is best to choose for your academic and relevant experience reference. The key principle that we would suggest you keep in mind is to choose someone for each reference that knows you well enough to be able to directly comment on your abilities (whether this be your academic abilities or your clinical abilities). We are most interested in hearing about their perspectives on this, and therefore if you choose someone that is not able to do this, they might only be able to provide very brief / global comments which are less helpful. If possible, it is also helpful to seek references from individuals that are aware of the requirements and demands of the DClinPsy programme, as they will then be better placed to comment on your suitability for training. This does not mean that you need to have a reference from a clinical psychologist. We would not consider references from peers / friends to be suitable. Older applicants Although many applicants are in their 20s, the age range of trainees is quite broad. At UCL we have a good number of trainees who are not in their 20s. We recognise that more mature 'older' applicants - especially those who are switching careers - may find it more difficult to find the time to gain experience and undertake relevant academic study. As above, the course does not expect candidates to present a long portfolio of clinical experience - quality is just as important (if not more so) than quantity. Demonstrating a capacity to show how learning from experience has taken place takes candidates a long way. Where candidates are looking to make a major career change they should demonstrate the rationale for their decision in their application.

Health checks Everyone working in the NHS must have a health check before they take up their post. This is to ensure that they are physically and psychologically capable of doing the job, and that they do not present a risk to the vulnerable people they will be working with. Health checks are carried out on all new entrants by the Occupational Health department of Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. Their assessment is based on a health questionnaire and an interview with an occupational health adviser.

People with disabilities UCL has a policy of supporting individuals with disabilities, and its Disability Equality Scheme ( www.ucl.ac.uk/disability ) aims to promote equality of opportunity and positive attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. Under the umbrella of UCL's Disability Services Support there are a number of services offering support for students: The Disability Centre, The Dyslexia Assessment and Support Centre, and the Student Enabling Information Technology Suite. Detailed information about these services and the range of support available for students with disabilities is available on the UCL website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/support-and-wellbeing/support-disabled-students

The Course aims to work collaboratively with trainees with disabilities to ensure that they can carry out their work or studies successfully and to reduce potential barriers to a positive training experience. Wherever possible we seek to make appropriate adaptations for people with disabilities and try to make sure that clinical placements have the facilities appropriate to each individual's needs.   Access to the right sort of information is an important first step in making (and supporting) an application. For this reason applicants with a disability should feel free to contact the Senior Admissions Tutor to discuss the nature of their impairment or disability (whether the condition is permanent, temporary or fluctuating) as early as possible in the application process.

Deferred entry If we make an offer of a place, we will not usually defer entry to a subsequent year, however we would consider deferral requests in exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

Further Questions We have tried to provide a comprehensive overview of the UCL application criteria and procedure on these web pages. Hopefully this will have answered your questions and queries; if you have read through the information and still have queries then please contact our  admissions team , following the instructions set out at the start of this section. You should note that contacting us does not confer any advantage in our selection process.

Useful links  Many of the questions and dilemmas we receive can sometimes be better answered by more informal conversations with fellow aspiring clinical psychologists, and drawing from the wisdoms that you all have. There are often assistant psychology and aspiring psychologist forums, live events and online spaces so we would suggest an internet search to see what is available and feels relevant for you e.g. a local or national group, or perhaps a group attached to an NHS Trust, voluntary organization or university. Groups often are aware of a range of useful and current resources, including online blogs and interesting people to follow in social media. Below are a list of useful links to some of these groups as well as some others that may help to answer any further questions you have about our course or the DClinPsy more generally: 

- The Clearing House: the website through which you apply to the DClinPsy which also has further information on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and all the course centers that offer it:    https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/applications - The Alternative Handbook:  This is a publication from the Pre-Qualification Group of the Division of Clinical Psychology (BPS). This is an annual survey of trainees from across the country that seeks to get feedback on course content, processes, supports and trainee experiences. The publication is free and released annually. The publication is released in the September of each year, before application forms are released:  https://shop.bps.org.uk/the-alternative-handbook-2022-a-trainee%E2%80%99s-guide-to-postgraduate-clinical-psychology-courses - The Pre-Qualification Group (PQG) of the Division of Clinical Psychology:  The PQG support individuals seeking a career in clinical psychology, offer events and advocate for its members at an organisational level nationally. They offer lots of resources, supports and advice for aspiring psychologists:   https://www.bps.org.uk/node/1105 - The Valued voices mentoring scheme : A joint initiative of the six London-area DClinPsy courses, this scheme is open to Black, Asian, MENA and Mixed aspiring clinical psychologists in the London area. All mentees attend an evening reflective workshop, run by current DClinPsy trainees, and are then matched with 1:1 trainee and/or qualified clinical psychologist mentors. To register your interest in the scheme, please email  [email protected]   - The Minorities in Clinical Training group (PQG, DCP):  The Minorities Group specifically support and advocate on behalf of aspiring psychologists who identify with a minority group: https://www.bps.org.uk/member-networks/division-clinical-psychology/equality-diversity-inclusion-anti-racism

Please also consider looking at:  - Division of Clinical Psychology in the British Psychological Society:  https://www.bps.org.uk/member-microsites/division-clinical-psychology    - British Psychological Society general information on becoming a psychologist (including links to all different career routes in psychology):  https://www.bps.org.uk/public/become-psychologist   - British Psychological Society page on becoming a Clinical Psychologist:  Find your career in psychology - The British Psychological Society (bps.org.uk) - British Psychological society Pre-qualification group podcast:  https://twitter.com/gettoclinical   - Keynote on Access, Inclusion and Anti-Racism in clinical psychology By Dr Kat Alcock:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsDFPCNr4Lc    - Seeing is Believing: The Changing Face of Clinical Psychology YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXekgUmYema-0huj5iUcYA    - The NHS careers page, which gives information about different careers in psychology which might help you thinking about whether clinical psychology is the specific role you are wanting to pursue:  https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychological-professions    - In2gr8 mental health: is a centre for valuing, destigmatising and supporting lived experience of mental health difficulties in mental health professionals: https://www.in2gr8mentalhealth.com/

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Clinical psychologist

You'll work with people of all ages on a wide range of psychological difficulties in mental and physical health. This can include anxiety, depression, psychosis, 'personality disorder', eating disorders, addictions, learning disabilities and family or relationship issues. 

Clinical psychologists work with individuals as well as teams and organisations to develop and support psychological practice. You could also be a clinical associate in psychology (CAP), a new role in the NHS which is aligned to clinical psychology. 

Working life 

Using direct observation, interviews and techniques such as psychometric testing, you’ll make an assessment of a patient’s problem. Psychological intervention requires shared decision making with the individual, and often their carers and family members.  

You'll work in partnership with service users to design and implement interventions to overcome their condition or improve their quality of life. This will usually take place over a series of individual, couple, family or group sessions. You'll deliver psychological therapy but also train practitioners and other supervising staff, undertake research and lead teams of clinicians.

You'll be trained to work with individuals, families and groups of different ages experiencing psychological distress or behavioural problems which disrupt their everyday functioning and wellbeing. You'll  aim to reduce distress and to enhance and promote psychological well-being, minimise exclusion and inequalities and enable service users to engage in meaningful relationships and valued work and leisure activities.

You'll will draw on your scientific knowledge to bring about positive change. You're trained in cognitive behavioural therapy as well as at least one other major psychotherapeutic approach. You'll provide individual therapy, and work with couples or families, as well as teams and services. You'll also provide supervision and support to other professionals and teams and develop services and carry out research.

Danielle Pettman

Trainee clinical psychologist.

The best part about my training is the breadth of work.

Training is a three year full time taught doctorate programme which includes teaching, supervision, and a salaried training post paid at  Agenda for Change  Band 6.

Entry requirements

You'll need a psychology degree recognised for the "Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership " by the  British Psychological Society . There is also a high level of competition for places on the 30 training programmes in the UK. 

You'll also be asked to show how you think the  values  of the NHS Constitution apply in your everyday work. 

Who will I work with?

As a clinical psychologist, you will specialise in work with a specific population, such as children and young people, adults of all ages, people with learning disabilities or people with neurological problems.

You may work as part of a multi-professional team including doctors , nurses ,  allied health professionals  and a range of other psychological professionals.

Some clinical psychologists also work for part of their week teaching and researching in their area of expertise.

Where will I work?

You are likely to work in some, or all, of the following settings:

• in hospitals
• in local clinics and health centres
• in community mental health teams
• in social services, schools and prisons
• Improving Access to Psychology Therapy (IAPT) services.

You will also liaise with members of community mental healthcare teams and other agencies such as the probation service and social services.

Pay and benefits

Most jobs in the NHS are covered by the Agenda for Change ( AfC ) pay scales. This pay system covers all staff except doctors, dentists and the most senior managers. 

While training, clinical psychologists will be paid at band 6 and after completing their training, they will be paid at band 7, with opportunities to progress to higher banding in your career. Clinical psychologists in the NHS work full or part time. Terms and conditions can vary for employers outside of the NHS. 

Where the role can lead 

After qualifying and gaining some clinical experience, you may decide to specialise in a particular area of work, such as clinical neuropsychology, working with offenders or people with dementia. 

You could also specialise in specific psychological therapies. For example you could work in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services if you have undertaken a Doctorate that is also accredited by the  British Association of Behavioural And Cognitive Psychotherapies  (BABCP, Level 2). Or you could specialise in dialectical behaviour therapy or  family and systemic psychotherapy  by undertaking further training.

Some clinical psychologists decide to go into supervisory roles,  clinical management  or  clinical academic research . You could apply for more senior positions e.g. consultant psychologist or head of a psychological service.

If you start NHS-funded training from April 2022, you will normally be unable to access further NHS-funded training for a new occupation in the psychological professions until two years after your qualifying exam board. Visit the funding for psychological professions training programmes web page for more information about NHS funding.

Specialising in clinical neuropsychology

You  may be able to specialise in clinical neuropsychology .   Clinical neuropsychologists work in the assessment and rehabilitation of people with brain injury or neurological disorder. They are specially trained to understand the relationship between brain and neuropsychological function. Brain injuries and neurological illnesses can affect the way a person thinks,  feels  and behaves and it is a clinical neuropsychologist's job to assess and help to treat the effects of these problems. You could work across a range of health and social care providers and may work as part of multi-professional teams including neurosurgeons,  neurologists  and allied health professionals.   

You will work  in a specialist service and  undertak e  the British Psychological Society's (BPS)  Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology  ( QiCN ). Criteria for the  QiCN  involves completing a post-doctoral diploma in clinical neuropsychology and examination of a two-year portfolio of clinical neuropsychology cases. You will then be eligible  for entry onto the  BPS Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists .  

Clinical associate in psychology

A clinical associate in psychology (CAP) provides psychologically informed interventions under the supervision of a fully qualified clinical psychologist, based on a psychological ‘formulation’ of the patient’s difficulties. This is a simplified 'map' of how different aspects of the problem fit together and what could be keeping it going.

You will use formulations and assessment tools to work with people to find and deliver the best course of intervention, linked to evidence.

Unlike clinical psychologists, you will work only within the single area of practice you’ve trained in, such as children and young people’s services, or adult mental health services.

You'll then need to do an apprenticeship run by an employer such as an NHS trust which is linked to an integrated Master’s degree. The apprenticeship takes 18 months and is funded by the employer. The training includes elements of theory, research and practical skills and will qualify you to work as a practitioner in NHS services. Opportunities to apply for CAP apprenticeships are led by employing healthcare organisations, and advertised on the  NHS Jobs website . You are usually paid at band 5 during their programme and band 6 on completion.

Find your course to become a clinical psychologist

Clinical psychology.

Staffordshire University

• Qualification Professional Doctorate Study mode Full-time Duration of the course 3 Years Leading to a career in Psychology (clinical)
• Contact details [email protected] 01782 294000
• Region West Midlands Admissions address College Road Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2DE England

Clinical Psychology (ClinPsyD)

University of Manchester

• Qualification ClinPsyD Study mode Full-time Duration of the course 36 Months Leading to a career in Psychology (clinical)
• Contact details [email protected] +44 (0)161 306 0402
• Region North West Admissions address University Recruitment And Adm Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL United Kingdom

University of Glasgow

• Qualification DClinPsy Study mode Full-time Duration of the course 36 Months Leading to a career in Psychology (clinical)
• Contact details [email protected] 0141 330 4515
• Region Scotland Admissions address University of Glasgow University Avenue Glasgow G12 8QQ Scotland

University of Birmingham

• Qualification ClinPsyD Study mode Full-time Duration of the course 3 Years Leading to a career in Psychology (clinical)
• Contact details [email protected]
• Region West Midlands Admissions address Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TU England

Bangor University

• Qualification DClinPsy Study mode Full-time Duration of the course 3 Years Leading to a career in Psychology (clinical)
• Contact details [email protected] 01248 383762
• Region Wales Admissions address Bangor Campus Bangor (Wales) LL57 2DG Wales
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Course type

Qualification, university name, doctorate degrees in clinical psychology.

37 degrees at 30 universities in the UK.

Customise your search

Select the start date, qualification, and how you want to study

About Postgraduate Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychology is a branch of psychology which uses both theory and practical knowledge to better understand how people think and behave. Clinical psychologists perform the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses, and address emotional difficulties in people of all ages and backgrounds.

To study a doctorate in clinical psychology, you’ll need a minimum of a second-class honours undergraduate degree in psychology or an equivalent postgraduate qualification if your undergraduate degree is not in psychology. Work experience is also usually required in order to have a realistic chance of being selected, and this can include work in a healthcare setting or a background in clinical research involving direct contact with patients.

There are more than 50 doctorate courses available in the UK, and around 550 funded places on this type of programme. Completing a PhD in clinical psychology allows you to work at the highest levels within the profession.

What to expect

A doctorate in clinical psychology is a three-year degree course, combining academic study and clinical training. Specific modules will vary between universities; however, it is recognised that the majority of graduates will go on to work in the NHS, and the programming is designed to ensure that graduates will be able to meet the client needs and organisational requirements of the public health service.

You’ll be trained to the standards of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and your course should carry the accreditation credentials of the British Psychological Society so that you can achieve chartered status and enter professional practice.

As an interdisciplinary field which includes both practical and research work, clinical psychology is a versatile PhD option that can lead to careers as researchers, practitioners, educators, policymakers and many more.

Related subjects:

• Doctorate Clinical Psychology
• Doctorate Applied Psychology
• Doctorate Behavioural Psychology
• Doctorate Child Psychology
• Doctorate Cognitive Psychology
• Doctorate Criminal Psychology
• Doctorate Developmental Psychology
• Doctorate Educational Psychology
• Doctorate Forensic Psychology
• Doctorate General Psychology
• Doctorate Human Sexuality
• Doctorate Occupational Psychology
• Doctorate Organisational Behaviour
• Doctorate Organisational Psychology
• Doctorate Psychological Counselling
• Doctorate Psychology
• Doctorate Psychology Specialisations
• Doctorate Social Psychology
• Doctorate Sports Psychology

• Course title (A-Z)
• Course title (Z-A)
• Price: high - low
• Price: low - high

DClinPsychol Clinical Psychology

Canterbury christ church university.

Studying Clinical Psychology opens the door to a career which is infinitely varied, enabling you to undertake clinical work with a broad Read more...

• 3 years Full time degree

Postgraduate Research in Clinical Psychology

University of east anglia uea.

We are a top tier, research-led university and are committed to making a substantial impact on the global challenges facing society. Our Read more...

• 3 years Full time degree: £4,712 per year (UK)
• 6 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

University of hertfordshire.

Our programme is striving towards embedding social justice and anti-racist principles into practice, and we welcome applicants from Read more...

• 3 years Full time degree: £27,800 per year (UK)

Prof Doc Clinical Psychology

University of east london.

The Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsych) course provides a comprehensive training programme comprising concurrent Read more...

Clinical Psychology DClinPsych

University of glasgow.

This Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is collaboratively funded through NHS Education for Scotland and the University of Glasgow. You will Read more...

• 36 months Full time degree

Clinical Psychology Doctor of (DClinPsy)

Newcastle university.

Our course integrates research and clinical practice. It will prepare you for practice as a professional clinical psychologist. The Read more...

Clinical Psychology DClinPsy

University of nottingham.

Become a skilled, clinical psychologist, who'll be eligible to register with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) .The course Read more...

DClinPsych Clinical Psychology

University of plymouth.

Become a competent and capable clinical psychologist. Receive training which emphasises psychotherapy, reflective practice, complex Read more...

Health Psychology PhD

University of surrey.

Why choose this programme Contribute to a rapidly evolving area of/ practice and research that is becoming increasingly relevant to modern Read more...

• 4 years Full time degree: £4,712 per year (UK)
• 8 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

Health Psychology DHealthPsy

Bristol, university of the west of england.

This part-time programme provides BPS-accredited Stage 2 training, a doctoral-level education and a professional Health Care Professions Read more...

• 3 years Part time degree

North Wales Clinical Psychology DClinPsy

Bangor university.

We would like to give you a flavour of what North Wales is like as a place to live and work. Should you end up here, you will spend three Read more...

• 3 years Full time degree: £4,786 per year (UK)

Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology MPhil/PhD

Ucl (university college london).

We are the world's leading integrated department of applied psychology, focusing on the implementation of groundbreaking research to Read more...

• 3 years Full time degree: £6,035 per year (UK)
• 5 years Part time degree: £3,015 per year (UK)

DHealthPsych Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology

Liverpool john moores university.

LJMU's Prof Doc in Health Psychology meets the requirements for BPS Stage Two training in Health Psychology and leads to eligibility for Read more...

• 27 months Full time degree: £7,450 per year (UK)
• 4 years Part time degree: £3,725 per year (UK)

Doctorate Clinical Psychology (DClinPsych)

University of southampton.

Join a global top 100 research-intensive university and study a mixture of taught and research components on this Clinical Psychology Read more...

Forensic Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ForenClinPsyD)

University of birmingham.

Our Forensic Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ForenClinPsyD) offers broad comprehension in two varying branches of Applied Psychology. Upon Read more...

• 4 years Full time degree: £15,030 per year (UK)

Health Psychology, PhD

Swansea university.

The importance of psychological factors in promoting good health and managing illness and health risks is an increasingly important Read more...

Clinical Psychology PsychD

Why choose this programme Our professional clinical psychology training is based on a unique combination of psychological theory, research Read more...

• 4 years Full time degree

The DClinPsy at UCL offers a uniquely broad range of clinical and research opportunities to trainees. Current research specialities Read more...

Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ClinPsyD)

Our Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ClinPsyD) leads to a professional qualification in Clinical Psychology and eligibility to apply for Read more...

Clinical Psychology Doctorate

Coventry university.

This is a 3-year full time course which upon successful completion leads to a professional qualification in Clinical Psychology Read more...

1-20 of 37 courses

Course type:

• Distance learning Doctorate
• Full time Doctorate
• Part time Doctorate

Qualification:

Universities:.

• Cardiff University
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• The University of Edinburgh
• King's College London, University of London
• University of Stirling
• University of Manchester
• University of Oxford
• Teesside University, Middlesbrough
• Lancaster University
• Queen's University Belfast
• University of Liverpool
• University of Exeter
• Staffordshire University

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Postgraduate Taught

Clinical Psychology

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This unique programme is an exclusive opportunity for BSc Psychology students at the universities of Hull and York to fast track their clinical psychology career, with their fees paid for them, and earning a salary while they train.

So, unlike other universities, you don't need to take one or two years out after your degree to gain employment or voluntary experience before applying for doctorate in clinical psychology.

As long as you’ve successfully completed specialist clinical psychology modules in the third year of your psychology degree at Hull or York universities, you can apply.

Earn while you learn

employed by the NHS on this fully-funded course 1

by the British Psychological Society (BPS)

to a Clinical Psychology career 1

by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Only programme of its kind

About this course

Your week will be split between training on clinical placement over three days, and two days a week in academic teaching and research work.

Over a total of six placements, you’ll work across a range of teams and healthcare settings. You’ll work directly with clients and their families, under the supervision of qualified and experienced clinical psychologists. Working holistically, you’ll liaise with the teams and other professionals who are supporting clients.

You’ll develop psychological assessment and intervention skills, learn how to evaluate psychological services and outcomes, and build your research skills with your own project. You’ll also learn how to write papers for publication.

Employed by the NHS as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist, you’ll earn a salary and have your fees paid 1 . You’ll also get the same benefits as other members of NHS staff including a pension and access to the full range of wellbeing and continuous professional development support. 1

The programme is accredited by the BPS, so when you graduate you can apply for Chartered Membership. It’s also HCPC approved. So you can apply to register to practise as a clinical psychologist after you’ve graduated.

Choose your modules

The Doctorate is a full time, three year programme. You will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning – with guidance and supervision – and you will have many opportunities to learn from and with your fellow trainees.

The Doctorate includes the following:

• Much of your teaching will be by NHS clinical psychologists, so your learning will be grounded in clinical practice.
• You will spend three days of each week on placement in a range of teams and health settings and two days a week on academic teaching and research work at the University of Hull.
• You will be working both directly with clients and their families and also with teams and other professionals who are supporting clients, under the supervision of qualified and experienced clinical psychologists.
• As a full time employee of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust you will have the same benefits and responsibilities as other members of staff.

It is a legal requirement that anyone who wishes to practice using the protected title “Clinical Psychologist” is on the HCPC Register . The Hull Clinical Psychology Doctorate Course has full approval from the HCPC. Successful completion of this Course provides eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC.

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

Important information

This course is accredited by

You’ll be taught by practising psychologists and research-active academics. So your learning is grounded in clinical practice.

Our broad range of expertise includes neuropsychology, psychology and climate change, learning disabilities, community psychology, and adult and children’s mental health.

See more academics for this subject

Dr Nick Hutchinson

Nick is our Programme Director and an honorary Clinical Psychologist for the Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust. His clinical practice background is in working with adults with intellectual disabilities which is also his area of research expertise.

Dr Emma Lewis

Emma is a qualified cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) practitioner as well as one of our tutors. She works as a Principal Clinical Psychologist in the Hull Integrated Community Stroke Service, carrying out psychological assessments and interventions.

• International

What do I need?

The Doctorate is only open to applications from students in the third year of the BSc Psychology at the University of Hull and the University of York. 

As the Doctorate is funded by the NHS, to apply you must be from the UK or have the right to work in the UK under the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) without restriction.

All applicants must have successfully completed specialist clinical psychology modules in their third year of the BSc Psychology course and graduated with a 2:1 or 1 st class honours degree. In the Hull undergraduate programme, around 30 – 40 students are selected for the clinical modules running in the third year. Selection for these modules takes place towards the end of semester two in the second year of the undergraduate course.

Applicants are not required to have lengthy pre-training clinical experience. However, we do expect to see evidence of commitment to clinical psychology, such as voluntary work or other experience with vulnerable people.

Selection for the postgraduate course takes place in the second semester of the third year of the undergraduate course. The selection process includes an interview with clinical psychologists, an interview with a person who has lived experience of psychological difficulties and receiving help, and references from academic staff and from relevant work settings.

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust acts as the employer (Hosting Trust) for trainees on the Hull Clinical Psychology course. Successful candidates will need to complete a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) and health check before beginning the programme, details will be provided to successful applicants. Trainees are required to have vaccinations and occupational health assessments as required by the employer.

If you require a student visa to study or if your first language is not English you will be required to provide acceptable evidence of your English language proficiency level.

This course requires academic IELTS 7.0 overall, with no less than 6.5 in each skill. See other English language proficiency qualifications accepted by the University of Hull.

If your English currently does not reach the University’s required standard for this programme, you may be interested in one of our English language courses .

Visit your country page to find out more about our entry requirements.

Fees & funding

How much is it.

The National Health Service (NHS) currently provides the funding for all places on clinical psychology courses. People accepted on these NHS funded places are currently employed by the NHS as Trainee Clinical Psychologists while they study.

Please see the NHS Health Careers website for more information about NHS pay and benefits.

Your tuition fees will cover most costs associated with your programme. There are some extra costs that you might have to pay, or choose to pay, depending on your programme of study and the decisions you make:

• Books (you can borrow books on your reading lists from the library, but you may buy your own)
• Optional field trips
• Study abroad (incl. travel costs, accommodation, visas, immunisation)
• Placement costs (incl. travel costs and accommodation)
• Student visas (international students)
• Laptop (you’ll have access to laptops and PCs on campus, but you may want your own)
• Printing and photocopying
• Professional-body membership
• Graduation (gown hire and photography)

Remember, you’ll still need to take into account your living costs. This could include accommodation, travel, food and more.

How do I pay for it?

This course is fully funded by the NHS.

This course is open to UK applicants only.

Take a look at our facilities

Allam medical building.

Your taught programme includes full and half-day workshops, some of which will take place in our award-winning Allam Medical Building – the heart of our £28 million Health Campus.

Clinical Placement Facilities

Our strong links with the NHS and other healthcare organisations give you the chance to take a range of different clinical placements where you’ll work directly with clients in fantastic facilities.

Brynmor Jones Library

Our seven-storey library is a superb learning space. As well as over a million books, there’s a variety of study areas, and one amazing view.

Open-access PCs

You’ll find over 400 open-access PCs at your disposal in our library. As well as over 70 laptops available to borrow.

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There’s a strong demand for qualified clinical psychologists across the UK and this programme is a unique opportunity to enter the profession early.

Clinical psychologists work with a range of clients from children, young people and their families, to adults with mental health challenges, injuries, chronic ill-health and disabilities. And within a variety of clinical settings including hospitals, clinics, health centres and community teams.

Our graduates go on to a range of careers within the field including one-to-one psychological therapy, teaching and training, consultancy, forensic clinical psychology, service evaluation, research, supervision and clinical psychology leadership roles.

Your next steps

Like what you’ve seen? Then it’s time to apply.

Make your application online now, and our admissions team will get back to you as soon as possible to make you an offer.

Not ready to apply?

We regularly deliver virtual and on-campus events to help you discover your perfect postgraduate course, whether it’s a subject you already love or something completely different. Our events are an opportunity for you to chat to tutors and current students and find out about the career options a postgraduate degree could lead to.

You may also be interested in…

Msc clinical applications of psychology.

• The National Health Service (NHS) currently provides the funding for most of the places on clinical psychology courses. People accepted on these NHS-funded places are currently employed by the NHS as Trainee Clinical Psychologists while they study. The starting salary is at the bottom of Band 6 on the Agenda for Change pay scale (please NHS Health Careers website for more information about NHS pay and benefits). Course fees are usually paid by the NHS.

All modules presented on this course page are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

Doctorate (PhD), Psychology Degree

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This course introduces students to the field of Clinical Psychology and the competencies required within the scientist-practitioner model of Clinical Psychology.  These competencies will be developed through taught modules, an extended research project, and clinical placements.

The programme provides a balance of academic, research and clinical experiences throughout which reflects relevant and up to date psychological knowledge and skills and ensures that contemporary psychological practice and research is promoted. Trainees are expected to become critical consumers of  and to contribute to research, and the emerging knowledge base.  Students will have opportunities to participate in on-going research programmes within the University of Cambridge Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry and other departments .

Our approach to evidence-based therapies and holistic and rigorous psychological practice links directly to lifespan research and a sophisticated understanding of the complexity of factors associated with mental health and ill-health across the lifespan.

This course recognises the importance of societal and cultural factors with the expectation that students will develop an identity as “system leaders” who have a role to play in implementing policies grounded in psychologically informed evidence-based prevention for the entire population and tackling inequalities in mental health, wellbeing and access to high quality care. 

Its educational aims of the course are:

• to acquire theoretical knowledge specific and relevant to the field of Clinical Psychology;
• to give students with relevant experience at first-degree level the opportunity to carry out focused research in the discipline under close supervision; and to interpret research and its application to the practice of Clinical Psychology;
• to give students the opportunity to work in a mental health or mental health related setting to develop skills required for the practice of Clinical Psychology.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and an introductory understanding of :

• psychological, and other relevant, theory and evidence, related to a range of client groups, presentations, psychological therapies, psychological assessment frameworks, and treatment and prevention approaches required for competent clinical practice and research;
• developing working alliances with clients, carers and/or services;
• psychological assessment;
• formulations based on psychological theories and knowledge;
• psychological interventions;
• how to evaluate practice  through outcome measurement, supervision, and other methodologies;
• communicating effectively with clients, referrers and others, orally and in writing;

a broad understanding of modern research techniques applicable to Clinical Psychology research

expertise in research methods, data analysis and statistics, and application of the methods to interpret the data collected during the research project;

originality in the application of knowledge, together with the practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the field;

participation in scientific discourse through written material, oral and poster presentations.

Those who wish to progress to a PhD after completing an MPhil will be required to satisfy a potential supervisor, Head of Department and the Faculty Degree Committee that they have the skills and ability to achieve the higher degree.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the beginning of November. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Key Information

10 months full-time, study mode : taught, master of philosophy, department of psychiatry, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2025.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Funding Deadlines

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2025, Lent 2026 and Easter 2026.

Similar Courses

• Psychiatry PhD
• Medical Science (Psychiatry) MPhil
• Clinical Medicine Wellcome Trust PhD

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Health Psychology MSc

1 year full-time including placement, starting in september 2025.

Immerse yourself in the exciting field of health psychology on this BPS-accredited course. You’ll mix theoretical learning with a 16-week work placement.

Throughout this course, you’ll gain a solid grounding in the main areas of health psychology, which you’ll be able to demonstrate in an applied setting during a work placement.

It is British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited. This means you’ll gain contemporary and relevant knowledge that you can use in a range of careers in health related research, public health and healthcare. The accreditation also ensures you have Stage 1 competencies in health psychology, which you will need if you wish to proceed to Stage 2 doctoral-level training to become a registered health psychologist.

During your studies, you’ll explore this fascinating subject in a multidisciplinary context, focusing on:

• preventing ill health
• managing long-term health conditions
• developing effective healthcare provisions

This will give you a better appreciation of how psychology can be used to help us better understand health and health behaviours, and design interventions to improve people’s wellbeing.

Your academic learning will be complemented by hands-on experience of health psychology during a 16-week placement. This will be an opportunity to use the knowledge you’ll gain in class while improving your employability with real-world experience.

You’ll also learn about research in healthcare settings, looking at issues such as research design, governance and ethical considerations. This will prepare you for conducting your own independent piece of research to finish the course.

If you are a psychology graduate interested in progressing to a career in health psychology as a practitioner or researcher, this course is suited to your needs. It’s also suitable if you are working in health and social care settings and want to learn more about theory and practice to progress your career.

Learn from experts in the field

You’ll learn from experts in health psychology, as well as staff in the wider Department of Psychology community. Their passion, knowledge, experience and research shape their teaching to enhance your learning experience.

Use specialist facilities

The Department of Psychology is located in a new £30 million building.

You’ll be able to use this space for your seminars, group meetings and computer work. The building contains advanced psychology research facilities, including:

• biopsychology suite with two-way mirror
• crossmodal laboratory including a soundproof room
• sensory and pain research suite
• social and developmental observation labs , including the Bath Babylab
• virtual reality lab with motion sensor cameras
• an electroencephalogram (EEG) scanner
• eye-tracking equipment

As an MSc Health Psychology student, you’ll have access to an independent workspace in 10 West. This contains PCs and working spaces.

Gain important career skills

Upon successful completion of this course, you’ll have gained:

• enhanced research skills that can be applied to primary, secondary and tertiary health and social care settings
• core knowledge of health psychology approaches, theories and models
• a strong foundation for further postgraduate training in health psychology

You’ll also receive comprehensive support to help you find and prepare for graduate positions, placements, and a variety of other employment opportunities. This will include sessions that cover professional skills development.

We’ll also provide you with information about progressing to doctoral study and/or Stage 2 Health Psychology training.

Graduate prospects

Studying this course will prepare you for moving into a wide range of health-related posts within universities, government departments, the private sector and charities.

The skills you gain will also act as a solid foundation for going on to undertake a PhD, Stage 2 professional doctorate, further clinical psychology training or work as a research assistant.

Recent graduates of this course have gone on to work in a wide variety of roles, including:

• Project Executive at a national cancer charity
• Public Health Researcher at a local council
• Trainee Health Psychologist
• Research Officer at the Office for National Statistics
• Assistant Psychologist within the NHS
• Doctoral student on a UK doctoral-level counselling course
• Research Assistant at a European university
• Teaching Assistant
• Doctoral student on a UK doctoral-level clinical psychology course

2024/25 Academic Year

Before you apply for a course, please check the website for the most recently published course detail. If you apply to the University of Bath, you will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.

We understand that you will want to know more about the shape of the academic year. We work hard and plan for different scenarios, to be able to welcome you to the University of Bath at the start of each semester.

• Course structure

Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.

You’ll start the ‘Health psychology placement’ unit with a series of sessions designed to prepare you for your 16-week placement, which will take place in the summer.

Compulsory units

Advanced research methods for applied psychology, health psychology approaches, health psychology interventions, health psychology placement.

You’ll continue your preparation for the 16-week placement during your ‘Health psychology placement’ unit sessions.

You will complete your 16-week placement during this period.

Health psychology dissertation

This is one of the only BPS-accredited courses to offer a 16-week work placement.

You’ll be allocated a placement within an academic, public health or health-related setting. During this, you’ll work on a piece of research that addresses an actual challenge. This will allow you to use real-world evidence and experience alongside your knowledge of health psychology theories, models and approaches.

Your placement will take place during the summer (typically May to August). You’ll be paired with a placement supervisor and a dissertation supervisor - the latter will be a member of our health psychology team – to ensure you are supported throughout.

In addition to gaining invaluable employment experience, you’ll improve your understanding of how health psychology can be applied in different contexts.

As with all of our placement opportunities, these change from year to year, and we cannot guarantee specific roles or locations. If you have any specific questions on the placement that forms part of this course, please reach out to the relevant placement officer .

• Learning and assessment

You’ll be taught and assessed by a variety of methods and it will vary between units. These methods are designed to promote in-depth learning and understanding of the subject.

These lists are to give you an idea of some, but not all, of the learning and assessment methods used on this course. They are not exhaustive lists and methods are subject to change.

Learning and teaching

You are expected to spend approximately 35-40 hours per week studying, with around 8 hours of this being structured classes.

This will be made up of a combination of lectures, practical sessions, and tutorials. You will work as an individual and as part of small groups.

Assessment breakdown

You’ll experience a balance of different forms of assessment designed to support your professional development. This will be made up of coursework, including essays, reports, presentations, practical work, set exercises, reflective assessments, and a dissertation.

We can make reasonable adjustments to assessment procedures for students with disabilities. Read our Disability Service’s pages for information.

• Professional accreditations

By studying a course with a professional accreditation, you could have the chance to get workplace experience, learn about new developments in the industry and apply for membership with the accrediting body.

Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)

Recognition of professional qualifications

As well as being recognised as a higher academic qualification, a number of our degrees are also accredited by professional bodies in the United Kingdom. An accredited degree may entitle you to work in a specific profession within the UK, and abroad (where there are reciprocating arrangements with professional bodies in other countries).

The requirements to practise a profession vary from country to country. If you wish to practise your profession outside the United Kingdom, you are advised to confirm that the UK professional qualification you seek is valid in the country in which you are intending to work.

‘This course has given me vital skills and experience to pursue a career in research, the 4-month placement in particular is a unique aspect to this MSc.’

• Entry requirements

Origin of qualifications

British qualifications.

You should have a bachelor’s honours degree or international equivalent, typically a 2:1 or above.

To apply for this course you should have an undergraduate degree in psychology. The degree should be recognised by the British Psychological Society as providing Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC).

We may make an offer based on a lower grade if you can provide evidence of your suitability for the degree.

In your application, you will need to provide a maximum 500 word personal statement which should:

(a) show a clear understanding of health psychology as a subject, why you are interested in studying on this particular course and what skills and interests you hope to develop over the duration of the course.

(b) outline your research experience to date. This could include key research related assignments that you have completed such as your undergraduate dissertation project, or any research posts you have held. Please explain the skills and knowledge you have gained from your research experience that you would bring to the MSc Health Psychology programme.

(c) describe any other practical experience that you have which you feel is relevant to the field of health psychology and what you have learned from this experience.

If your first language is not English but within the last 2 years you completed your degree in the UK you may be exempt from our English language requirements.

English language requirements

You will normally need one of the following:

• IELTS: 7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in all components
• The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 69 with no less than 62 in any element
• TOEFL IBT: 100 overall with a minimum 24 in all 4 components

You will need to get your English language qualification within 24 months prior to starting your course.

If you need to improve your English language skills before starting your studies, you may be able to take a pre-sessional course to reach the required level.

Filipino qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (awarded from 2022 onwards) or a Master’s degree from a prestigious institution with a final overall score of 1.75 on a 5-point scale (where 1 is the highest mark) or 3.0 out of 4.0.

To apply for this course you should have an undergraduate degree in psychology. The degree should be recognised by the British Psychological Society as providing Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC). If you have gained your degree from an institution outside of the UK, before you apply to study we would encourage you to look at the eligibility criteria and application process for obtaining graduate membership and GBC with the British Psychological Society.

Sri Lankan qualifications

You should have a four-year Bachelor degree (Special or Honours) or a Bachelor degree (Professional) with a final overall result of at least 60%.

Australian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor Honours degree with a final result of at least Second Class (Upper Division) or a Bachelor degree with a final result of Distinction or higher.

Malaysian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least Second Class (Division 1).

Tanzanian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least Upper Second (Very Good, B+ or GPA 3.5 on a 5-point scale).

Indonesian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Sarjana I) with a final overall result of at least 3.0 out of 4.0.

Kenyan qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least Second Class Honours (Upper Division).

Bangladeshi qualifications

You should have a Master's degree (following a 3 or 4 year Bachelor degree) with a final overall grade of at least 3.2 out of 4.0 (65% or B+).

Kuwaiti qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (البكالوريوس) with a final overall result of 3.2 on a 4-point scale.

Tunisian qualifications

You should have a Licence, Maîtrise, Diplôme National d'Ingénieur, Diplôme National d'Architecture with a final overall result of at least 14 out of 20 (Bien).

Turkish qualifications

You should have a Lisans Diplomasi (Bachelor degree) or Mühendis Diplomasi with a final overall score of at least GPA 2.8-3.0 on a 4-point scale, depending on the institution you have attended.

Iranian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor's degree or Professional Doctorate with a final overall result of at least 14 out of 20 when studied at a state university and 15 out of 20 when studied at a private university.

Irish qualifications

You should have a Honours Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least Second Class Honours (Grade I).

Ukrainian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (awarded after 2007) or Specialist Diploma with a final result of at least 80% or 3.5 on a 4-point scale. Please contact us if your institution uses a different grading scale.

Emirati qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least 3 out of 4, 80% or B.

Israeli qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least 80%.

Ghanaian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of Upper Second Class (60% or 3.25 on a 4-point scale).

Danish qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree, Candidatus Philosophiae, Diplomingeniør (Engineer), Professionsbachelor (Professional Bachelor degree) or Korrespondenteksamen with a final overall result of at least 7 out of 10.

Jamaican qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least Second Class (Upper).

Other qualifications

We welcome applications from graduates from all countries so if you can’t see your country in the list, please contact our admissions team for advice about your specific entry requirements.

Cambodian qualifications

You should have a Master’s degree from a recognised degree-awarding institution with a final overall result of at least 80%.

Portuguese qualifications

You should have a Licenciado with a final overall result of at least 15 out of 20.

South Korean qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Haksa) with a final overall result of at least 3.0 out of 4.3 or 3.5 out of 4.5.

Swiss qualifications

You should have a Bachelor Degree (Baccalauréat Universitaire) with a final overall result of at least 5 out of 6.

Dutch qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree or Doctoraal with a final overall result of at least 7 out of 10.

Lithuanian qualifications

You should have a Bakalauro Diplomas or Profesinis Bakalauras with an overall final result of at least 8 out of 10.

German qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree, Erste Staatsprüfung (Primarstufe / Sekundarstufe I), Fachhochschuldiplom / Diplom (FH) or Magister Artium with a final overall result of at least 2.5 (Gut).

Syrian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Licence/Al-ijâza) with a final overall result of at least 70-80% depending on the institution attended.

Kazakhstani qualifications

You should have a Bakalavr (Bachelor degree) or Specialist Diploma with a final overall result of at least 4.3 on a 5-point scale or 3.2 on a 4-point scale.

Algerian qualifications

You should have a Licence, Diplôme in any specialised professional field, Diplôme d'Ingênieur, Diplôme d'Architecte d'État or Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures with a final overall score of at least 14 out of 20.

Zimbabwean qualifications

You should have a Bachelor Honours degree with a final overall result of at least Upper Second Division (65%).

Albanian qualifications

You should have a Diplomë Bachelor or a Master i Shkencave with a final overall result of at least 8 out of 10. Please contact us if your institution uses a different grading scale.

Ugandan qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least Class II Upper or GPA 4.0 on a 5-point scale.

Italian qualifications

You should have a Laurea, Laurea in Ingegneria / Architettura, Diploma Accademico di Primo Livello, Diploma di Mediatore Linguistico or Licenza di Academia di Belle Arti with a final result of at least 102 out of 110.

Nepali qualifications

You should have a four-year Bachelor degree from a recognised university, or a Master's degree following a three-year or four-year Bachelor degree, with a final overall result of at least 65% or 3.25/4.0.

New Zealander qualifications

You should have a Bachelor Honours degree or Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least B+/B or 6 on a 9-point scale.

Bulgarian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least 5 out of 6.

Austrian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree or Fachhochschuldiplom/Diplom (FH) with a final result of at least Gut.

Spanish qualifications

You should have a Título Universitario Oficial de Licenciado en (subject area) (Licenciatura), Título Universitario Oficial de Graduado en (subject area) (Grado), Título de Ingeniero or Título de Arquitecto with a final overall result of at least 7 out of 10 (Notable/Very Good).

Norwegian qualifications

You should have a Bachelorgrad (Bachelor degree), Candidatus/a Magisterii, Sivilingeniør or Siviløkonom with a final overall result of at least B.

Mexican qualifications

You should have a Título de Licenciado or Título (Profesional) de [subject area] with a final overall result of least 8 out of 10.

Bolivian qualifications

You should have a Licenciado or Titulo de [subject area] with a final overall result of at least 75%.

Malawian qualifications

You should have a Master's degree with a final overall result of at least 70%.

Nigerian qualifications

Pakistani qualifications.

You should have a four-year Bachelor’s degree from a high ranked (HEC) university with a final overall result of at least First Class (Division 1).

Vietnamese qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Bằng Tốt Nghiệp Đại Học/Bằng Cử Nhân) of at least four years or a Master’s degree (Thạc sĩ) from a recognised degree-awarding institution with a final overall result of at least 7.0 on a 10-point scale.

Swedish qualifications

You should have a Kandidatexamen (Bachelor Degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelor degree) with a final overall result of at least Grade B. Please contact us if your institution uses a different grading scale.

American qualifications

You should have an Honors Bachelor degree or Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least CGPA 3.0 on a 4-point scale.

Singaporean qualifications

You should have a strong Bachelor (Honours) degree when studied at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Institute of Technology or Singapore University of Social Sciences with a final overall result of at least Second Class (Upper) Honours, or a strong Bachelor degree when studied at Singapore Management University (SMU) or Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Typically, we require a final overall result of at least Second Class (Upper) Honours, 60% or B, however we ask that you upload a copy of the grading scale used by your institution, along with your transcript, when you submit your application due to the range of grading scales used by different institutions.

Slovene qualifications

You should have a Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (University Degree), Diplomant or Univerzitetni diplomant with a final overall result of at least 8 out of 10 (prav dobro/very good).

Brazilian qualifications

You should have a Titulo de Bacharel, Titulo de [subject area] or Licenciado/a with a final overall result of at least 7.5 out of 10.

Thai qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least CGPA 3.0.

Greek qualifications

You should have a University Bachelor degree (Ptychio) or Diploma with a final overall score of at least 6.5 out of 10.

Chinese qualifications

You should have a four-year Bachelor degree with a final overall score of at least 75-80% depending on the institution attended.

Cypriot qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Ptychio) with a final overall result of at least 6.5 out of 10.

Japanese qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Gakushi) with a final overall result of at least 3.0 out of 4.0 (B).

Jordanian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of Very Good or GPA 3.0 on a 4-point scale.

Egyptian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree from a university with a final overall result of at least 75% (Very Good) or 3.0 on a 4-point scale.

Estonian qualifications

You should have a Bakalaurusekraad (Bachelor degree), Diplomeeritud spetsialisti ülikoolidiplom/Kraadita Diploma (University Specialist's Diploma) or Rakenduskõrgharidusõppe Diplom (Professional Higher Education Diploma) with a final overall result of at least 4 on a 5-point scale (B).

Hong Kongese qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Honours) with a final overall result of Second Class (Division 1) Honours or 3.0 out of 4.0.

Taiwanese qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least 75%.

Finnish qualifications

You should have a Kandidaatti / Kandidat (University Bachelor Degree), (Professional Title) (AMK/YH) (Bachelor degree from a University of Applied Sciences), Arkkitehti / Arktitekt / Diplomi-insööri / Diplomingenör / Proviisori / Provisor with a final overall result of at least 3.5 on a 5-point scale.

Chilean qualifications

You should have a Grado de Licenciado with a final overall result of at least 5.5 on a 7-point scale.

Hungarian qualifications

You should have an Alapfokozt (Bachelor degree) or Egyetemi Oklevél (University Diploma) with an overall final result of 4 out of 5.

Icelandic qualifications

You should have a Baccalaureus or Candidatus/a with an overall final result of at least 7.25 on a 10-point scale.

Romanian qualifications

You should have a Diplomă de Licență (Bachelor degree), Diplomă de Inginer or Diplomă de Urbanist Diplomat with a final overall result of at least 8 out of 10.

South African qualifications

You should have a Bachelor Honours degree, Professional Bachelor degree or Baccalaureus Technologiae (Bachelor of Technology) with a final overall result of at least Second Class (Division One) or 70%.

Indian qualifications

Typically, you should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least First Class. However, due to the number of different grading scales in use, we ask that you upload a copy of the grading scale used by your institution, along with your transcript, when you submit your application.

If you have graduated within the last 5 years from an Indian university where the medium of instruction is English and have achieved the required level of English in your Indian 12th Standard examinations, we may be able to assess your English. More information can be found here .

Belgian qualifications

You should have a Bachelier, Licencié or Licentiaat and other two cycle diplomas with a final overall score of at least 16 out of 20.

Macedonian qualifications

You should have a Baccalaureus/Baccalaurea (Bachelor degree) with a final overall result of at least 9 out of 10.

Polish qualifications

You should have a Licencjat or Inżynier (Bachelor degree) with a final overall result of at least 4.5 on a 5-point scale.

Canadian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree (Honours) or Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least CGPA 3.0 on a 4-point scale (B or 70%). Please contact us if your institution uses a different grading scale.

French qualifications

You should have a Grade de licence / Grade de licence professionnelle with a final overall result of at least 13 out of 20.

Saudi Arabian qualifications

You should have a Bachelor degree with a final overall result of at least 3.5 on a 5-point scale or 3.0 on a 4-point scale.

Colombian qualifications

You should have a Licenciado en, Titulo de, Profesional en, Maestro en or Diploma de [subject area] with a final overall result of at least 3.8.

Russian qualifications

You should have a Diplom Bakalavra (Bachelor degree) or Specialist Diploma with an overall final result of at least 4 out of 5 (khorosho/good).

Croatian qualifications

You should have a Baccalaureus or Baccalaurea with a final overall result of at least 4 out of 5.

Czech qualifications

You should have a Bakalár (Bachelor degree) with a final overall score of 1.5 on a 1-4 scale or Grade B. Please contact us if your institution uses a different grading scale.

• Fees and funding

Fees and funding information for Health Psychology MSc full-time including placement

Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on whether you are a Home or Overseas student.

Tuition fees

See the most recent fees for postgraduate courses .

Extra costs

If you receive an offer, you will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of £1,000 when you accept to secure your place. This will be deducted from your tuition fee when you register.

During your placement you may need to pay travel costs. This is dependent on where your placement is and the in-person working requirements of the organisation.

Different placements will have different requirements, but may require a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This will be at your own expense. Currently enhanced DBS checks cost £44.

Tuition fee loans

If you are studying a postgraduate course, you may be able to take out a loan for your tuition fees and living costs.

Scholarships and bursaries

You could be considered for a bursary or scholarship to help you study at Bath. You do not have to pay it back.

Other payment options

You can pay your tuition fees by Direct Debit, debit card, credit card or bank transfer. You may also be eligible for a student loan to help you pay your fees.

You will need to budget at least £100 for the cost of photocopying, printing and binding. You will also need to budget for the cost of textbooks.

Some courses involve visits away from campus and you may be required to pay some or all of the costs of travel, accommodation and food and drink.

If you’re on a placement, you’re responsible for your own travel, accommodation and living costs. You should also consider the financial implications if you go on an unpaid or overseas placement.

• Application information
• Course title Health Psychology
• Final award MSc
• Mode of study Full-time
• Course code TDUPS-HP01
• Department Department of Psychology
• Location University of Bath Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY

We recommend you apply early as we may close applications before the deadline if a course is full.

We recommend you apply early as we may close applications before the deadline if a course is full. We may consider late applications but if you need a Student Visa to study in the UK, you will need time to apply for and receive your visa to be in the UK by the start of the course.

• Application eligibility Home and Overseas students are eligible to apply
• Regulator The Office for Students (OfS)
• Course enquiries
• Related courses
• Health Psychology MSc – 2 years part-time including placement
• Applied Psychology and Economic Behaviour MSc – 1 years full-time
• Applied Clinical Psychology MSc – 1 years full-time
• Global Public Health and Policy MSc – 1 years full-time
• Statistics and Data Science (Health) MSc – 1 years
• Health, Wellbeing and Society MRes – 1 years full-time

On this page

• Course changes for 2025/26
• Recognition of Professional Qualifications

Learn about qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as evidence-based practice, in psychology research and evaluation.

You'll develop skills in designing, conducting and evaluating research studies, using different approaches. Learn how to apply statistical analysis in an applied context and develop skills to use and interpret advanced statistics. You'll develop skills in undertaking qualitative data analysis and using statistics software.

• Year 1 - Semester 1
• Year 1 - Semester 2

Gain a broad understanding of health psychology and health-related disciplines.

You'll place many of the issues and concerns of health psychology in the wider health sciences research context and develop a critical understanding of different theories and approaches associated with health beliefs and health cognitions.

You will also be introduced to the assessment of evidence relating to health and illness and be made aware of policy, strategy and legislation in health contexts.

Carry out an independent research project by putting into practice some of the methods, theories and skills that you have learnt during the taught units.

Gain a theoretical and empirical understanding of health psychology intervention design, evaluation and implementation.

You'll study public policy and practice for dealing with high profile public health issues. You'll consider how communication can impact behaviour and health outcomes for patients, their families, and health professionals in a variety of healthcare settings and contexts.

Your placement will give you the opportunity to enhance your skills as a scientist-practitioner.

You'll work closely with a professional in a health-related setting on a 16 week placement.

• Year 1 - Summer