MSc Clinical Health Psychology

The MSc Clinical Health Psychology is likely to be of interest to students considering careers in Clinical or Health Psychology. We expect some graduates to go on to complete professional training in these areas whilst others may forge careers in the health service, or in the third sector.

Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills

In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.

Year 1

Core Modules

• Health Behaviour Change (20 credits)
• Psychological Adjustment in Long-Term Physical Conditions (20 credits)
• Clinical Health Psychology Dissertation (60 credits)
• Psycho-oncology: Living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis (20 credits)
• Data Analysis (20 credits)
• Applied Research Methods (20 credits)

Optional Modules

• Introduction to Therapeutic Skills (20 credits)
• Applied Psychology Experience (20 credits)

Learning and Teaching

Lecturers on the program are experts in Clinical Health Psychology and have active research programs in the area. Thus, teaching in the program is research-led.

We operate a proactive system of student support. The Postgraduate Advisor of Studies will guide and support you through your time with us, supported by the School’s knowledgeable and friendly administrative staff. Good communication between staff and students is central and we operate a Student-Staff Consultative Committee specifically for taught MSc programmes. Membership of this committee includes elected representatives from each of the taught postgraduate programs, the Director of Postgraduate Taught Education, program directors, and the School Manager. This Committee allows students to quickly raise matters of concern to them and enables the School to keep students apprised of matters affecting the School and wider University.

The School of Psychology at Queen’s has a distinguished history in educating undergraduate and postgraduate students. The School operates a single honors undergraduate degree on which 500 students are enrolled, three taught MSc degrees, professional doctorates in Clinical Psychology and Educational, Child, and Adolescent Psychology, and a highly active research PhD program. Many of the members of staff teaching in our programs have international reputations in their fields. All are committed teachers and researchers.

Our aim as a School is to recruit the best students locally and internationally. We aim to build a supportive learning environment that stimulates students to do their best work.

Excellent supervision

Students are assigned a dissertation supervisor early in the course, with whom they develop a project, obtain ethical approval, analyze and interpret data, and write the final report. We encourage students to be ambitious for their project and it is not unusual for MSc dissertation data to be of publishable quality.

Lectures

Lectures serve a number of purposes: they provide information about a topic and the basis for further self-directed study. They also provide an opportunity for class discussion, questions, and feedback. In many cases, lectures are followed by student-led seminars.

Placements

Students will have an opportunity to avail themselves of the option of learning in the workplace by undertaking a short placement in a context that is relevant to Clinical Health Psychology. This may involve working with a clinician or in a health-focused third-sector organization.

Self-guided study

The self-guided study is an essential part of any taught MSc course when private reading and research, preparation for assignments, and reflection on feedback are carried out.

Assessment

We will assess your performance in a variety of different ways

• Coursework essays
• Literature reviews
• Case studies
• Practical reports
• Portfolios
• Presentations
• Dissertation