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Health Psychology at University of Bath - UCAS

Course options

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

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. Use specialist facilities The Department of Psychology is located in a new £30 million building, which 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
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. We’ll also provide you with information about progressing to doctoral study and/or Stage 2 Health Psychology training.

Assessment method

  • Coursework
  • Dissertation
  • Essay
  • Oral presentation
  • Practical
  • Reflective assessment
  • Report
  • Set exercises
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.


Entry requirements

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


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Tuition fees can be found on our web pages and are liable to increase annually. UK and Islands fees are regulated by the UK government and are subject to parliamentary approval. For all other fees, you should budget for an increase of up to 8% for every further year of study. For information on tuition fees visit our web pages: https://www.bath.ac.uk/topics/tuition-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.
Health Psychology at University of Bath - UCAS