Course summary

Overview Understand why our healthy new years’ resolutions always fizzle out despite our good intentions. Explore how our brains and bodies process stress and how psychology could help you fight off your next cold. Discover how to assess neuropsychological function. Health psychology is a rapidly growing discipline, which can make a huge contribution to some of the big health issues currently facing society such as chronic health conditions, health inequalities, and health-risk behaviours such as alcohol use, smoking, sedentary behaviour, and more. Health psychologists have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic, frequently in the media spotlight as one of the expert groups helping our populations keep well and cope with illness, isolation, stress and the many ways life has changed. On this course, you’ll ask questions about the key health issues facing our communities, from our ageing population to pressurised health services, global health challenges and health inequalities. You’ll explore human behaviour, health behaviour change, neuropsychology and research methods. And, you’ll seek ways to improve health, illness and healthcare systems through applying psychological theory and practical methods. Some of the topics you’ll consider include the factors that make a person vulnerable to developing conditions like coronary heart disease or COVID-19, and why where people live matters to their health outcomes. You might apply psychology to ensuring that children get enough physical activity, in understanding the experience of people living with a stroke, or how we can help people with diabetes to take their medications. You’ll also study the principles and practice of research and evaluation, applying these skills to a field-based dissertation. You’ll complete a 70-hour work-based learning opportunity to apply your health psychology learning and build your work experience. Features and benefits

• Accredited course - This course is accredited as a Stage 1 MSc Health Psychology by the British Psychological Society (BPS), the first stage to becoming a qualified health psychologist.

• Work-integrated learning - We offer you a 70-hour work-integrated learning opportunity in a relevant organisation or chance to work on a live project, applying your knowledge and skills to solving real-world problems.

• Research project - You’ll complete a dissertation project, learning skills in designing, delivering and evaluating psychology research with real-life applications.

• Contemporary teaching - Our teaching team includes practitioners and academics with experience across the NHS and private practices (in the UK and internationally).

• Enhanced student support - We strongly believe in enhancing student wellbeing. Each student has a Personal Tutor and the Programme Support Tutors work closely with students throughout the course.

• Research active department - The Department of Psychology is home to the Stress, Health and Performance Research Group. The health psychology team have expertise and research interests in cancer care and prevention, rare diseases, chronic pain, women’s health, and health behaviour change more broadly.

• Expand your knowledge - Our innovative mix of assessments includes skills-based assessments and a reflective practice log.

• Outstanding facilities - You’ll have access to our specialist facilities for psychology demonstration and practice, including an fNIR imaging research device, 12 experimental testing laboratories and 6 psychology laboratories.