Health and Clinical Psychological Sciences

Birkbeck's Master's degree in health and clinical psychological sciences is designed for graduates with a background in psychology. It is ideal if you want to deepen your understanding of cutting-edge contemporary research in health, including health psychology, applied neuropsychology and trauma and addiction, and the factors contributing to physical and mental health outcomes.

Why choose this course?

- You will study in Birkbeck’s School of Psychological Sciences, a world-leading centre of research excellence.

- You will be taught by a team of research-active academics who bring cutting-edge expertise and diverse interests into the classroom, including psycho-oncology, living with long-term health conditions, health-related stigma and mental health literacy.

- We will support you in developing a cross-disciplinary approach to appraising research and carrying out an extended critical review (MA) or conducting a research project (MSc) within an area of contemporary psychology.

What you will learn

The course begins with a focus on contemporary health psychology, addiction and trauma, applied neuropsychology and interventions. There is a strong emphasis on developing your research skills in both quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as research synthesis and generic research skills, which you will apply to your dissertation.

How you will learn

You can study this course full- or part-time. It has a daytime timetable with classes running in the daytime on campus, except for the Neurocases and Clinical Assessments module which is taught in the evening and delivered online.

You will be taught via a mixture of interactive lectures and workshops, and assessments include case studies, essays, a systematic review and presentations. We offer different module combinations to give you the choice of studying for an MA or MSc.

Highlights

- We have an outstanding research tradition in psychological sciences, with an international reputation in all aspects of cognitive neuroscience, especially developmental cognitive neuroscience. You will have the opportunity to attend research seminars and to meet and network with world-class researchers, both in the school and at other leading research centres and institutes at Birkbeck and in the Bloomsbury area.

- In the 2023 National Student Survey, Birkbeck's School of Psychological Sciences ranked 5th in the UK for teaching, scoring 92.5% satisfaction with our teaching.

- We are consistently regarded as one of the top institutions teaching psychological sciences in the UK. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, and for the third time, we were ranked in the top ten universities in the UK.

- We are home to the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development (including the BabyLab and ToddlerLab), the Birkbeck-UCL Centre for Neuroimaging and the Centre for Cognition, Computation and Modelling.

- If you have a strong academic record but require financial support to take this course, you may be eligible for the Kenway Legacy Scholarship which will cover the cost of your tuition fees.

- ESRC funding may be available in conjunction with PhD study.

Careers and employability

Graduates of the MA/MSc Health and Clinical Psychological Sciences have followed career paths within the NHS and universities. Studying our course will prepare you for roles in a range of fields, including:

- academia, after progressing your studies further with PhD study

- research

- NHS assistant psychologist roles

- public health roles.

Our graduates also go on to apply for a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology to train as a clinical psychologist.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.