Health Psychology

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.