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Postgraduate
Courses / Postgraduate / Health Psychology (MSc)

Health Psychology (MSc)

Award
Master of Science
Duration
1 year
Course Type
Full-time
Campus
Highfield
Next course starts
September 2023

About this course

This course is now closed to new applications for 2023 entry.  

Each year we get many high-quality applications and places for many of our courses are very competitive.  

Search similar degrees for 2024 entry by browsing our course finder.

Human behaviour is a leading cause of physical illness worldwide. MSc Health Psychology teaches you how psychology can be applied to improve well-being and prevent and manage long-term conditions. 

On this British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degree, you’ll be taught by expert lecturers who are currently developing and testing interventions and theory in the field.  

Health psychology master’s graduates will be prepared to progress towards becoming a registered, chartered health psychologist.   

This UK postgraduate health psychology master’s will help you become a scientist practitioner in a health care setting.  

Health psychology applies the educational, scientific and professional psychological principles to: 

  • promote and maintain health  
  • study the cause of illness 
  • prevent, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate physical illness 
  • psychological, social, emotional and behavioural factors in physical illness 
  • improving health care  
  • the formulation of health policy 

In Msc Health Psychology your taught study will focus around three themes: 

  • biopsychosocial aspects of health 
  • psychosocial aspects of illness and disability 
  • psychological aspects of the delivery of health care

On this master’s in health psychology, you’ll select optional modules to tailor the course to suit your career goals. Popular module choices include the study of CBT, sexual health and gerontology.

You have the opportunity to experience practical learning as an apprentice to a health psychologist over 12 weeks and develop your reading of research papers and discussing them in a journal club with students on the course. 

Our health psychology master’s degree is taught by active leading researchers and experts across the different areas of health psychology, interventions and research methods. You’ll have the opportunity to attend seminars from researchers at the Centre for Clinical and Community Applications of Health Psychology.  

Previous students have pursued careers in the public, private and third sectors, working as psychologists in research, education and professional practice. 

Flexible study

If you prefer, you can apply to study this course as:

  • a part-time master's - study the same course content over 2 or more years

Your modules and fees may vary if you choose a different study option.

Course lead

Dr Leanne Morrison is the course leader. She is a psychologist working on an interdisciplinary programme of mixed methods research around developing and evaluating digital health interventions to support the self-management of physical health issues. Find out more about Dr Morrison’s work and research by visiting their staff profile.

Accreditations

Course location

This course is based at Highfield.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the Course Description Document

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.

Changes due to COVID-19

Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2022 to 2023. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.

Find out more on our COVID advice page.

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