Awards
Target Award
Alternative Exit
Accreditation
British Psychological Society (BPS)
Programme Offerings
Full-Time
F2F-JMU-SEP
Educational Aims of the Course
This Liverpool John Moores University MSc in Health Psychology meets the Stage 1 training requirement for BPS accreditation. The course has a strong emphasis on psychological investigation and exploring ethical issues.
The primary goal of health psychology as a discipline is to contribute to the understanding of how physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual factors influence health and illness within a sociocultural framework.
Recent advances in psychological, medical, and physiological research have led to new ways of thinking about health and illness. This conceptualises health and illness as the product of a combination of factors. The research includes: biological characteristics such as genetic predisposition; behavioural factors such as lifestyle, stress, health beliefs; and social conditions such as cultural influences, family relationships and social support.
Specific programme aims are:
1) To provide an academically rigorous framework through which students can study scientifically, the psychological processes involved in health, illness and health care with reference to the application of psychology to: the promotion and maintenance of health; the analysis and improvement of the health care system and health policy formation; the prevention of illness and the enhancement of wellbeing in those affected by illness or disability
2) To promote students' awareness of the range of applications of health psychology
3) To provide students with a qualification which meets Stage 1 of the British Psychological Society’s training towards Chartered Psychologist status.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Lectures and directed independent reading are used to introduce core knowledge. These are supplemented by seminar and workshop activities in which students can explore ideas in more depth and contribute to, and benefit from, peer learning. In addition, students are expected to cover substantive course content through their own directed reading. These approaches are consistent with the learning outcomes of each specific module within the programme.
While a number of course texts will be utilised to introduce students to the core concepts, critical examination of these concepts using primary sources including journal articles, reports and a variety of health policy documents will form a major component of the teaching strategy. In formulating the assessment strategy, the programme team fosters in-depth and active learning to achieve an appropriate match between teaching and learning methods and assessment tasks. The provision of summative and formative feedback, an appropriate balance of assessment tasks over the programme, and inclusivity of a range of student approaches to learning.
A variety of assessment methods is therefore utilised across the programme. Workshop activities provide opportunities for formative feedback from both peers and tutors. Similarly, tutor support during the preparation of coursework assignments provides opportunities for formative feedback. Coursework assessment is used to provide timely and detailed summative assessment. Individual tutors also build in opportunities for formative assessment during modules, and take advantage of opportunities to provide formative assessment that arise from students' work and engagement with the tasks.
Assessment methods include essays, online timed examinations (using seen and unseen questions), critiques, case study, workbooks, reports, reflective portfolios, presentations, research proposal and dissertation. Lectures are supported by appropriate learning resources and learning activities to provide practice in applying declarative knowledge to applied problems, with feedback from tutors and peers. Workshop activities similarly provide a forum for skill development through practice with feedback and reflection. Individual supervision meetings support students in developing, conducting and reporting an empirical investigation in psychology.
Programme Structure
Programme Structure Description
Structure
Level 7
Approved variance from Academic Framework Regulations
Entry Requirements
IELTS
Other international requirements
RPL
Undergraduate degree
Extra Entry Requirements
Applicants must be in date and have current skill ( to ensure BPS professional standards and ability to engage in Level 7 MSc)– where an undergraduate degree is dated (beyond 5 years), the admissions process may request for the candidate to complete an assessment to demonstrate knowledge of current health psychology practice (short essay) and a brief research analysis test. Failure to demonstrate current practice or ability would result in a decline or a specific recommendation to update skills for a conditional offer.
International students must be able to obtain GBC status from the BPS prior to commencing the MSC, and GBC confirmation is, therefore, a conditional offer