MSc Clinical Psychology

This Clinical Psychology masters offers a comprehensive grounding in the understanding of mental health problems.

As well as modules that develop your knowledge of the aetiology and treatment of a range of psychological disorders and behavioural problems, the course has a substantial research element.

You will receive extensive training in research methods via a postgraduate statistics module and will complete a postgraduate dissertation in a related topic.

We have strong links with local NHS trusts and suitable students can benefit from dissertation and/or voluntary placement opportunities, when these are available

USW also has a Behaviour Analysis clinic, where students can participate in in-house supervised voluntary experience.

Please note that this programme does not confer Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society. Applicants seeking this recognition should apply to our MSc Psychology (Conversion) course.

Please note, due to the high volumes of applications received, we are no longer accepting new applications from international students who wish to start this course in January or February 2023. Applications from students in the UK or EU are still being accepted. For more information, please visit our International website. Any new international applications received for the January/February 2023 intakes will be withdrawn. 

However, International students can apply to study this course from September 2023. Whilst there is no set deadline to apply, we would recommend making an application as soon as possible.

T&C's Apply - Learn more

2023
2024

Study Mode 2023	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
Full-time	1 Year	September	Treforest	A
Part-time	2 Years	September	Treforest	A

Study Mode 2024	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
Full-time	1 Year	September	Treforest	A
Part-time	2 Years	September	Treforest	A

The Clinical Psychology masters draws on the research and applied expertise of psychologists in the fields of clinical, health, sports, and forensic psychology. You will learn about a wide range of psychological disorders, dependence issues such as alcohol addiction and gambling addiction, and the interventions employed to help people. The Research Methods and Dissertation modules provide a strong emphasis on research.

The MSc Clinical Psychology is taught over one year (full time) or two years (part time). Full time students study 180 credits in one year, comprising of the following modules:

Full Time: Term One

Perspectives on Psychological Disorders (20 credits)
History, Concepts and Controversies in Mental Health (20 credits)
Research Methods in Clinical Psychology: Measurement and Professional Issues (40 credits)
Dissertation* (60 credits)

Full Time: Term Two

Addictions, Dependency, Deviance (20 credits)
Interventions (20 credits)
Research Methods in Clinical Psychology: Measurement and Professional Issues (40 credits)
Dissertation* (60 credits)

* Students will complete their 60 credit dissertation throughout the academic year, and submit it on the university submission deadline in September.

Part time students study the same modules according to the following timetable:

Part Time: Year One: Term One

Perspectives on Psychological Disorders (20 credits)
History, Concepts and Controversies in Mental Health (20 credits)

Part Time: Year One: Term Two

Addictions, Dependency, Deviance (20 credits)
Interventions (20 credits)

Part Time: Year Two: Terms One and Two

Research Methods in Clinical Psychology: Measurement and Professional Issues (40 credits)
Students will also complete a dissertation in Year Two (60 credits)

Teaching

The MSc Clinical Psychology is delivered through a variety of lectures, seminars, workshops, individual study, and one-to-one or small group dissertation supervision. Most of the teaching will be delivered by members of the teaching team and some by external experts in clinical practice.

There will also be student-led sessions and some elements will be delivered online. Academic staff teaching on this award are research active, so you’ll be taught by academics at the forefront of their specialist fields.

You will benefit from the expertise of specialists in a range of topics relevant to the field of Clinical Psychology (e.g., addiction, eating disorders, stress, reproductive health, mental health, suicide, etc.).

Contact hours:

Tuesday 9am - 18.00
Thursday 9am -13.00

Part time students: Contact hours are on Tuesday in Year One and Thursday in Year Two.

Dissertation supervision is additional to the hours above. The expectation is that (including contact time) full time students engage in 35 hours of study per week and part-time students engage in 17.5 hours of study per week (on average). Hours of individual study per week may vary with course demands.

Assessment

A range of assessment methods are employed, including essays, a systematic literature review, research reports, and case study analysis.

You will also complete a dissertation of 15,000. The variety of teaching and assessment methods used will foster a range of skills that are transferable to the workplace and/or further professional training.

Placements

Through our Psychology Plus scheme, you will have the unique opportunity to gain clinical experience on campus. The University of South Wales Behaviour Analysis Clinic offers applied behaviour analytic intervention for children five and under typically with a diagnosis of autism. The clinic is largely run by student volunteers under the supervision of a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst.

We also have some voluntary, optional placements with local NHS trusts, when available. Students may apply for these on commencement of the course. Such opportunities are a valuable addition to the CV of anyone aspiring to become a Clinical Psychologist.

Please note that a DBS check and other NHS requirements (e.g., occupational health check) are required if you decide to undertake a placement.

Facilities

Facilities include observation and interview rooms equipped with a two-way mirror, CCTV and audio, which allows research and interview practice sessions to be conducted and recorded.

The Cognitive Neuropsychology Suite houses specialist psychology equipment such as eye tracking equipment, EEG (electroencephalogram) and ECG (electrocardiogram) facilities for recording electrical activity in the heart and scalp and a driving simulator.

Our Psychology technicians are happy to help students wishing to use this equipment for their research projects and dissertations.

Featured Lecturer:
Dr Deborah Lancastle, course leader

"The MSc Clinical Psychology course is designed to provide students with comprehensive knowledge and critical understanding of aspects of psychological disorders as well as the interventions employed to help with various mental health conditions.

Importantly, the course will provide students with extensive training in research methods as well as the opportunity to complete an appropriate dissertation. The skills and knowledge developed during this course may help to enhance applications for competitive further training and employment such as the doctorate course in Clinical Psychology, Assistant Psychologist posts, and Research Assistant posts in applied settings.

Your skills and knowledge will be tested in a range of different assessments culminating in a substantial piece of independent practical work – your dissertation. All of our teaching and assessment is designed to reflect the core philosophy of our course." Read about Dr Lancastle's latest research.

Lecturers

Academic staff on the clinical psychology masters course are research active, and students can work with these researchers to complete interesting and meaningful dissertations.

We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

A minimum 2:2 Honours degree in Psychology or Psychology major/joint honours.

The course welcomes international applicants and requires an English level of IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component or equivalent.

Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course.

August 2023 - July 2024 Fees

Full-time UK: £9500
Full-time International: £15100
Part-time UK: £1055 per 20 credits

August 2024 - July 2025 Fees

Full-time UK: TBC
Full-time International: £16000
Part-time UK: TBC

Student Perks

At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.

Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.

Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

* Obligatory

Item	Cost
DBS	£55.42	Only required if students do a placement. This fee includes £40 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee.
DBS Updating Service	£13	Whilst optional it is strongly recommended signing up for this service especially if you are likely to have placements each year and wish to pursue a career post University where a DBS check is a requirement. Please note the service has to be joined within 19 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate.
Other: Travel		Cost is dependent on dissertation location

Funding

Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs

Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.

USW Postgraduate 20% Alumni Discount 2023/24

The University of South Wales is offering a 20% reduction in tuition fees for all University of South Wales* graduates starting a taught/online*** MA,MSc, LLM,MBA or DBA course from September 2023 (this includes students starting a course in January/February 2024). T's and Cs apply. Click here for more details and eligibility criteria: USW Postgraduate Alumni Discount 2023/24

Apply directly to the University for this Psychology Masters.

Admissions statement

This is a taught Clinical Psychology Masters programme and completion will not qualify you to practice as a Clinical Psychologist in the UK, nor guarantee acceptance onto a DClinPsy course. The skills that you develop will, however, enhance applications for professional training programmes, Assistant Psychologist posts, and Research Assistant posts in clinical settings and set you apart from applicants who have only an undergraduate Psychology degree.

Graduates could also progress to a postgraduate research. We welcome applications from self-funded students for postgraduate research degrees (including Masters by Research and PhD) in clinical / health psychology.

Example careers:

Clinical psychology doctorate programmes: These are extremely popular and competitive training courses and successful applicants are likely to have work experience in an appropriate setting as well as suitable qualifications. Applied research experience such as the collection of psychological data from an appropriate population will be a useful addition to an application for further training. The extensive research training and applied dissertation completed in this MSc programme will contribute to more robust applications to Clinical doctorate programmes.

Assistant Psychologist posts: These are sought after positions with many applicants for every post; not least because experience as an Assistant Psychologist can help support an application to clinical doctorate training programmes. Successful completion of this MSc programme will suggest a commitment to a career in clinical psychology as well as the development of skills and knowledge that are more advanced than those gained during an undergraduate degree.

Research Assistant posts: Excellent psychological research is extremely important in the field of clinical psychology. The extensive research focus and the dissertation completed in this programme will provide graduates with a range of research skills including the ability to critically evaluate literature, research, and applications in the field of clinical psychology, as well as experience in designing, conducting, writing up, and disseminating good quality psychological research. These are transferable skills that will be valued in a range of Research Assistant posts.