MSc Health Psychology

Entry standards

A First or Upper Second class honours degree (or recognised equivalent qualification) in psychology and graduate basis for registration (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS).

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

MSc Health Psychology - structure and modules

Module Titles

Compulsory Modules 

• Quantitative Research Methods
•  Qualitative Research Methods
• Conducting Health Psychology Research 
• Chronic Conditions 
• Epidemiology 
• Psychological Aspects of Health Care 
• Maintaining Health Throughout the Life-span 

Optional Module 

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Health Psychology 

Compulsory Modules 

Quantitative Research Methods

In this module, you will develop the skills to conduct and assess quantitative research effectively.

Qualitative Research Methods

This module, you will develop the skills to conduct and assess qualitative research.

Conducting Health Psychology Research 

This module provides you with advanced knowledge and understanding of the methods, theory and practice in different types of assessment techniques used in health psychology research. 

Chronic Conditions 

This module provides you with advanced knowledge and understanding of theory and practice, in particular relating to chronic illness/ disability such as cancer, HIV, cardiovascular disorders, pain, arthritis and diabetes. 

Epidemiology 

This module will provide you with advanced knowledge and understanding of theory and practice, in particular relating to the epidemiology of health and illness. 

Psychological Aspects of Health Care 

This module covers psychological factors that influence the patient’s passage through the health care system. 

Maintaining Health Throughout the Life-span 

This module provides you with advanced knowledge and understanding of the methods, theory and practice in developing and maintaining health throughout the life-span.

Optional Module 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Health Psychology 

This module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the methods, theory and practice of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) used in health psychology.

Subject information

Health Psychology at Surrey 

The core philosophy of Health Psychology at Surrey is to train students in the scientist-practitioner model. The MSc Health Psychology programme will lay the foundations for you to become a Chartered Health Psychologist, and will provide you with a thorough and critical understanding of the knowledge base, theories, findings and research methods relevant to health psychology. This includes an understanding of evidence-based science, the ability to design, conduct and analyse empirical psychological research, and the development of analytical and problem-solving skills. 

As scientists, graduates must demonstrate a range of subject-specific and transferable skills and knowledge. These include competence in report writing, group-working skills, and the ability to think critically. This philosophy can be traced throughout all constituent parts of the modular programme offered to our students. 

You will be encouraged to act as data gatherer, synthesiser and presenter. Teaching is delivered in both the traditional lecture format and by the less formal workshop style, by internal and external health professionals, and students are exposed to a variety of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. 

The University of Surrey has developed a route to the Stage 2 Qualification in Health Psychology, which will fulfil the BPS criteria for the award of Chartered status in health psychology. This programme involves candidates undertaking a programme of study leading to the Postgraduate Certificate in Health Psychology Practice, together with a PhD. Students who have successfully completed their MSc (Stage 1) are eligible to proceed to Stage 2 training. Students will further develop practitioner skills and learn to apply knowledge of research and theory to problems encountered in the wider context, including health care, home and work settings. 

Some recent examples of dissertation topics include:

• The long-term physical and psychological health effects of spousal bereavement in older adults: a qualitative investigation 
• Investigation to examine the effects of isometric exercise and body scanning on cigarette cravings and withdrawal in a real-world setting 
• Patients’ experiences of having outpatient hysteroscopy: the impact of anxiety and seeing the procedure 
• Predicting people’s experiences of health and illness following a cardiac event 
• Discourses of evidence and experience: the professional construction of medical expertise and health care practice 
• Do different health beliefs lead to seeking and taking complementary and alternative medicine? An explorative study into the beliefs of employees from a pharmaceutical background 

MSc Health Psychology - entry standards

Entry standards

A First or Upper Second class honours degree (or recognised equivalent qualification) in psychology and graduate basis for registration (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS).

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

Application procedure

Start date

MSc Health Psychology - fees and funding

Fees

Health Psychology (full time):

UK/EU - £6,400 
Overseas - £14,830

Health Psychology (part time):

UK/EU £3,200 
Overseas - £7,415

www.surrey.ac.uk/pgfees/2012

Funding opportunities

Funding 

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has recognised the University of Surrey’s Psychology MSc and PhD programmes for ‘1+3’ awards. This allows students who wish to proceed to PhD level to apply for funding for both their Masters and subsequent research degrees in the Department, provided they fulfil the ESRC eligibility criteria. If you wish to apply for an ESRC ‘1+3’ studentship, please contact us by the beginning of February at the latest.

MSc Health Psychology - professional context

Professional recognition

Recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for research training and accredited by the BPS.

Careers

Career prospects for students of this programme are very good, with graduates working in a variety of careers allied to medicine. 

Some examples of where graduates of this programme have gone on to work include:

• Trainee clinical psychologist, Black Country NHS Trust 
• Residential care officer, Community Homes – Intensive Care and Education, Reading 
• Compensation analyst, Hewlett Packard, Bracknell 
• Assistant psychologist, NE Essex Mental Health Services NHS Trust, Colchester 
• Aids Council carer, Papworth Trust, Cambridge 
• Trainee health psychologist at the Queen Elizabeth Foundation 

Some students have remained in the Department of Psychology and undertaken research for a PhD. Other students remain in the Department and become full-time research officers, working on one of the many research projects we have which are supported by the research councils, government, industry or the charitable trusts. 

Graduates have also chosen to move to other universities to undertake research (as PhD students or research officers), as the Surrey MSc provides students with a recognised and thorough grounding in research methods.

MSc Health Psychology - teaching

Teaching hours

Lectures: 12–14 hours per week in term time
Outside speaker seminars: between six and ten hours per term over the duration of the course
Supervision: up to nine hours per term over the duration of the course

Staff perspective

Dr Mark Cropley

The MSc is part of the Health Psychology Research Group. We also run a module for undergraduates and have a number of PhD students and researchers working with us.

We are a very friendly and approachable group who believe in combining our research expertise with teaching. My own research interests include rumination, occupational stress, smoking and fibromyalgia, and I often supervise MSc dissertations in these areas.

In the group we cover a broad range of health psychology topics and have expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods; we see research being driven by the question, rather than the methodology.

We try to offer a supportive environment for our students and have regular lunchtime speakers on research and career issues.

Over the years we have built up good links with local health providers and therefore encourage students to carry out patient-based research if possible. We emphasise the applied aspects of health psychology theory in real-life settings.

MSc Health Psychology - learning

Assessment 

The programme is modular and is offered in both full-time and part-time modes. One module (20 contact hours) provides 15 credits. You will complete seven compulsory modules and one optional module. You will also be required to present a dissertation comprising an original piece of empirical research within an area of health psychology. This will be approved and supervised by one of the Department’s academic staff.

MSc Health Psychology - graduate profile

Student Profile: Helen Brunger

MSc Health Psychology

The University of Surrey has a fantastic reputation. I wanted to be a part of the highly regarded research department that would provide me with the opportunity to work with some amazing people.

Surrey has enjoyed a remarkably successful employment rate for many years. I think that Surrey’s global reputation is reflected in the amount of international students that come to study here.

The Department has really looked after its students and I have loved and appreciated my time here. One of the things I have enjoyed the most has been the challenge of undertaking an MSc. The workload has been intense but it has also covered a range of topics and requirements that are applicable to many potential future job roles, whether in health psychology or a different field. I have also enjoyed the fact that, as well as traditional lecture-style teaching, there is quite a lot of emphasis on a more workshop-style approach which encourages interaction.

I think the biggest skill that I have developed over my time at the University of Surrey is the ability to readily apply psychology to everyday life. Psychology is a subject that is useful in all aspects of life, not just in terms of employment. In all, I feel as though I have built up a very strong skills base for when I leave university.

Guildford and this part of the country are both very beautiful; it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to study here and take advantage of that.

Student Profile: Claire Friedemann

MSc Health Psychology

Initially I looked at Surrey because it was one of a few places offering my course. Once I learned about its great reputation and discovered many of the teaching staff are very well respected in the field, I decided to apply. When I came for a visit, I felt so welcome – everyone was so friendly and enthusiastic about the course; I was sold!

Every week we cover different aspects of health psychology and our lectures are often given by people actually working in the area. This means that we can get an idea of what is available for us when we graduate and can ask questions of people currently working in the field.

This course has given me a real ability to work to tight deadlines and with people from a variety of different backgrounds. We all found the workload quite intense at first, but I think that has given us the drive to get things done quickly and to a high standard, which I am sure future employers will appreciate! In my spare time I enjoy being active and I go running often. Surrey also has the amazing Sports Park which is a great place to go to work out or unwind.

The campus also has lots of places to meet friends and so many different types of food on offer, you almost never need to go into Guildford!

MSc Health Psychology - more

Psychology at Surrey 

The Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey is one of the most active and highly regarded psychology departments in the country. We specialise in applied and policy-oriented teaching and research within a strong theoretical context. The international, interdisciplinary, policy and applied strengths of the Department mean that students’ theoretical and methodological research puts them at the cutting edge of the discipline. 

We are one of the highest ranked departments in the country for graduates entering employment, and also one of the largest providers of postgraduate training in the UK. 

The University of Surrey Department of Psychology has been the centre for many cross-national studies and has attracted funding from research councils and local and national government departments, such as ESF, Defra, the MoD, the Home Office, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency, Surrey County Council and the EU. 

If you choose to study psychology at the University of Surrey, you will be provided with a combination of opportunities that would be hard to match elsewhere. We offer you a degree that provides a thorough grounding in the theories, methods and practice of contemporary psychology. Our programmes lay particular emphasis on the application of psychology to real-world problems, and also consider issues related to professional practice in preparation for your career as a professional psychologist. 

The basis of good postgraduate courses is the research activity of staff, the incorporation of current research programmes in teaching material and a reciprocal relationship between theory development and applied research in everyday contemporary issues. We believe in involving all postgraduate students in the research life of the Department through active participation in one of the research groups, by attendance at research seminars and, where possible, an attachment to ongoing research projects. As a student of the Department of Psychology, you will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year. 

Health Psychology Research at Surrey 

The Health Psychology Research Group is involved in research into a range of health-related areas including diabetes, obesity, exercise, smoking, diet, risk perception and communication. 

There are a number of ongoing funded and unfunded projects within the Health Psychology Research Group which cover a range of areas. 

Projects include: 

• Food intolerance in primary care 
• The psychological consequences of obesity surgery 
• Choice and control: when is choice a good thing? 
• Sustained behaviour change 
• The use of language in the consultation 
• The role of the home environment in explaining children’s diets 

The University is at the centre of international research projects in the areas of social, environmental, health, occupational, developmental and cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. The Department has strong links with European and other international researchers through the Social Psychology European Research Institute (SPERI), the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre (FCBHRC) and the Clinical Neuroscience Research Team (CNRT) which are based in the Department. A number of members of the Department are also members of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre, studying cognitive, health and occupational aspects of sleep restriction and its effects on performance.

Selected Publications 

Rydstedt, L.W., Cropley, M., Devereux, J.J., & Michalianou, G. (2009). The Effects of Gender, Long-Term Need for Recovery and Trait Inhibition-Rumination on Morning and Evening Saliva Cortisol Secretion. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 22, 465-474.

Ussher, M., Cropley, M., Playle, S., Mohidin, R., & West, R. (2009). Effect of isometric exercise and body scanning on cigarette cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Addiction, 104, 1251-1257.

MSc Health Psychology - apply

• MSc Health Psychology - Full-time - starting September 2012
• MSc Health Psychology - Part-time - starting September 2012