Psychological Well-being MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert

About the course

The Psychological Well-Being course is a popular and rapidly expanding field worldwide. The course reflects national and international initiatives for the enhancement of mental health and well-being in the prevention and alleviation of psychological problems (e.g. depression, anxiety, and stress). You will evaluate the factors that characterise and influence mental health and well-being, alongside those that might contribute to mental health problems; and develop awareness of the cultural, social and economic contexts in which they develop.

• We are among the first universities to offer training in this area at Master’s level
• Recent extensive investment in our dedicated psychology teaching facilities allows you to put theory in to practice
• Develop your practical and professional skills through short placement activities involving interactions with clients and health and social care professionals
• Benefit from inter-professional learning and develop a range of transferrable skills, alongside individuals from a range backgrounds
• Flexible study opportunities allow further professional development alongside work
• Develop a critical understanding of the psychological theory and research that underpin the study of mental health and well-being
• Acquire knowledge about and identify the cultural, social and economic factors that influence mental health and well-being
• Develop an awareness of the range of contemporary and traditional therapeutic approaches that may be employed in the treatmentand prevention of mental health problems
• Suitable for recent graduates and experienced healthcare professionals looking to enhance their specialist skills and career opportunities

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Key facts

Duration: One year full-time, two-three years part-time, distance learning up to six years part-time

Attendance: Full-time students will attend the university on two full days per week and part-time students on one day per week. The course is also available via Distance Learning

Start date: September 2014

Entry and admission criteria

An Honours degree in psychology or psychology and a second subject of 2:2 or above or equivalent. Applications will be considered from students who hold a 2:2 Honours degree from a non-psychology based course.

Other appropriately qualified/experienced applicants with a science or social science background will be considered on the basis of the university's accreditation for prior learning/accreditation prior experiential learning procedures.

You must complete a declaration form and enhanced CRB disclosure application form(if you are overseas you will also need to submit a criminal records certificate from your home country), before starting the course, which need to be cleared in accordance with DMU ’s admission policy. Contact us for up-to-date information.

Applicants may be required to attend an interview as part of the selection process. If you are unable to attend, alternative arrangements may be made.

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent when you start the course is essential. English language tuition, delivered by our British Council accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and during the course if you need it. To find out more, please visit dmu.ac.uk/international|

Teaching and assessment

All teaching is delivered within two dedicated laboratory/taught master’s rooms. Teaching facilities include dedicated laboratory and practical work areas, an observation suite and a vision research laboratory. You will also enjoy excellent IT and computing facilities within both the faculty and the library, and have access to a number of statistical and software packages including PASW/SPSS, Adobe Audition and Superlab.

The course uses a wide variety of teaching and learning methods and assessment is based almost exclusively on coursework. The latter is varied and includes formal essays, the production of research reports, real-time and web-based presentations and problem-solving tasks, a literature review, and a reflective portfolio. The dissertation provides you with an experience of the research process from its inception to completion.

International students come to study in the UK because the quality of our teaching is among the best in the world, offering a varied selection of teaching methods to suit all learning requirements.

Course modules

The course aims to give you the opportunity to:

• Develop a critical understanding of the theory and research that underpins the study of well-being Develop awareness of the cultural, social, and economic factors that influence well-being.

• Acquire knowledge about the range of traditional and contemporary approaches that may be employed in the prevention and alleviation of psychological distress

These aims are achieved through the following modules:

• Approaches to the Study of Well-being (15 credits)
  offers an introduction to the study of well-being from a variety of perspectives including: Evolution and development; physiology and neuroscience; philosophy and psychology

• Research Methods and Data Analysis for Psychologists (30 credits)
  equips you with the quantitative and qualitative research skills necessary to undertake research at MSc level.
  

• Well-being Through the Lifespan (15 credits)
  extends the study of psychological perspectives on well-being and explores influences on, and potential threats to psychological well-being at key stages throughout the lifespan.
  
  
• Well-being in Cultural, Social and Economic Contexts(15 credits)
  focuses on well being within a broader frame work as opposed to at an individual level. You will explore the cultural context of well-being in addition to social and economic considerations.
  

• Approaches to Psychological Problems (30 credits)
  considers decreased well-being as manifested in psychological problems, including anxiety disorders, depressive illness and substance abuse.

• Lifestyle, Wellness and Well being (15 credits)
  Relates to current initiatives concerned with the maintenance of ‘wellness and well-being’, exploring the effects of lifestyle factors (e.g. smoking, drinking alcohol, drug-use) on physical and psychological aspects of well-being.
  

• Research Dissertation (60 credits)
  Allows you to design and conduct an original research study on a topic of your choice, and applying qualitative and/or quantitative methods of analysis You may choose to take one of two combinations of modules as a Postgraduate Certificate or all modules except the dissertation as a Postgraduate Diploma.

Academic expertise

The Psychological Well-being course is taught by experienced psychologists, based at De Montfort University, with occasional contributions from practitioners and academics working within a variety of well-being related contexts.

The team has expertise in the specific domains of well-being embedded within the course; for example, developmental psychology, occupational psychology, health psychology, clinical psychology and cognitive/biological psychology. A number of the team are currently working or publishing in areas that relate to well-being and mental health, or are supervising PhD research in this area.

For example, articles authored by team members have been published in a diverse range of peer-reviewed journals including:

• Social Science and Medicine
• Mental Health Review
• The International Journal of Human Resource Development and Management
• The Journal of Adolescence
• The Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
• The Journal of Experimental Psychology
• The Journal of Neurology
• Neurosurgery and Psychiatry Child Development
• Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, and The Journal of Health Psychology

Fees and funding

UK/EU Full-time £4740 Part Time 15 credit taught module £395 60 credit dissertation £1580 Distance Learning
UK/EU
£4740 International £12,200 International
Full-time £12,200

Scholarships

As part of the universities commitment to enhancing the personal and career development of our graduates. We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2013/14.
Alumni scholarship programme. For more information visit Health and Life Sciences Alumni Scholarships >|