What is health psychology?

Health psychology is a constantly evolving field! A useful definition of the nature and scope this area comes from Matarazzo (1980) who defined health psychology as the 'aggregate of the specific educational, scientific and professional contribution of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health, the promotion and treatment of illness and related dysfunction'.

Mode of Study

The course is offered as either a part-time or full-time route.
Full-time students attend two days per week for Semester 1 [Oct-Jan] and Semester 2 [Jan-May]. In Semester 3 full-time students undertake their 'Independent Studies in Health Psychology'.

Part-time students attend 1 day per week in Semester 1 and Semester 2 in their first year. The summer is free. In Year 2, part-time students attend 1 day per week in Semester 1 and Semester 2. In Semester 3 part-time students undertake their 'Independent Studies in Health Psychology'.

Course Philosophy

Our philosophy at the University of Derby is that we believe health psychology to be a dynamic and evolving profession, which has witnessed an increase in application to various disciplines, settings and health care systems. Health psychologists must be equipped with a broad range of professional skills in order to meet these challenges.
As a consequence of staff expertise, curriculum design and underpinning programme philosophy, the MSc Health Psychology programme places particular emphasis on student development of professional competencies appropriate to health psychology. This is evidenced by:

• > specific teaching practices [i.e. student-centred learning with an emphasis on skills acquisition] embedded within the programme
  > the module Professional Skills in Health Psychology
  > inclusion of a student-led portfolio
  > regular skills and professional development meetings with academic tutors
  > emphasis on independent learning and research skills

Course Aims

The MSc Health Psychology programme has been designed to fulfill the knowledge base required of Masters programmes by the British Psychological Society as part of the qualification for Full Membership of the Division of Health Psychology and Chartered Health Psychologist status. In particular, the programme has four key aims and objectives for appropriately qualified students these are:

• > to provide students with the skills to critically evaluate theories, findings and methods relevant to the field of health psychology
  > to provide students with the professional skills to work within multi-professional health care contexts
  > to provide students with the necessary skills in order to design, conduct and analyse empirical psychological research in a health context
  > to provide students with a knowledge base that is necessary and sufficient for the academic component of the route to becoming a chartered health psychologist

Teaching & Learning Strategy

> students should be encouraged to develop autonomy in their studies;
> different students have different learning styles and that a range of learning opportunities should be provided for students;
> students and staff have the right to pursue their studies and to discharge their professional duties respectively in an academic environment free from direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation or religious belief.

Location

The course is taught on Campus at the University of Derby. We now offer an on-line version of the course with the on-line MSc in Psychology Health and Behaviour.  If you are interested in studying online please contact Dr Vicki Staples at v.staples@derby.ac.uk.

 

How is the course organised?

The course has been designed to cover the core curriculum as specified by the BPS Division of Health Psychology training committee. At the University of Derby, this material has been organised into 9 modules:

> Psychology of Health & Illness
> Qualitative Methods in Health Psychology
> Psychology of Chronic Conditions
> Professional Skills in Health Psychology
> Quantitative Methods in Health Psychology
> Psychological Aspects of Health Care
> Promoting Health Across the Lifespan
> Issues in Health Psychology Research
> Independent Studies in Health Psychology

For more information on modules click here.

Admissions Information

The MSc Health Psychology programme has 1 intake per year. Click the link for further admissions info.

BPS Accreditation

The course has been fully accredited by the BPS. In addition, the accreditation team noted the following aspects of good practice and wished to commend the course for:
> The enthusiasm and commitment of the programme team
> The support available for students with disability
> Professional skills development and career advice
> Student satisfaction with the programme and the staff
> Clear and comprehensive induction programme

Who teaches on the programme?

The MSc Health Psychology has a core team of 4 full-time members of staff:

Dr Rebecca Knibb CPsychol Reader in Health Psychology and Programme Leader
Dr Vicki Staples CPsychol Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology and Assistant Programme Leader
Dr Jane Montague Senior Lecturer
Amy Baraniak

Other full-time members of the Department of Psychology contribute to teaching on various modules of the MSc. In addition, a number of guest lecturers and professionals also contribute to the MSc degree. These individuals are from within the University of Derby as well as external bodies.
 

Research interests

All members of staff are research active and are members of the Health Psychology Research Group (Chaired by Dr Rebecca Knibb).  This research group is part of the Centre for Psychology Research.  For more information please see the Centre’s web page.

 

Contacts

If you have any general queries about the course please contact:

Dr Rebecca Knibb (Programme Leader)

Tel: 01332 593051

Email: mscquery@avru1.derby.ac.uk

If you would like to enquire about applying for a place or would like an application pack please contact:

Dr Vicki Staples (admissions officer and Assistant Programme Leader)

Tel: 01332 593059

Email: mscquery@avru1.derby.ac.uk