Master of Science - Health Psychology

MSc Health Psychology applies psychological science to physical health: health behaviour and behaviour-change theory, stress and coping, chronic illness and adherence, health communication, and research methods supporting an empirical dissertation.

The discipline addresses questions healthcare systems increasingly prioritise — why patients do or do not follow treatment, how interventions change behaviour at population scale, how psychological factors shape physical outcomes — and it does so quantitatively.

The programme typically forms Stage 1 of the professional training route toward chartered status, with Stage 2 doctoral training following, and applicants should verify current accreditation directly since professional recognition arrangements are reviewed periodically.

Applicants should understand the professional architecture before committing, since it determines timeline and cost: this master’s typically constitutes Stage 1 of the route toward chartered health psychologist status, with Stage 2 doctoral-level training and supervised practice following, which together represent several further years and considerable expense for international candidates. Many graduates instead use the qualification for behaviour-change, research and wellbeing roles, which is an entirely legitimate destination. Current accreditation status should be confirmed with DMU at offer stage, and the £17,300 fee applies across three recorded September cycles. Applicants should also confirm whether their undergraduate psychology degree confers the graduate basis for professional registration in the UK, since that status affects later training eligibility and is easier to establish before enrolment than afterwards.

Graduates work in behaviour-change programmes, health research, wellbeing management and patient experience roles while pursuing further training. The master’s carries Graduate Route eligibility at 18 months under post-2026 rules, with dependants excluded during taught study.