Applied Psychology (Clinical)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE grade B (or 6) in English, Mathematics and Science. SL4 for IB. Applicants who do not meet this requirement can still apply but will be considered on a case by case basis.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
The Cambridge Technical Diploma is only accepted when taken alongside one other acceptable level 3 qualification such as an A level or Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate
The Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate can also be accepted when taken alongside two other acceptable level 3 qualifications e.g. two A levels or a Cambridge Technical Diploma.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma
The Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma can also be accepted when taken alongside two other acceptable level 3 qualifications e.g. two A levels or a Cambridge Technical Diploma.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
The Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma is only accepted when taken alongside one other acceptable level 3 qualification such as an A level or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
The Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate can also be accepted when taken alongside other acceptable level 3 qualifications e.g. two A levels or a BTEC National Diploma.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Higher
T Level
Minimum grade C in the Core Component.
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
The Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in lieu of one A Level at the grade achieved.
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About this course
Receive specialist clinical training and develop your scientific knowledge of psychology on our MSci Applied Psychology (Clinical) course.
This course will qualify you for employment as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) within the NHS, and will provide you with a masters-level qualification. It combines elements of the University's BSc Psychology and the Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments run by the world-renowned Charlie Waller Institute. The degree is also an ideal stepping-stone for postgraduate studies in clinical psychology.
The first two years of the course will give you a grounding in cognition, neuroscience, development, personality and social psychology. You will then cover these subjects in far greater depth during the second year. During the third year you will receive specialist clinical training and carry out a placement within the Talking Therapies department of a Mental Health Trust. This experience will link directly into practical modules, which are designed to develop your clinical skills.
Your final year will consist of masters-level modules and enable you to develop your knowledge by exploring your areas of interest in greater depth through a wide range of optional modules. Modules are regularly revised in order to incorporate the latest developments in clinical psychology, ensuring your knowledge and skills are always up to date. Recently they have included topics such as methods in clinical psychology, topics in affective neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. Should you wish to study abroad, you can spend a term of your final year at a partner institution.
Throughout the course you will gain practical experience, and learn how to devise and run your own experiments. During the final year you will carry out an original piece of research on a topic of your choice. You may have the opportunity to present your work at conferences, and a number of past projects have won awards from the BPS and British Neuroscience Association.
This MSci is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
**Placement**
You will carry out your third year placement within the Talking Therapies department of a Mental Health Trust. This will normally involve conducting assessments and interventions of mild to moderate anxiety and depression under the supervision of NHS staff. The placement is a direct extension of the practical work taught during course modules.
You may also decide to carry our placements during the second year of the course, or during vacations. These can take place at an outside organisation such as a charity, or with one of our in-house NHS clinics. These include anxiety, speech and language therapy, and dementia. Alternatively, you can volunteer as a research assistant on a range of projects within the Department of Psychology.
Modules
The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2024/25. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.
Core modules for this course:
Applied and Professional Psychology
Debates in Mental Health
Introduction to Psychological Research
Learning about Learning
The Person and the Brain
Cognitive and Biological Psychology
Development Across the Lifespan
Introduction to CBT
Research Methods in Psychology
Social Psychology and Individual Differences
Engagement & Assessment of Common Mental Health Problems
Evidence-Based Low-Intensity Treatment of Common Mental Health Problems
Values, Employment and Context
Placement (P3)
Empirical Project
Communicating Current Psychology
The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available between May and July 2023. We suggest that you regularly revisit this webpage during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Reading
School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences
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Applied psychology
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Applied psychology
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£22k
£24k
£31k
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