MSc Mental Health Science
- MSc
Overview
The MSc in Mental Health Science is designed for students from a diverse range of backgrounds who want to take a deep dive into mental health, explore the evidence base, develop skills in handling data and involving people with lived experience, and conduct high quality mental health research.
Drawing on the University of Bristol's renowned strengths in Psychology and Epidemiology, this MSc will equip you with the skills to explore what mental health is, why some people have better mental health than others, and how mental health difficulties can be treated and prevented.
This MSc includes a mix of theoretical training and hands-on skills development. You will graduate with a strong grasp of the evidence base in mental health science, particularly applied to contemporary mental health challenges like rising rates of difficulties in young people, with a strong focus on the biopsychosocial approach. In addition, you will develop your skills in involving people with lived experience.
This MSc will appeal to students who value the opportunity to encounter multiple perspectives to gain a rich and authentic appreciation of contemporary mental health challenges.
On this course you will:
- Explore how we define mental health and wellbeing and consider how the meaning of mental health has changed over time.
- Gain a biopsychosocial perspective, recognising the contributions of biological, psychological, and social factors that can help us to understand why some people have better mental health than others, and how treatment and prevention can be personalised to individual needs.
- Be embedded within a supportive and diverse learning community where we acknowledge the variety and complexity of real-world mental health challenges. #
- Gain theoretical and practical skills in Public Involvement and Engagement making this MSc unique compared to competitors. You will celebrate the role that co-production and participatory methods play in mental health research and practise these skills.
- Develop in-demand data skills such as programming, analysing complex data sets, and contributing to transparent research practices.
- Complete assessments that are authentic and relevant to careers in mental health, with opportunities to advance your skills in presentation, analysis, critical evaluation, and reflexive practice.
- Build a research portfolio accumulating content across the year with regular feedback on progress. This authentic way of working is aligned with future career directions and is designed to provide you with more support to deliver a high-quality piece of research and to put into practice many of the skills you have learned across the units.
Programme structure
The programme consists of six taught units and a research portfolio.
- In Mental Health 101 you will gain essential knowledge about how the meaning of mental health has changed over time, and explore current challenges in mental health.
- In Aetiology you will explore the underlying causes of mental health covering biological, psychological, social, and environmental risk factors.
- In Public Involvement and Engagement you will study the theory behind co-production and gain practical skills in how to effectively involve people with lived experience in research.
- In Treatment and Prevention you will explore both psychological and psychopharmacological therapies, alongside innovative treatment options, and wider prevention strategies.
- In Dynamic Mental Health you will consider how mental health varies by person, age and context, and explore methods that allow us to understand dynamic changes in mental health.
- In Data Skills you will gain practical skills in the basics of programming, with a focus on data wrangling, visualisation, and analysis.
The research portfolio will allow you to develop strong research skills to advance knowledge in mental health science. During this unit you will build the components of a research project step by step, with regular feedback to help you to develop your skills and confidence in appraising and conducting research.
This MSc can be taken part time: you would complete units 1, 3, 4 and 6 in your first year, and then units 2 and 5 alongside the research portfolio in your second year.
Visit our programme catalogue for further details on the unit content.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in Psychology or closely related disciplines (e.g. Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology); or any quantitative subject such as Biology, Computer Science, Data Science, Economics, Engineering, Geography, Health Care, Mathematics and Medicine, where a module at 2.1 will be required in a quantitative research methods module.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree.
We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement.
If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have additional qualifications; please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing
- a relevant postgraduate qualification.
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level C.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £15,400 per year
- Home: part-time (two years)
- £7,700 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £30,900 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
You will graduate with a strong grasp of the evidence base in mental health science and have advanced your skills in analysis, programming, evaluation, and communicating to diverse audiences. A unique aspect of our programme is our strong focus on public involvement and engagement, including practical skills in running focus groups and in reflexive practice. These skills will help you to stand out when applying for positions in a range of different careers within mental health.
This MSc is an ideal stepping-stone to further professional training in clinical psychology, educational psychology, counseling, and wellbeing support because it will equip you with the latest skills, tools and methodologies to conduct mental health research and evaluate evidence to apply in practice.
Beyond professional training routes, the skills and knowledge gained in this MSc will enhance your opportunities to gain employment in governmental/civil service/public health positions, healthcare, social work, and in data science/research careers, including further research training in a PhD programme.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk