MSc Mental Health Science
- MSc
Overview
This MSc will provide you with state-of-the art training in theoretical and practical applications of the biopsychosocial approach to the study and assessment of mental health. Drawing on the University of Bristol's renowned strengths in Psychology and Epidemiology, this MSc will equip students with the skills to explore what mental health is and how it can be treated, alongside how we can promote wellbeing and prevent mental health difficulties.
Students will be exposed to an evidence-based approach to mental health, situating contemporary mental health challenges within a historical context. The programme will cover aetiology, prediction and treatment (from a biopsychosocial perspective), multiple contemporary issues surrounding mental health science (for example, diversity, women's mental health, rising mental health problems), and research skills.
The voices of lived experience will be embedded across the programme, providing students with a rich learning environment that acknowledges the variety and complexity of real-world mental health challenges.
We place strong emphasis on Public Involvement and Engagement (PIE) making this MSc unique compared to competitors. Students will value the role that co-production and participatory methods play in mental health research and practice these skills. Alongside this they will learn critical data skills, such as programming, complex secondary data analysis, and the very latest in open science practices.
Assessments are authentic and relevant to careers in mental health and will require students to demonstrate key skills including presentation, analysis, critical evaluation, and reflexive practice, providing a well-rounded set of assessments for taught skills.
Students will build a research portfolio of work for their dissertation accumulating across the year with regular feedback on progress. This authentic way of working is aligned with future career directions and is designed to provide the students with more support to deliver a high-quality piece of research and to put into practice many of the skills they have learned across the units.
This MSc will appeal to students keen to advance their understanding of mental health science, who value the opportunity to encounter multiple perspectives to gain a rich and authentic appreciation of contemporary mental health challenges.
Programme structure
The programme consists of six taught units and a research portfolio.
- Mental Health 101 provides the essential foundational knowledge in knowing what mental health is, and how we can situate contemporary mental health challenges within a historical context.
- Aetiology and Co-morbidity will explore the underlying aetiology of mental health covering biological, psychological, social, and environmental risk factors.
- Public Involvement and Engagement provides training in theory and practice for how to effectively involve members of the public in research design, conduct, and communication, which is crucial for impactful and meaningful research that can inform real-world practice.
- Treatment and Prevention provides theoretical knowledge of both psychological and psychopharmacological therapies, as well as the benefits and limitations of each for varying mental health conditions.
- Dynamic Mental Health covers the variability between individuals in symptom presentation, diagnosis, aetiology and prevention strategies, taking a deep dive into the research methods that can be used to explore dynamic changes in mental health.
- Data Skills will teach you the basics of computer programming for psychologists and mental health science, 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 produce a portfolio, developing skills and confidence in appraising and conducting research.
This MSc can be taken full time (1 year), or part time (2 years). In the part-time option you would complete units 1, 3, 4 and 6 in your first year (80 credits), and then units 2 and 5 alongside the research portfolio in your second year (100 credits).
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc Mental Health Science.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in Psychology or closely related disciplines (eg 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 human behaviour and 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.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level B.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: MSc full-time
- £14,900 per year
- Overseas: MSc full-time
- £29,800 per year
- Home: MSc part-time (two years)
- £7,450 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
This degree delivers a combination of theoretical and practical skills in mental health science, all of which are directly applicable to your possible future careers within mental health. A strength of the programme is a focus on giving you formal training in how to do PIE (Public Involvement and Engagement) and supporting you to engage with stakeholders for your portfolio. We will also train you in reflexive practice, which is an important skill for many careers in mental health. On completion of the programme you will graduate with deep knowledge and understanding of mental health, and be equipped with the latest skills, tools, and methodologies to conduct and evaluate mental health research.
Completing this programme will support those who aspire to further professional training in clinical psychology, educational psychology, counseling psychology and becoming a psychological wellbeing practitioner. Our programme includes training that will also enhance your opportunities to gain employment in governmental/civil service/public health positions, healthcare, social work, data science careers, and research, including further research training in a PhD programme.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk