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Health Psychology (Research)

Course details
  • Professional Doctorate
  • 3 Years
  • Part-time
  • November 2026
  • Postgraduate
Course location
Frenchay Campus
Awarded by:
University of the West of England, Bristol

Course summary

This part-time programme provides BPS-accredited Stage 2 training, a doctoral-level education and a professional Health Care Professions Council qualification. Taught by a highly experienced team, it gives you the research, training and supervision to take your career to the next level.

For individuals working in a health setting, this course provides the knowledge and skills to develop careers and become a Chartered Psychologist. You will come to UWE Bristol for around 12 Doctorate Training Days and supervision meetings each year over three years, while working in your existing role as you carry out your research. You receive strong course support in person and online, so wherever you are in the country you can be sure of the best support.

Outstanding professional support
You will learn from our outstanding team of HCPC-registered Health Psychologists, benefiting from their expertise in research, behaviour change, consultancy and teaching and training and their extensive professional network and strong links in the region. Each year ends with a review day, where you can speak to tutors face to face about your progress.

You will prepare for accreditation as a Chartered Psychologist through training and supervision in five areas of competency. These five areas are specified by the British Psychological Society's Board of Examiners in Health Psychology. On completing this course you'll be eligible to apply for the Register of Health Psychologists held by the Health and Care Professions Council.

The BPS accreditation team commends this course based on:

  • the high level of student satisfaction and the resources and facilities that support their training

  • the high level of support the academic team provides, and their accessibility and approachability

  • the strong research experience and wide-ranging expertise of the programme team, and its commitment and enthusiasm to the course

  • the forward-looking nature of the course, including the commitment to its continual development

  • the programme team's responsiveness to feedback from students, employers and professional bodies

  • the diversity of the assessment methods and our commitment to developing new ones.

  • the emphasis on integrating theory and practice at every stage.

Assessment method

We assess your work through modular assignments looking for evidence you've acquired the professional teaching and training, consultancy and behaviour-change interventions skills you need. And your thesis, which includes your systematic review and report on a major piece of empirical research, plus an oral exam.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • British Psychological Society
  • Health and Care Professions Council

Open days

Entry requirements

You must have a minimum 2:1 honours degree in Psychology or a closely related discipline. In exceptional circumstances, applicants with substantive relevant work experience or further training and a strong academic background will be considered, however we are unable to accept applicants without an undergraduate degree in psychology or a closely related discipline. Please contact the programme leader if you are unsure whether your academic background is suitable preparation for this programme.

We particularly welcome graduates with appropriate experience in health psychology, and those who have been employed as health or related settings are encouraged to apply. Previous successful applicants have had a wide range of health-related experience including working as nurses, health care assistants, admin in a health setting, health promotion, psychology assistant posts, research assistants, teaching. Newer graduates with an academic background incorporating health psychology with a plan for acquiring health-related work experience alongside the programme are also welcome to apply.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate:

  • Some experience with statistics, e.g. T tests, ANOVA, correlation, regression
  • Experience of completing a dissertation or research project
  • An understanding of experimental methods in psychology the scientific method, between subject designs, within subject designs, confounding variables, psychological measurement etc
  • An understanding of basic cognitive processes memory, attention, schema
  • An understanding of basic psychobiology the stress response, sleep
  • An understanding of human learning operant and classical conditioning, social learning theory
  • An understanding of depression, anxiety, other psychological disorders.

Disclosure of Criminal Background - the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply and all convictions, including those which are spent, must be disclosed. Applicants who are offered a place must undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form. All information will be treated in confidence and only taken into account when absolutely necessary.

Health Checks - applicants must be in good health. Those offered a place are required to complete a questionnaire and be prepared to undergo a medical examination if necessary.

Read more about our professional checks for Health and Education courses on https://www.uwe.ac.uk/courses/applying/professional-checks-for-health-and-education.

We don't accept deferred entry applications for this course.

English Language Requirement
International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

*The University accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you'll need in our English language requirements on https://www.uwe.ac.uk/courses/applying/international-applications/english-language-requirements.

UWE Bristol's International College
International students who do not meet the academic or English language requirements to study this course can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College on https://www.kaplanpathways.com/where-to-study/uwe-bristol-international-college/.

English language support
If you meet the academic requirements but require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Students who successfully complete the pre-sessional course can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking an IELTS or equivalent.

Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme on https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/YQ33.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Fee information is to be confirmed. All fees are subject to final approval. Please visit our website for further information.

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