Forensic Mental Health
Award
MSc
Duration & study mode
Typically 3 years
School
Health & Life Sciences
Location
Fully online
Course starting dates
-
Fully online: January, September
Our MSc Forensic Mental health is currently the only Masters-level qualification delivered in Scotland, specialising in forensic mental health.
It offers a unique opportunity to advance your knowledge and enhance your skills. Our MSc has input from the School of Forensic Mental Health* (part of the Forensic Mental Health Managed Care Network in Scotland) by experienced clinicians through development of our course materials. This collaborative nature of the partnership closes the theory-practice gap and brings a fresh and current perspective to the programme in addition to a wealth of practical experience.
Graduates will be equipped with the confidence to excel in any forensic mental health setting. The programme is designed for those who are currently, or who are looking to be employed in a forensic setting—such as a secure hospital, community based service for mentally disordered offenders, the Scottish Prison Service or Police Scotland. It is suitable for professionals with backgrounds in nursing, social care, psychology, occupational therapy, psychiatry, criminal justice and security.
* School of Forensic Mental Health was established in November 2007. Hosted by The Forensic Network, the School is available to colleagues and associates from across Scotland to assist with teaching, training and research needs in forensic mental health.
This MSc offers graduates the opportunity to pursue their career in forensic mental health.
Those completing the programme will be equipped to apply for senior clinical roles and/or senior management positions in various settings including the community, secure hospitals and/or prisons.
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Postgraduate & Post-experience Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
You should normally hold an appropriate Ordinary bachelor's degree in a health (but not exclusively) related field.
Your application may still be considered if do not hold a degree if you can demonstrate sufficient professional or practice based experience relating to your area of study, for example, two years’ experience working in a mental health or forensic mental health context where you are required to provide written reports.
Applicants must demonstrate that they have sufficient professional or practice based experience to undertake their chosen study, for example, two years' experience working in a mental health or forensic mental health context where they are required to provide written reports.
A progression route also exists from the short module Forensic mental Health run at New College Lanarkshire, Motherwell Campus and from the Graduate Certificate in Personality Disorder course at UWS. To be considered through this route, you must have a pass rate in excess of 60%.
All academic degrees/awards at UWS are taught in English. For applicants whose first language is not English*, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. All English language qualifications must have been gained within two years of the start of your UWS course.
* applicants who are exempt from english language requirements include:
In general terms, if you are applying to study a course at, or above, Year 1 (SCQF Level 7) bachelor’s degree level, then the UKVI’s minimum level of English proficiency is Common European Framework for References of Languages (CEFR) at B2 (Upper Intermediate).
At UWS, we define our general English language requirements using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training) as follows:
These are minimum requirements and some courses may require a higher standard for admission†.
† Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see IELTS Score Exceptions section below for more information).
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (BSc Adult Nursing, MSc Adult Nursing, BSc Mental Health Nursing, MSc Mental Health Nursing, BSc Midwifery and MSc Midwifery), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BSc Paramedic Science degree leads to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); it has different IELTS requirements than other Health-related courses. Although it is not possible to apply for this degree directly as an international student, for applicants who meet SAAS residency requirements and for whom English is not their first language, then the following IELTS scores are required:
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science degrees, which may lead to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work degrees are professionally recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council and applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
In additional to IELTS, we also accept a number of alternative English language for application and admission to our courses for both home/EU and international students at bachelor's degree study at Year 3 (SCQF Level 9), and above. From Cambridge to TOFEL iBT qualifications the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out about non-IELTS English Language Tests
UWS has also reviewed a range of High / Secondary School qualifications studied by non-EU applicants that can be used as a basis of entry to a UWS. These range from Botswana GCSEs to USA High School Graduation Diplomas, the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out more about international English Language high-hchool qualifications
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
Our innovative approach to learning and teaching ensures students benefit from the latest thinking and best practice. The course is delivered online by a combination of experienced forensic clinicians and academic staff.
The course is assessed using a range of different methods including: essay, case study, annotated bibliography, presentation, reflective diaries, treatment plan and peer review.
There is an expectation that the MSc can typically be completed within three (up to a maximum of five) years.
In order to complete the course modules it is recommended that one day a week is required to fulfil study requirements. Please contact us for more information.
The course consists of core modules set within a framework of interrelated themes, that is, assessment, treatment and management of patients within a forensic mental health context.
For the award of Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) Forensic Mental Health (60 credits), students must undertake the following core modules:
Successful completion of the PgCert allows you to proceed to the Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) which consists of the additional following core modules:
Successful completion of the PgDip allows you to proceed to the master's module:
The MSc comprises of the following core modules:
Our innovative approach to learning and teaching ensures students benefit from the latest thinking and best practice. The programme is delivered online by a combination of experienced forensic clinicians and academic staff.
The programme is assessed using a range of different methods including: essay, case study, annotated bibliography, presentation, reflective diaries, treatment plan and peer review.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
ASSESSMENT
Programme Specification and Module Descriptors for Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses are available to download (PDFs). These provide you with core information concerning your chosen subject.
£1,070 per module (20 credits)
£1,680 per module (20 credits)
£1,680 per module (20 credits)
£2,210 per module (20 credits)
All students should apply directly to the University through our online application system. Before you apply, you should check that you meet our entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.
The first stage of the process is to complete the initial application form. You will then receive a follow-up email with further instructions relating to your application including documents that you will need to forward to support your application, e.g. degree transcripts and certificates etc.
Most courses don't have a formal closing date, but they will close when they are full; apply early to avoid disappointment. There may also be funding deadlines that apply to you.
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.
Students and researchers who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an ATAS certificate.
An ATAS certificate may be required for certain taught postgraduate master's degrees for international students at UWS.
For the latest information on ATAS and details of eligibility and how to apply for a certificate check the UK Government's dedicated ATAS web pages.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.