Mental Health Practice | Person working at a desk

Overview

This programme, which is designed for nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and other professional groups working with mental ill health, develops your skills to work at advanced levels as a clinical expert, manager or educator in settings where distress arising from mental ill health is an influence on outcome.

Students are able to undertake the master’s programme and can link that qualification to a choice of development within three key areas: therapeutic skills, education or leadership.

The programme is designed for students currently working within environments where mental health impacts on client outcome and includes consideration of current mental health theory, the use of supervision in practice, theories around change management, the development of research investigation and dissemination skills, a review of the main research theories and eventual development of a final research report or proposal.

All of the modules are shaped by the student’s pathway choice and relate to their work environment.

Integrated Health and Social Care | Female outside leaning on bench

course highlights

You will choose one of three pathways (education, leadership or therapeutic skills) to align your studies with your career aspirations.
Study demands are flexible as all materials and tutorials are online.
To facilitate peer support there are optional online meetings, meaning there are only between four and five mandatory participation times for each module.

MSc Taster Modules

This MSc is designed to facilitate a flexible approach to learning in order to accommodate your busy working life.

Most of the modules on this programme are open for standalone study and you can choose one of them as a taster for both the programme and for MSc level study.

Leadership for Mental Health
Therapeutic Skills for Mental Health
Education for Mental Health
Core Values for Mental Health
Independent Study for Mental Health

The first three are the pathway specific modules for the programme, however completion of any of these modules would allow you the option of transferring credit for them should you then decide to join the full programme.

90%

Overall student satisfaction amongst UWS postgraduate students (iGraduate Student Barometer 2017-18)

100%

of Mental Health Practice students would recommend UWS Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2017

93%

of UWS postgraduate students would recommend UWS to a friend (iGraduate Student Barometer 2017-18)

Entry Requirements

What qualifications do you need?

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.

Academic Requirements

You must have a professional background and be working within environments where mental ill health is a determinant on client outcome. You will need an identified workplace supervisor and a supportive manager to assist you across the duration of the course.

You must also have a relevant Ordinary bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification at SCQF Level 9 (i.e. Graduate Certificate in Acute Care) normally within the past five years and have a command of current, evidenced based knowledge within your chosen subject.

Consideration will be given if you have an Ordinary bachelor's degree in a related topic or gained your degree several years ago where continued further development in knowledge through postgraduate studies would demonstrate currency in certified learning, at the discretion of the Course Leader.

English Language Requirements

English language requirements for most courses

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.

General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

overall score 6.0
no sub-test less than 5.5

Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).

SOCIAL WORK DEGREES

For our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 7.0
no sub-test less than 7.0

Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests
PTE Pearson Academic English: An overall score of 59 to 64 with no element below 59 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5). An overall score 65 to 75 with no element below 65 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.5 with no element below 6.0)

IELTS Score Exceptions (Research degrees, Biomedical Science degrees, Nursing & Midwifery degrees with NMC registration, Certificate of Higher Education, etc.)

Research Degrees

For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 6.5
no sub-test less than 6.0

Health & Midwifery Awards

For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to, or require professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.

For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:

overall score of 7.0
score of at least 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and no less than 6.5 in writing

* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).

Biomedical Degrees

For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 7.0
no sub-test less than 6.5

Certificate of Higher Education

For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

overall score of 5.0
no sub-test less than 4.5

TOEFL IBT

TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:

Reading: 17;
Listening: 17;
Speaking: 17;
Writing: 17

* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE)

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*

C6 or above in English

*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.

Pre-sessional courses

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:

10 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no element below 4.5.
5 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.5 with no element below 5.5.
English Language for University Study - entry criteria UKVI IELTS with score of 4.0 in all elements (10 month course), or 4.5 with no score below 4.0 (7 month course).

Find out more about our English language courses.

Course details

You will choose one of three pathways prior to starting our course:

Therapeutic Skills
Leadership
Education

This means you can choose a study focus that fits with your career aspirations.

To complete the MSc you will study the following core modules:

Core Values in Mental Health Practice (core, 20 credits)
The Supervisory Process (core, 20 credits)
Changing Mental Health Services (core, 20 credits)
Independent Study: Mental Health (core, 20 credits)
Research for Health & Social Care (core, 20 credits)
MSc Research & Enquiry Dissertation (60 credits)

Plus, a further one optional 20-credit module:

Education for Mental Health (optional, 20 credits)
Leadership for Mental Health (optional, 20 credits)
Therapeutic Skills for Mental Health (optional, 20 credits)

Teaching & Assessment

This MSc is designed to facilitate a flexible approach to learning to accommodate your busy working life. It is strongly focused on practice development and encourages you to develop your practice in ways that fit with your career aspirations.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Independent Study: 80%
Scheduled Learning: 20%

Learning materials are delivered online and by using web based discussion boards and tutorials that are conveyed through video conferencing the programme has a flexibility that encourages engagement at a time that suits students. The MSc focus is geared towards development of the participant’s practice performance, meaning the student will be incorporating new knowledge into their clinical practice.

ASSESSMENT

Coursework: 100%

The programme incorporates a variety of assessment formats including case presentation, essay and video presentation.

Study demands are flexible as all materials and tutorials are online. To facilitate peer support there are online meetings, meaning there are only between four and five mandatory participation times for each module.

Assessment will be a combination of:

Class presentation
Peer-review assessments
Role plays
Poster design
Report writing (briefings papers and extended versions)
Essay writing

Our course provides a rich variety of integrated learning and assessment opportunities and experiences, increasing discipline knowledge and understanding while developing key transferable skills.

Course Structure

Find out more about the structure, learning outcomes, compulsory and optional modules in this course.

MSc Mental Health Practice Course Structure

Career Prospects

Our aim is to provide an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating course of study that will further develop your career in the care of people experiencing mental ill health. This includes:

• Mental health nurses
• Occupational therapists
• Social workers
• Paramedics
• Professional carers

Graduates may also pursue management, educational and clinical leadership roles in practice and also in research and education.

The course identifies a real link between theory and practice, which will be helpful to prospective students and employing authorities. The options are a good way to help navigate the choices for experience practitioners and again provide a relevance to prospective students. Once established I would recommend individuals have look at this study option for team members who want to test their academic skills with what looks like a worthwhile, relevant and interesting course framework.

Ivano Mazzoncini, Team Leader, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Postgraduate Tuition Fees (Academic Session 2022/23)

Academic Session 2022/23 Tuition Fees for 20-credit Modules (Online)

Scottish

£1,000 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Rest of UK (English, Northern Irish, Welsh)

£1,610 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Republic of Ireland

£1,610 Cost per 20-credit module of study

International (EU/EEA & non-EU/EEA)

£2,070 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Check Your Tuition Fee Status

Postgraduate Tuition Fees (Academic Session 2023/24)

Tuition Fees for 20-credit Modules (Online)

Scottish

£1,070 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Rest of UK (English, Northern Irish, Welsh)

£1,680 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Republic of Ireland

£1,680 Cost per 20-credit module of study

International (EU/EEA & non-EU/EEA)

£2,180 Cost per 20-credit module of study

Check Your Tuition Fee Status

Additional Costs & Sources of Funding

The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.

In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs like study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms.

Fortunately, there is a great deal of financial support available to help students meet the cost of their study. This ranges from:

statutory government loans to pay for tuition fees
scholarships for Scottish, EU and International (non-EU) students
bursaries to help towards living expenses

The sections below provide details of additional costs that your course may involve along with any financial support that may be available.

You can also find additional information in our Postgraduate Money, Fees & Funding section.

Additional Costs

Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.

For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.

Please contact the course leader for details of the additional costs associated with this course.

Tuition Fees & Living Cost Support

Tuition Fees & Additional Costs

Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.

Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as a postgraduate student.

Funding for Scottish Students

Scottish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.

Find out more.

Funding for English, Welsh & Norther Irish Students

English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.

Find out more.

Funding for EU Students

EU students studying at postgraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.

Find our more.

Funding for International Students

There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at postgraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.

Find out more.

Other Financial Support

Discretionary & Childcare Funds

UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.

Find out more.

Benefits & Tax Credits

Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.

Find out more.

Additional Financial Support

If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.

Find out more.

WEST Scholarship Programme

At UWS, we believe financial restrictions should never be a barrier to your education.

The WEST (Widening Education and Supporting Talent) Scholarship Programme aims to remove the financial barriers that stop talented students from progressing throughout their degree to graduation.

Find out more.

Money & Debt Advice

Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.

Find out more.

How to apply

Postgraduate courses (MA, MSc, MEd, MBA, DBA, PG Cert, PG Dip, etc.) & some Post-experience courses (CertHE, BA, Grad Cert, Grad Dip, etc.)

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 create a profile; you don't have to complete the application in one session - you can complete it in stages by saving each section and return to complete it at a later date.

You will need to upload documents with your applications, which may include transcripts and degree certificates.

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. Please be aware that programme fees are subject to increases each year.

Before you begin your application, it is important to read the Postgraduate & Post-Experience application step-by-step guide for a smooth process.

An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.

Get in touch

Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!

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