The MSc Mental Health Practice is focused on facilitating academic and practice development in those working as therapeutic agents, managers or educators in environments where mental health is an influence on outcome.
It is designed for nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and other professional groups working with mental ill health. The MSc will develop your practice and knowledge in:
You will choose one of these three pathways prior to starting the programme, aligning your study with your career aspirations.
These factors should make the course attractive to employers and increase your employment options when you graduate.
Study demands are flexible as all materials and tutorials are online. To facilitate peer support there are optional on campus and online meetings meaning there are only between four and five mandatory participation times for each module.
This MSc is delivered online but there are optional face-to-face support sessions which will be available at our Paisley campus.
This MSc is designed to facilitate a flexible approach to learning in order to accommodate your busy working life.
Three 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. The modules:
are the pathway specific modules for this programme and successful completion would allow you the option of transferring credit for them should you decide to join the full programme.
Overall student satisfaction amongst UWS postgraduate students (iGraduate Student Barometer 2017-18)
of Mental Health Practice students would recommend UWS Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2017
of UWS postgraduate students would recommend UWS to a friend (iGraduate Student Barometer 2017-18)
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 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.
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)
Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist fro some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).
All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) and our MSc Advanced Biomedical Science, 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, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.
For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:
* 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).
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science and BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science programmes, 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:
TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:
* 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) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*
*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.
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:
You will choose one of three pathways prior to starting our course:
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:
Plus, a further one optional 20-credit module:
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
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
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 optional on campus and online meetings meaning there are only between four and five mandatory participation times for each module.
Assessment will be a combination of:
Our course provides a rich variety of integrated learning and assessment opportunities and experiences, increasing discipline knowledge and understanding while developing key transferable skills.
Find out more about the structure, learning outcomes, compulsory and optional modules in this course.
The MSc students are drawn from a broad range of professions including adult and mental health nurses, occupational therapists and paramedics. Course completion has assisted graduates to attain senior posts in healthcare management, higher education and in advance practice roles. The change management and research proposals developed by students within the programme have also received impressive feedback from employers and university external examiners.
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
£6,500 total cost of study
£6,500 total cost of study
£6,500 total cost of study
£13,000 total cost of study
£930 per module (20 credits)
£930 per module (20 credits)
£930 per module (20 credits)
£6,500 Cost of study
£10,765 Cost of study
£10,765 Cost of study
£13,325 Cost of study
£930 Cost of 20-credit module
£1,600 Cost of 20-credit module
£1,600 Cost of 20-credit module
£1,920 Cost of 20-credit module
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:
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.
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 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.
Scottish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
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