Welcome to your Health Psychology course

To prepare for the course, you may want to:

- Make a list of health psychology topics that you are interested in and start to think about the focus of your dissertation.

- Consider the key skills that you will need to undertake postgraduate study and how this differs from undergraduate study.

- Familiarise yourself with the BPS codes of ethics and conduct (Guidelines and policies – The British Psychological Society (bps.org.uk))

- Refresh your memory of the research methods training that you have received to date (quantitative and qualitative).

If you would like to carry out some preparatory reading for the course, here are some suggestions (we don’t expect you to read them all!):

Clark-Carter, D. (2018) Quantitative psychological research: The complete student's companion. (4th edition) Hove: Psychology Press. (Or an alternative psychology research methods textbook)

Ogden, J. (2019). Health Psychology: A Textbook (6th Edition). Maidenhead: O.U. Press.

Marks, D., Murray, M., Evans, B., & Estacio, E. V. (2015). Health Psychology: Theory research and Practice (4th Edition). London: Sage.

If you are studying the MSc Health Psychology full-time, you will usually be required to attend campus for taught sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays (10am-5pm). For part-time students, you will usually attend on Thursdays in your first year Tuesdays in your second year.

During enrolment, you will be required to select one 20 credit option module from the following choices:

 

PSYC70852 Applications of Health Psychology:

This module with focus on applying health psychology in different settings and with different populations. You will develop a critical understanding of how health psychology can be applied in the real world and will critically apply health psychology theories and research to encourage behaviour change through health promotion.

The assessment for this module is a reflective poster presentation where you will be required to design and present (to your peers) a physical health promotion campaign poster.

You can find out more by reviewing the module descriptor: https://evision.staffs.ac.uk/module_descriptors/PSYC70852.html

PSYC70854 Applied Health Psychology Placement.

In this module, you will be required to log a minimum of 50 hours (over two teaching blocks) of placement activities. Placements can be paid, or unpaid/voluntary in a relevant setting. Examples include: research assistants; community workers; council positions (e.g., planning); health promotion, voluntary organisations (e.g., food banks, charities, hospices); HR (e.g., health and safety and wellbeing); and local health/sports organisations. You will be required to secure your own placement with support from the module and career connect teams. All placements must be approved to ensure appropriate policies and procedures are in place and adhered to (e.g., health and safety, requirement for DBS checks). This module will be co-taught with Applications of Health Psychology for the first part of the module, and you will, therefore, also cover content relating to working with different client and professional groups, behaviour change techniques, health promotion and health behaviours.

The assessment for this module is a reflective poster presentation where you will be required to design and verbally present a poster reflecting on the contribution your placement to your development as a stage 1 trainee and your ability to apply health psychology in practice.

You can find out more by reviewing the module descriptor: https://evision.staffs.ac.uk/module_descriptors/PSYC70854.html

 

If you have any questions about the above option modules, please email the course leader, Dr Gemma Hurst (G.L.Hurst@staffs.ac.uk).

There is a variety of software which can be downloaded from the University’s website and can also be accessed via the button below. This software is free for all of our students, as we understand to reach your full potential and succeed in your degree you need the tools to help you. The software available includes:

• Microsoft Office 365
• Microsoft Teams
• SPSS and AMOS
• Maple
• NVivo
• Sophos Antivirus
• Asure Dev Tools for Teaching
• VMWare
• Free Training

Free Software: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/support_depts/digital-services/software.jsp

• Academic Support: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/student-life/student-support/academic-support
• Academic Study Skills: https://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/study-skills
• Health and Wellbeing Support: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/student-life/student-support/health-and-wellbeing
• Safety and Pastoral Care: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/student-life/student-support/safety-and-pastoral-care
• Fees and Finances: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/student-life/fees-and-finance
• Campus and Facilities: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/student-life/campus-and-facilities

More in-depth information can also be found in the ‘current student’s portal’: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/home

Getting involved in a student group can enhance your time at University. It is a great way to make new friends and connections, learn from other students and develop new skills whilst having some fun at the same time. Whether you want to join a group as a member, get involved in running a group as part of a committee or help run an event or organise your own – your Students’ Union is here to make it happen! Please check out the Students’ Union website for more information on all of our groups, volunteering and other opportunities, or get in touch with the Students’ Union if you have more questions.

Click here for a list of the current clubs and societies run through the Students’ Union: Clubs and Societies (staffsunion.com)

You can connect with us on Twitter via @HealthPsyStaffs, @StaffsPsych, and #healthpsystaffs.

You can also check out our InPsych Blog which reports news, events and research updates from the Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University: https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/inpsych/

Your course leader is Dr Gemma Hurst, and your teaching team has a wide range of experience and expertise. You will meet some of your course team during welcome week.