MSc Mental Health (clinical)

Start date
September 2024
Duration
2-years full-time
Campus
Dubai
Course Type
Postgraduate, Taught
Fees

Annual tuition fee for 2024:
Year 1 - AED 138,456
Year 2 - AED 34,614

Scholarships available

Our Mental Health (Clinical) MSc programme brings a unique focus on mental health and clinical aspects of psychology into a unique postgraduate qualification for those looking to develop their understanding of mental health and mental illness, at an individual and societal level. These qualifications are designed to appeal to current and aspiring professionals allied to psychology and are aligned to the licensing requirements for Clinical Psychologists.

Subsequent supervised practice and exams are required for licensure. As such the university bears no responsibility for the successful licensure of graduating candidates. However, we anticipate that the placement programme in year two will provide candidates an appropriate springboard for this process

Why study this course?

  • Dual focus on practice and research – Drawing on our world-leading expertise in mental health practice, practice,and clinical research. Year 2 of the MSc Mental Health (clinical) programme will be entirely devoted to a competency-based clinical placement programme, in which candidates will gain hands-on exposure to the suite of practical skills required to enact their year 1 learning as an applied, clinical psychologist, thereby aligning to the professional qualification's standards for licensing clinical psychologists in the UAE.

  • Professionally recognised qualifications – Students enrolled on the MSc Mental Health (Clinical) will be enrolled on taught programmes which are aligned to professionally recognised qualifications in mental health and clinical psychologyn. The programme, as illustrate herein, meets the requirements for a qualifying MSc degree (includes MSc, MA, M.Phil) of a minimum two (2) years in Psychology or with a focus on Psychology as per the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements of the UAE. (Note: Subsequent supervised practice and exams are required for licensure. As such the university bears no responsibility for the successful licensure of graduating candidates). However, we anticipate that the placement programme in year two will provide candidates an appropriate springboard for this process.

Modules

You will take 180-Masters level credits in this programme. The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. Unless indicated otherwise, the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2024.

Core modules

Mental Health 1: Principles of mental health and disorder (20-credits)

Mental Health 2: Youth mental health (20-credits)

Research Methods in Mental Health (20-credits) 

Specialist modules

Psychological interventions and practice (20-credits)

Suicide and self-harm (20-credits)

The Sociology of Mental Health and Illness (20-credits)

Research dissertation

Dissertation in mental health (60-credits)

 

Year 2 (MSc Mental Health (Clinical) only)

Practicum clinical rotation/ placement.

Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee for 2024 entry.

  • AED 138,456 (Year one, full-time, MSc)
  • AED 34,614 (Year two, placement year)

Scholarships

We have a number of scholarships available.

Scholarships available

How To Apply

Our Standard Requirements

MSc Mental Health (Clinical)

2.1 BSc undergraduate degree in Psychology.

Standard English language requirements apply (IELTS: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any band)

Applicants who meet our minimum academic criteria are short-listed according to information presented on the application form. Short-listed candidates are invited to attend the University of Birmingham for an interview and potentially a written exercise designed to assess competence in research. The academic staff, experts by experience and local clinicians are invited in the interview process. After the final interview date, offers are made to the most suitable candidates subject to satisfactory references. Please note: the offer process at the University of Birmingham has several steps, and the final formal offer will be made by the University of Birmingham Admissions Team.

International Requirements


You will be taught on campus using blended learning and what is called the ‘flipped classroom’ learning model. As part of this approach, you will use a variety of integrated software options in order to study at your own pace using our online e-learning platform. As students, this means that you will work through bespoke training and exercises each week, and undertake individual study and reading.  

As part of this MSc course you will join seminar and workshop groups with experts in the field who have designed and are delivering the module content to debate the material, think critically about the content, and build your skills and knowledge each week throughout the 11 week module programmes. This MSc embraces a range of innovative teaching practices ranging from the way the content is being delivered through to the design of the assessments for modules.

Course delivery

Your first-year timetable is designed to deliver teaching on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 18.00-20.00 (day varies per module). For the module Mental Health 2: Youth mental health, some weeks may require alternative/additional evenings and weekends. In second year, the practical, which includes clinical rotation/placement, will be conducted on a full-time basis during daytime hours.

Our term dates are also available online. For further information, please contact the Programme Director, Jigar Jogia j.jogia.1@bham.ac.uk.

Support

You will have access to a comprehensive support system to help you make the transition to higher education when you start at Birmingham.  During your first year, we want you to have a smooth transition into university. You will be able to talk to your tutors about this and discuss if there are particular areas where you need support.

Personal tutors – You will be assigned your own personal tutor who will get to know you as you progress through your studies. They will provide academic support and advice to enable you to make the most of your time here at Birmingham.

Wellbeing Officers – Alongside your personal tutor, you will also have access to dedicated wellbeing officers who provide professional support, advice and guidance to students across a range of issues. They can meet with you to discuss extensions, disabilities, reasonable adjustments, extenuating circumstances, or talk through any problems you might be experiencing, and help you access wider support on campus and beyond if you need it

Our Academic Skills Centre helps you to become a more effective and independent learner through a range of high-quality support services. The centre offers workshops on a range of topics, such as note-taking, reading, academic writing and presentation skills. 

The Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) will provide guidance on writing essays and dissertations if you need it. You can receive individual support from an academic writing advisor and meet with postgraduate tutors who specialise in particular subjects too.

Our Student Experience Team will help you get the most out of your academic experience. They offer research opportunities, study skills support, and help you prepare for your post-university career. They also organise social events, such as field trips, to help you meet fellow students from your course

Contact Hours

Each module is designed to be 11 weeks in duration, with a minimum of 2 contact hours per week per module depending on the mode of study and optional module choices made.

The remainder of the working week consists of self-guided study based on degree programme content and the requirements of the specific modules.

Assessment Methods

The MSc in Mental Health (clinical) has varied assessment methods given the richness and interdisciplinary nature of the programme. The way that the different assessments have been designed for the MSc is to ensure that your studies help you to develop essential skills that are transferrable to future employment. As such, you will be assessed in a variety of ways. Each assessment is tailored to each module and the material offered within the courses but may include essay assignments, , learning portfolios/journals, video/blog creation, other types of writing, oral and poster presentations, or analytical/synoptic examination.

Graduates from this course will make excellent candidates for metal health-related clinical or academic employment in both private and public sector organisations as the MSc in Mental Health develops key skills that are highly attractive to employers, including clinical practice and key research skills (analytical and statistical skills), as well as presentation and report writing skills. This MSc is also excellent preparation for a PhD or other advanced degree positions.

Typical careers:

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Psychotherapist
  • Medical practitioner with mental health specialism
  • Researcher
  • Academic
  • Policy writer/evaluator

Professional Accreditation

Our programme has been judged to meet the academic requirements the Dubai Health Authority and the Dubai Academic Healthcare Corporationfor Mental Health specialisations in the UAE.