MSc Psychological Approaches to Health

Year 1

(Award available for year: Master of Science)

Learning outcomes

1. Demonstrate a advanced, in-depth, and critical understanding of theory, assessment and intervention regarding psychology’s contribution to health behaviours
2. Demonstrate an advanced and critical understanding of how psychology contributes to our understanding of health and health behaviours across a range of domains
3. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to advanced scholarship in health psychology
4. Develop, design and conduct novel research, collate analyse and disseminate results thereof
5. Show psychological literacy by integrating and applying ideas and findings across multiple perspectives in psychology 

Skills Learning Outcomes

1. Proactively formulate ideas and hypotheses, develop, implement, and execute plans by which to evaluate these, using a range of methodologies, as appropriate.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of how research can be applied to real world problems
3. Produce a piece of independent research
4. To take a proactive and self-reflexive role in working and to develop professional relationships with others to achieve shred goals and objectives
5. Demonstrate appropriate use of technical written English, suitable for a range of audiences
6. Demonstrate competence in oral presentations
7. Use contemporary software for a range of tasks such as data analysis and visualisation, text production, literature searching and reviewing, questionnaire development and development of experimental materials
8. Utilise recognised processes for the identification and synthesis of research information

Competence Standards

1. Can evaluate and apply empirical knowledge, concepts and theory to real world problems
2. Ability to utilise and reflect on discipline relevant research to inform and support non-academic professionals

3. Can take a systematic and evaluative approach to knowledge retrieval and synthesis
4. Ability to conceive of conduct a novel psychological study using appropriate methods for data generation, analysis and reporting
5. Integrate multiple perspectives and their contribution to understanding complex problems

Assessment

You will be assessed through various forms of assessment such as group work, research proposals, presentations, problem-based learning reports, systematic reviews and research projects alongside exams and essays to develop your skills, with increasing emphasis on authentic, flexible and co-created assessments as we develop our course in line with the University of Leeds’s new student education strategy. This range of assessments is designed to assess your understanding and application of psychology, but also to develop your essential workplace skills, engage you with central aspects of the discipline, requiring you to analyse and synthesise contemporary research-based knowledge and present it in a coherent manner in a variety of formats. Using this range of assessment methods allows us to use tasks that are suitable for the learning outcomes of specific modules, and to keep you enthused and excited by the approaches employed.