MSc — 2026 entry Health Psychology

This module provides students with advanced knowledge and understanding of methods, theory and practice in developing and maintaining health throughout the life span. This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Masters degree: contexts and perspectives in health psychology, physiological and psychosomatic disease processes, client groups and other stakeholders, health-related behavior and cognitions, interventions, measurement issues and professional issues.  This module will help students to better understand how health psychology theory can be used in health across the lifespan.

This level 7 module introduces students to the principles and practices of qualitative research. It provides students with the requisite knowledge and skills to undertake, critically evaluate, and write up a small qualitative research project. Students will be introduced to a range of methods of qualitative data collection and analytic procedures and gain insight into the application of qualitative methods through practical group work. Students will be encouraged to participate actively and think critically about the principles, methods and procedures that we will discuss. In terms of the students’ learning journey, the module will equip them to undertake a qualitative project for their dissertation should they choose to do so. The module is designed to introduce students who have little or no experience of qualitative research to the principles and practices of this approach.  It also meets the needs of those who already have some experience in this area, by enabling these students to build on, refine, and extend their existing knowledge through the provision of advanced material on Surrey Learn in the form of captured content relating to additional methods of analysing qualitative data.  These students will also be encouraged to extend their practical knowledge and experience by selecting an analytic procedure that they have not previously used to analyse the data for their group project. Through conducting a small group project students will be given the opportunity to gain experience in conducting qualitative research and in applying the principles and practices covered in the lectures. The module provides students with an opportunity to learn about the interpersonal skills required to conduct a good research interview and those needed to successfully conduct and manage a group project. Students are also encouraged to develop their personal reflective skills to enhance their understanding of how their own cultural background, social identity, gender, previous experiences, and prior knowledge can shape data collection and analysis, as well as individual sense-making.

This module will provide students with knowledge, skills, and practical experience of advanced research methods and design. It emphasises a critical and creative approach to evaluating research methods and design and applying them to scientific questions. It will support the development of novel, theoretically significant, rigorous, and impactful research proposals.

his module provides students with an understanding of core theories and concepts in health psychology, and the skills and methods used to translate, and reflect on the translation of, health psychology into real-world contemporary health behaviour contexts. The module thus covers transferrable skills useful for a career in health psychology research and practice. Students will also gain an awareness of professional issues in behavioural health psychology. We will encourage students to think reflexively on how to apply professional and transferrable skills in the context of different issues that impact contemporary health psychology. The module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas of a British Psychological Society accredited degree: professional issues, core skills, contexts and perspectives in health psychology, health-related behaviors and cognitions, interventions and healthcare and professional settings. This module will help students to learn to think critically and reflexively about the application of health psychology theories, concepts, methods and skills within different contemporary health behaviour domains.

This course is a lab-based/practical course intended to get students to use the freely available Jamovi software for data analysis and to understand what they are doing when they use it.

This module builds on the modules covered in Semester 1 (Contemporary Health Psychology and professional practice and Maintaining health throughout the lifespan).  A range of chronic conditions are covered, some which are a global challenge and others which are less well known.  Students will learn about these conditions and how the different health psychology theories are used to understand the various beliefs and behaviours associated with these conditions and how they may be targeted in interventions for change.  This module provides students with advanced knowledge and understanding of the application of theory to practice relating to chronic conditions.     This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (Stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Master's degree: contexts and perspectives in health psychology, physiological and psychosomatic disease processes, client groups and other stakeholders, measurement issues, health-related behavior and cognitions, interventions and healthcare and professional settings.     This module builds employability skills by broadening knowledge of chronic conditions and interventions, and will help students to understand how to apply health psychology theory and practice to different chronic conditions and patient populations. 

This module covers psychological factors that influence the patient's passage through the health care system from symptom perception to help seeking to the consultation with a focus on specific aspects of health care such as surgery and vaccinations. This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Masters degree: contexts and perspectives in health psychology, client groups and other stakeholders, health-related behaviour and cognitions, interventions, measurement issues and healthcare and professional settings. This module will help students to better understand how health psychology theory can help us understand the patient experience of healthcare.

This module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of methods, theory and practice of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) used in Health Psychology. This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Masters degree: health-related behavior and cognitions, interventions, healthcare and professional settings and professional issues.

This level 7 module introduces students to the principles and practices of qualitative research. It provides students with the requisite knowledge and skills to undertake, critically evaluate, and write up a small qualitative research project. Students will be introduced to a range of methods of qualitative data collection and analytic procedures and gain insight into the application of qualitative methods through practical group work. Students will be encouraged to participate actively and think critically about the principles, methods and procedures that we will discuss. In terms of the students’ learning journey, the module will equip them to undertake a qualitative project for their dissertation should they choose to do so. The module is designed to introduce students who have little or no experience of qualitative research to the principles and practices of this approach.  It also meets the needs of those who already have some experience in this area, by enabling these students to build on, refine, and extend their existing knowledge through the provision of advanced material on Surrey Learn in the form of captured content relating to additional methods of analysing qualitative data.  These students will also be encouraged to extend their practical knowledge and experience by selecting an analytic procedure that they have not previously used to analyse the data for their group project. Through conducting a small group project students will be given the opportunity to gain experience in conducting qualitative research and in applying the principles and practices covered in the lectures. The module provides students with an opportunity to learn about the interpersonal skills required to conduct a good research interview and those needed to successfully conduct and manage a group project. Students are also encouraged to develop their personal reflective skills to enhance their understanding of how their own cultural background, social identity, gender, previous experiences, and prior knowledge can shape data collection and analysis, as well as individual sense-making.

This module will provide students with knowledge, skills, and practical experience of advanced research methods and design. It emphasises a critical and creative approach to evaluating research methods and design and applying them to scientific questions. It will support the development of novel, theoretically significant, rigorous, and impactful research proposals.

This module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of methods, theory and practice of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) used in Health Psychology. This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Masters degree: health-related behavior and cognitions, interventions, healthcare and professional settings and professional issues.

This course is a lab-based/practical course intended to get students to use the freely available Jamovi software for data analysis and to understand what they are doing when they use it.

This module provides students with advanced knowledge and understanding of methods, theory and practice in developing and maintaining health throughout the life span. This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Masters degree: contexts and perspectives in health psychology, physiological and psychosomatic disease processes, client groups and other stakeholders, health-related behavior and cognitions, interventions, measurement issues and professional issues.  This module will help students to better understand how health psychology theory can be used in health across the lifespan.

his module provides students with an understanding of core theories and concepts in health psychology, and the skills and methods used to translate, and reflect on the translation of, health psychology into real-world contemporary health behaviour contexts. The module thus covers transferrable skills useful for a career in health psychology research and practice. Students will also gain an awareness of professional issues in behavioural health psychology. We will encourage students to think reflexively on how to apply professional and transferrable skills in the context of different issues that impact contemporary health psychology. The module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas of a British Psychological Society accredited degree: professional issues, core skills, contexts and perspectives in health psychology, health-related behaviors and cognitions, interventions and healthcare and professional settings. This module will help students to learn to think critically and reflexively about the application of health psychology theories, concepts, methods and skills within different contemporary health behaviour domains.

This module builds on the modules covered in Semester 1 (Contemporary Health Psychology and professional practice and Maintaining health throughout the lifespan).  A range of chronic conditions are covered, some which are a global challenge and others which are less well known.  Students will learn about these conditions and how the different health psychology theories are used to understand the various beliefs and behaviours associated with these conditions and how they may be targeted in interventions for change.  This module provides students with advanced knowledge and understanding of the application of theory to practice relating to chronic conditions.     This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (Stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Master's degree: contexts and perspectives in health psychology, physiological and psychosomatic disease processes, client groups and other stakeholders, measurement issues, health-related behavior and cognitions, interventions and healthcare and professional settings.     This module builds employability skills by broadening knowledge of chronic conditions and interventions, and will help students to understand how to apply health psychology theory and practice to different chronic conditions and patient populations. 

This module covers psychological factors that influence the patient's passage through the health care system from symptom perception to help seeking to the consultation with a focus on specific aspects of health care such as surgery and vaccinations. This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Masters degree: contexts and perspectives in health psychology, client groups and other stakeholders, health-related behaviour and cognitions, interventions, measurement issues and healthcare and professional settings. This module will help students to better understand how health psychology theory can help us understand the patient experience of healthcare.