MSc Clinical Neuropsychology
- MSc
Overview
This professional programme is designed for Health and Care Professions Council registered Practitioner Psychologists who work in the UK. The programme is delivered in partnership with North Bristol NHS Trust, which includes a large regional neurosciences and major trauma centre.
Our professional programmes in Clinical Neuropsychology enhance your knowledge, skills and neuropsychological competencies, helping you to support those living with damage, disease or dysfunction affecting the brain and support your entry onto the British Psychological Society's (BPS) Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (SRCN).
This MSc is a standalone course that does not require demonstration of previous study. In contrast, the PG Diploma Theoretical & Practical Clinical Neuropsychology, has a reduced teaching load and requires demonstration of previous learning via an entrance assessment.
Clinical Knowledge
Around 80% of our taught content is delivered by practising clinicians. On this course you will:
- Learn about a range of neuropsychological disorders and pathologies, as well as focusing on principles of assessment, formulation and rehabilitation.
- Gain a bio-psycho-social perspective through our teaching, recognising the contribution of biological, psychological and social factors in understanding the causes and consequences of brain injury and disease.
- Learn about neuroanatomy, neuroimaging techniques, and the latest theories of brain function.
- Gain the skills to evaluate research at the forefront of the field and understand the translation of theory and research to clinical practice.
Clinical Practice
To accrue relevant clinical experience for the practice component, you must secure paid employment and supervision within a neuropsychology service during your enrolment. We offer support to help you build a case portfolio that meets SRCN competency standards. This support is provided by clinicians on the SRCN and offers:
- opportunities for formative feedback on case reports
- a practice viva experience
- a mid-study review of progress
- regular clinical practice workshops to facilitate peer discussion of cases and conceptual issues relevant to neuropsychological practice.
Programme structure
This programme meets the requirements for entrance to the SRCN as it consists of two BPS accredited components:
- the knowledge component (five units of taught content)
- the clinical practice component.
Taught content includes the following units. There is a distinct adult versus paediatric pathway for each unit.
- Applied Clinical Neuropsychology and Principles of Neuropsychological Assessment covers a range of common disorders and the principles of patient assessment and interpretation of neuropsychological tests.
- Issues in Clinical Neuropsychology covers a range of issues commonly encountered in clinical neuropsychology.
- Theoretical Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Methods covers theories of brain function and delivers a thorough grounding in neuroanatomy and neuroscience methods.
- Neurorehabilitation and Multidisciplinary Approaches within Clinical Psychology considers a range of rehabilitation techniques. It also considers the interface between clinical neuropsychology and allied healthcare disciplines.
- Evidence Based Neuropsychology (EBN) and Case Study. The EBN component involves critical reviews of peer reviewed papers, and the Case Study component requires each student to review a clinical case in detail.
The clinical practice component culminates in a portfolio demonstrating BPS neuropsychological competencies. It requires submission of six clinical cases, satisfactory viva performance, and evidence of both clinical practice and supervision.
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content.
The programme is largely delivered online.
Entry requirements
You must be a practicing clinical psychologist who works in the UK and have a Doctoral degree in a psychology subject.
You must also be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a practitioner with a specialism of 'Clinical' or 'Counselling'.
In addition:
- If you completed your Doctorate more than eight years ago, you must demonstrate how you meet the research competencies requirement for the programme.
- If your HCPC specialism is 'Counselling', you must demonstrate how you meet generic competencies in clinical neuropsychology.
Links to forms to demonstrate competencies are provided in the programme's Admissions Statement below.
If your HCPC specialism is 'Forensic' or 'Health', applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis due to upcoming changes that may broaden access to training.
You must submit all required documents as detailed in the programme's Admissions Statement to be considered for review.
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level C.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £16,000 per year
- Home: part-time (three years)
- £5,333 per year
- Home: part-time (two years)
- £8,000 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £28,700 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Please note that NHS England now provide significant amounts of funding to support costs of training in clinical neuropsychology. This funding can support both knowledge component and practice component requirements for entry to the Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (SRCN).
The process of allocating and distributing funding to Trusts will be led primarily by NHS England regional colleagues and supported by Psychological Professions Networks. You are strongly encouraged to explore potential sources of funding which can be used at Bristol either for September 2027 or January 2028 entry on this programme.
For further information on other potential sources of funding please check our online funding search tool.
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
This programme is designed for anyone who wants to gain and demonstrate the UK's highest level of competence in professional clinical neuropsychology. The MSc is accredited by the British Psychological Society and successful completion provides both the knowledge and practice competencies required for entry on to the Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (SRCN).
Bristol is one of the only universities in the UK that offers training in both adult and paediatric clinical neuropsychology knowledge. For this reason, one distinctive element of our training is appreciation of the importance of lifespan neuropsychology.
Research competency requirements for entry to SRCN:
While entrance to SRCN requires knowledge and practice competency (the latter two delivered on this course), it also requires evidence of a minimal level of research competency (usually doctoral level). Evidence for this competency is demonstrated by completion of a doctorate in clinical psychology, educational psychology or counselling psychology within eight years of starting this degree. Applicants with non-doctoral backgrounds might include forensic psychologists, health psychologists, some counselling psychologists or some practitioner psychologist members of HCPC with international training backgrounds. If you do not meet the eight year doctoral requirement or do not have a doctoral background, you can indicate the training you have undertaken and its research component on the Research Competencies Form submitted with your application.
Should you wish to discuss your research competencies with our team before application, please contact postgrad-psychology@bristol.ac.uk. Checking research competency status is an issue for any UK programme supporting entry to the SRCN.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk