PG Diploma (Postgraduate Diploma) Applied Neuropsychology
- PG Diploma (Postgraduate Diploma)
Overview
This Diploma is delivered in partnership with North Bristol Trust, a regional department of the UK National Health Service (NHS). You will therefore learn about the theory and practice of clinical neuropsychology from experienced clinicians and gain a truly authentic understanding of clinical practice in the UK. Around 80% of our taught content is delivered by practising clinicians. At the start of training, students can opt for studying either adult or paediatric clinical neuropsychology.
We are passionate about clinical neuropsychology and its application to society to improve the symptoms, well-being and quality of life of those affected by damage, disease or dysfunction of the brain. This course is therefore designed to train and inspire the next generation of clinicians, researchers and allied professionals interested in clinical neuropsychology.
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.
- Engage in weekly structured tutorials during term time with clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists. These tutorials will allow you to explore different aspects of clinical practice and gain insight into patient pathways and evidence-based formulation.
- Take taught units which are identical to those we provide to train qualified clinical psychologists to specialise in clinical neuropsychology. While this programme is not formally accredited by the BPS, the core content is dictated by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Career Implications
If you later become a qualified clinical, counselling or educational psychologist in the UK, your Diploma can be retrospectively recognised as meeting one of the key professional requirements for entry to the BPS Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (the highest possible qualification in clinical neuropsychology). Should you wish to become a qualified clinical neuropsychologist, this could save around two years future study time and the cost of paying for a BPS-accredited Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology.
There is also an online version of this programme for students wishing to study from your home.
Programme structure
This programme consists of five taught units:
- Applied Clinical Neuropsychology and Principles of Neuropsychological Assessment covers a range of common neuropsychological disorders and the principles of patient assessment and interpretation of neuropsychological tests (including change scores).
- Issues in Clinical Neuropsychology covers a range of issues frequently encountered in clinical neuropsychology. For example, pain and cognition, PTSD, performance validity testing and functional neurological disorders.
- Theoretical Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Methods covers theories of brain function (for example, emotion and cognition, language, and ageing, attention and action). This unit also delivers a thorough grounding in neuroanatomy and neuroscience methods.
- Neurorehabilitation and Multidisciplinary Approaches within Clinical Psychology considers a range of rehabilitation techniques and places these in the context of the recovery journey. This unit also considers the interface between clinical neuropsychology and allied disciplines (such as neurosurgery, clinical imaging).
- 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.
Please visit our programme catalogue for more information about the Diploma in Applied Neuropsychology.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in Psychology, or a closely related discipline such as Clinical Psychology or Neuroscience.
OR
For degrees in joint subjects, you will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent with at least 50% of your modules in psychology or related subjects across all years. You must also have achieved an overall mark of 60% or above or an international equivalent in your psychology modules.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree.
If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have a relevant postgraduate qualification.
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
- £12,000 per year
- Home: part-time (two years)
- £6,000 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £23,500 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.
Funding and scholarships
For further information on potential sources of funding, please check our online funding search tool. For UK students undertaking postgraduate programmes, there is a scholarship award available from the Grundy Educational Trust.
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
Knowledge and skills
This applied degree delivers core psychological and neuropsychological real world skills and knowledge related to the theory and practice of clinical neuropsychology. For example, understanding processes associated with patient referrals and the patient pathway. An understanding of the principles of patient assessment, and an understanding of rehabilitation methods. It will support those who aspire to further clinical training, such as clinical, educational or counselling psychology, or a career in clinical research. The advanced nature of our taught clinical content supports applications to become Assistant Psychologists, especially within neuropsychological contexts as well as opportunities to work in other allied healthcare domains.
Why choose Bristol?
The taught content on this MSc is identical to the training we provide for qualified UK clinical psychologists. We are one the only universities in the UK to offer identical training for adult clinical neuropsychology and paediatric clinical neuropsychology.
Complementary courses
Graduates of this course can enrol on our supplementary Certificate in Clinical Neuropsychology Practice and have their prior MSc course with us count towards recognition as a professional neuropsychologist. This possibility is for people who have gone on to become clinical, educational or counselling psychologists and are registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).
If the gap between completion of this Diploma and a subsequent doctorate exceeds eight years, there will be a requirement to evidence additional learning and continuing professional development in clinical neuropsychology. We are always delighted to see our graduates using this pathway and pursuing the highest specialism in UK neuropsychology practice.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk