Mental Health in Children and Young People: Psychological Approaches MSc
Awards: MSc
Study modes: Full-time
Funding opportunities
Programme website: Mental Health in Children and Young People: Psychological Approaches
This programme offers the unique perspective that children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is influenced by developmental processes at multiple levels, from individual to sociocultural, and that our approaches to working should be informed by this dynamic, interactional system.
The programme aims to support students in developing a nuanced and critical appreciation of mental health in children and young people, by taking a developmental approach to the etiology of mental health issues.
Programme courses draw upon cognitive, developmental and relational theories, as well as models of risk and resilience to enhance deeper understanding of the development and maintenance of wellbeing and mental health.
The programme staff comprise of clinical and academic psychologists with a broad range of research expertise in areas of:
- psychological interventions
- neurodevelopmental disorders
- child trauma and maltreatment
- parenting
The programme promotes excellence in research with the aim of preparing students for future progression into further academic, research, and clinical training. Examples of student pathways following the programme include:
- PhD in Clinical Psychology
- Doctorate in Educational Psychology
- MSc in Applied Psychology (Healthcare) For Children and Young People
For students interested in these pathways, it’s about improving their knowledge, skills, and competencies to enhance their applications into these types of programmes. For students already working in the field, it’s about enabling them to improve their knowledge of child and adolescent mental health.
This MSc programme offers a range of courses that assist you in developing a critical knowledge base of interacting factors relating to mental health in children and young people, from infancy through to young adulthood.
Courses
The MSc programme comprises 180 credits. Students must undertake 120 credits from core and option courses (20 credits per course). The dissertation comprises 60 credits. Students undertake 60 credits (3 courses) in semester 1 and 60 credits in semester 2.
A 20-credit course entails about 200 hours of study, with 20-25 hours of this being taught.
Students on this programme will engage with, on average, 7-8 hours of direct teaching per week. On many courses, teaching is delivered in a three-hour block. Online courses have less formal teaching time but more overall contact time with tutors.
Class sizes vary for individual courses but are usually in the range of 12-48 students.
As well as attending face to face teaching, you will be expected to engage in independent study.
Dissertation
All MSc students complete a dissertation, which can take the form of an empirical study, systematic review or meta-analysis. The dissertation allows students to develop research skills whilst working within an area of expertise aligned with their supervisor’s interests.
Students are assigned a dissertation supervisor from the teaching staff within the department. Supervisors are generally assigned towards the end of the first semester so that students can begin working on their dissertation from the second semester onwards.
Students commonly work in pairs or small groups with their supervisor on a project outlined by staff within the department. Peer support is therefore available during the data collection/analysis stage.
Students then write up their dissertations as an independent piece of work.
Many students present work from the dissertation at local and international conferences. Several student dissertations from the programme have resulted in a peer-reviewed publication.
Assessment
Each course has at least one formative assessment to enable you to receive feedback on your progress. Assessment on the programme is varied; assignments include essays, group projects and case studies. There are no examinations.
Find out more about compulsory and optional courses
We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Mental Health in Children and Young People: Psychological Approaches | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
The programme will enable you to:
- develop your practice through engagement with research and scholarship in psychological theory and practice
- develop advanced skills in the critical appraisal of psychological practice in the field of child and adolescent mental health
- develop and consolidate an extended knowledge base of theoretical and clinical approaches to psychological therapy for children, young people and families
The programme fosters transferable skills such as:
- critical evaluation
- research competence
- teamworking
- communication
The programme is suitable for further PhD-level study, research or practitioner study. It will enhance the employability of those wishing to work with children and adolescents in mental health-relevant settings.
Previous students work in a range of professions including clinical practice and voluntary sector organisations, and, with appropriate additional training, in nursing, social work and social care, and teaching.
These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.
A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent in psychology or a related subject.
We will also consider applicants with a UK 2:2 honours degree in psychology and Merit in a related UK masters degree, or their international equivalents.
Experience of working or volunteering with children and/or young people is highly desirable.
We may also consider your application if you have other professional qualifications or experience; please contact us to check before you apply
Students from China
This degree is Band C.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
- Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Mental Health in Children and Young People: Psychological Approaches | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
borrowing money
taking out a loan
family support
personal savings
income from work
employer sponsorship
- scholarships
Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study
Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:
- Phone: +44 (0)131 651 3970
- Contact: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
- Postgraduate Administrator
- Phone: +44 (0)131 651 3970
- Contact: cyp.msc@ed.ac.uk
- The University of Edinburgh
- School of Health in Social Science
- Medical School, Teviot Place
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9AG
Applying
Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.
MSc Mental Health in Children and Young People: Psychological Approaches - 1 Year (Full-time)
Due to high demand, this programme operates a gathered field approach to admissions, with two application deadlines as noted below.
Each application round has a decision deadline, also listed below, but note that we may make offers to the strongest candidates on an ongoing basis, in advance of the published decision deadline.
We strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible, especially if you intend to apply for funding. Applications may close earlier than published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand. If you are considering applying for our pre-sessional English Language programme, please make sure you apply in Round 1.
Please note that for an application to be reviewed, it must be a complete application by the application deadline with all supporting documentation uploaded, including references and transcripts. If you already have evidence that you meet the English language entry requirements e.g. via an approved English language test, please upload this evidence at the time of your application. If you have not already met your English language requirements, please upload that evidence as soon as you have it.
Selection deadlines
| Round | Application deadline | Places awarded by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 January 2025 | 17 April 2025 |
| 2 | 29 May 2025 | 30 June 2025 |
Deadlines for UK/Scotland fee status
After Round 2, if there are still places available, applications will remain open only to applicants who are eligible for the UK/Scotland fee rate, including the EU/EEA Pre-settled Scotland fee status. Applications will remain open no later than 30 June 2025 and may close earlier than this if the programme becomes full, so we strongly recommend you apply as soon as possible.
If you apply with another fee status after 29 May 2025, your application will be rejected.
(Revised 17 October 2024 to add application deadlines and selection process information)
You must submit one reference with your application.
References
Your suitability will be established through your application and reference. An academic reference for recent graduates or a work-related reference for those in paid employment is required.
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Further information
- Phone: +44 (0)131 651 3970
- Contact: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
- Postgraduate Administrator
- Phone: +44 (0)131 651 3970
- Contact: cyp.msc@ed.ac.uk
- The University of Edinburgh
- School of Health in Social Science
- Medical School, Teviot Place
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9AG