Professional Doctorate in Doctor of Educational and Child Psychology

About the course

This professional training course will give you the skills, competencies and HCPC registration required to practise as an educational psychologist. We teach you the theory and support your practice, so you’ll be well prepared for your future career.

Your career

We offer postgraduate courses that will launch your career in education or aid your continuing professional development.

Our graduates work in the UK and overseas in schools, universities, and local and national government. Some are teachers and lecturers. Others use their skills in policy development, education, administration, psychology and social work.

About us

We value creative teaching that challenges inequalities in the education system. We believe in increasing opportunities for education, for everyone. Our research has a direct impact on educational theory, policy and practice. We’re supporting the development of children, families and learning communities through dedicated research centres.

You’ll learn from world-class academics such as Professor Cathy Nutbrown and Professor Dan Goodley. Cathy, who teaches on three of our postgraduate courses, won an Outstanding Impact in Society award in 2013 for her work on literacy. Dan’s work on disability in education has been described as ground breaking.

Our research seminar programme gives you access to the latest findings, often before they’re published. The University’s library has online catalogues and databases, e-books and e-journals.

Structure, teaching and assessment

All MA courses follow a similar pattern with two core modules (1 and 4) and two subject-specific modules (2 and 3).

Teaching and learning takes place via lectures, seminars, tutorials, discussion, active inquiry and investigations. Regular meetings with a personal tutor support and encourage your learning and understanding.

A weekly tutorial and a Study of Education course accompanies the taught modules.

There are no formal written examinations and assessment is by coursework and a 15–20,000-word dissertation.

Content

This programme is non-modular, but will include: Developmental Psychology; Assessment and Intervention; The Education of Children with Additional Needs; Group Training for Support Staff; Professional Issues and over 300 days of supervised professional practice placements.

Teaching

A mix of placement, private study and teaching from tutors. Your usual weekly pattern will be:

Year 1: two days teaching, one day private study, two days work placement.

Year 2: one day teaching, one day private study, three days work placement.

Year 3: one day teaching or research, one day private study, three days work placement.

Assessment

Essays, practical work folders and a dissertation including research portfolio.

You’ll need an honours degree in psychology that is recognised by the BPS for graduate membership. You must have relevant knowledge and experience of working with children within educational, childcare or community settings. English language requirements: overall IELTS grade of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.