course page main image

Applied Child Psychology - MSc

Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.

Want to study child psychology at Master’s level? Our MSc Applied Child Psychology is a postgraduate degree course offering specific, in-depth study of child psychology across a range of contexts and settings.

  • Level Postgraduate Taught
  • Study mode Full Time/Part Time

This course is:

Open to International Students

Overview

Want to study child psychology at Master’s level? Our MSc Applied Child Psychology is a postgraduate degree course offering specific, in-depth study of child psychology across a range of contexts and settings.

This course is open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

Modules will allow you to explore and develop knowledge of cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and neurological development, as well as research methods in child psychology, and consider the implications for policy and practice across a range of applied contexts such as educational and clinical psychology. You will also explore typical and atypical development and consider issues and approaches regarding inclusivity and diversity as well as professional issues and standards such as anti-discriminatory practice.

The MSc Applied Child Psychology aims to enhance your knowledge and experience in applied areas of child psychology and equip you with the expertise and academic skills necessary to support graduate employment. The course aims are:

  • To equip you with a range of specific applied and transferable skills, enhancing your opportunities for professional and career development in a variety of disciplines within the field of child psychology.
  • To allow you to develop specialist theoretical and practical knowledge that will underpin your work with children and consider applications of this knowledge to professional contexts and situations, e.g., supporting children with diverse developmental, neurological, and psychological needs.
  • To allow you to develop your critical thinking, problem solving and reasoning skills, and the ability to plan and conduct high-quality research with applications to applied settings and professional practice.

The course has been designed to provide knowledge, training, and employability skills relevant to many careers in the field of child psychology. This includes childcare professions, education, child and adolescent mental health, pastoral care, special educational needs (SEN), supporting children with a range of disabilities, coaching and mentoring young people, and careers involving research with children.

In addition, if you already have an undergraduate degree in psychology which is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), successful completion of the MSc Applied Child Psychology could help you work towards a career as an Educational or Clinical Psychologist.

Professional Placement option

For our MSc Applied Child Psychology degree, you will have the opportunity to take the Professional Placement version of the course, which is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability and transferable skills. The placement experience will allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.

You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study, with support from our Careers+ team as well as advice and guidance from your School.

Please note that placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course.

For full details, please click here.

Why Choose Us?

  • Our diverse academic team are active researchers with first-hand experience of working and conducting research with children in developmental, educational, and clinical contexts. Their involvement in leading-edge research allows direct application of contemporary research findings into our teaching material.
  • Staff contact hours provide an opportunity to engage in face-to-face group learning, whilst remote learning tasks and independent study provide an opportunity to engage in wider reading and private study.
  • Although the course is not part of a chartered route into psychology or a prerequisite for entry into Educational or Clinical Psychology training, the MSc Applied Child Psychology provides an MSc level qualification alongside employability coaching and the option of completing a relevant work placement. Students who already have a BPS accredited undergraduate degree in psychology can use successful completion of the course to significantly enhance their prospects of applying for doctoral training in these highly competitive fields.
  • The course is also open to applicants with non-psychology backgrounds. As this course is not part of a specific chartered route into psychology, it provides a wide range of opportunities for enhancing and specialising your knowledge of child psychology, relevant to work in a wide variety of other child-related working environments and professions. This includes childcare professions, education, child and adolescent mental health, pastoral care, special educational needs (SEN), supporting children with a range of disabilities, coaching and mentoring young people, and careers involving research with children.
  • This course also enhances your future employment and promotion prospects if you are already in relevant work, for example, teachers or teaching assistants who want to re-focus or concentrate on aspects of child psychology that can aid re-specialisation as SENCOs, mental health leads or in progressing to more senior roles.
  • The option to study full-time or part-time means that you can fit your studies around your work and personal commitments.
  • The course includes the opportunity to complete a Practitioner Reflection and Development module, if you are already working in a relevant field, or the Applying Skills to Working with Children module, if you are at an earlier stage of your career. The optional modules allow you to enhance your employability and shape your learning to suit your current work status, experience level, and plans for the future.
  • The course emphasises ethical issues and professional standards that are integral to working with children, adolescents and other vulnerable individuals in a range of contexts, including acknowledgement of inclusivity, diversity, sensitivity, and anti-discriminatory practice.
  • Our Psychology department has a wide range of psychology testing labs to suit all needs, including our BPS computer lab, which consists of more than thirty networked computers with Psychology-specific software such as SPSS, NVivo and others such as OpenSesame.

OPEN DAY

Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, chat to students, explore our campus and tour accommodation.

Next Event: 24 November 2024

Book now

Entry Requirements

Essential requirements

Essential Requirements
Typical Offers (UK Students)

Applicants must have a minimum 2:2 honours degree in Psychology or another relevant discipline (Education, Health and Social Care, Sociology, Childcare, etc.), and GCSE Mathematics (or equivalent) at Grade C or above. If you do not have GCSE Mathematics at the required level, we accept other Level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests.

As this course is not a BPS accredited route into chartered psychology, this course does not require applicants to have a BPS accredited undergraduate degree or to have completed a Psychology conversion course.

Applicants with undergraduate degrees in less relevant disciplines or alternative level-six qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis if they are able to demonstrate a substantial amount of relevant work-based experience.

Successful candidates will be required to obtain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to enrolling on this course.

Relevant experience of working with children and experience and skills in research methods is desirable.

Additional information for EU/International students
Essential

Applications from international applicants with equivalent qualifications are welcome. Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept.

In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table.

English language requirements 2020/21
IELTS

6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands

If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information.

Other accepted qualifications Visit our English language page

If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • £10,000 in 2025/26
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months
  • £11,000 in 2025/26
  • £1112 per 20 credits
  • Year 1 - 80 credits
  • Year 2 - 100 credits

Fees for Part-time students

This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.

International students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • £18,600 in 2025/26
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months
  • £20,460 in 2025/26

Access to computer equipment 

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms. 

Printing 

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment. 

Field trips 

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees. 

Access to Microsoft Office 365 

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation. 

Key software 

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research. 

Key subscriptions 

Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library. 

DBS check 

If you are required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for this course, the cost for your first DBS check is included in your fees. 

Excess printing (optional) 

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet. 

Personal stationery and study materials (optional) 

Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £30 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. 

Placement expenses (optional) 

If you choose to undertake a placement, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home. 

Books (optional) 

All module key texts will be in the University library, but in limited numbers. You may choose to purchase a copy. We suggest budgeting approximately £200-250 for this. 

Accommodation and living costs (optional)

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

Personal statement

You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.

If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.

Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.

Course in Depth

Modules

In order to complete the Master’s in Applied Child Psychology, a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 160 credits):

In order to complete the Master’s in Applied Child Psychology, a student must also successfully complete 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.

Download course specification

Download now

Employability

International

Welcome to Birmingham City University, home to students from all around the world!

All of our undergraduate and postgraduate social sciences courses are open to international students, and our courses have been tailored to take a global approach to learning.

International Services

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Facilities & Staff

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and have spent over £400 million on new learning facilities.

Psychology Labs

Explore the cutting-edge psychology labs, their resources and spaces that support our quest to unravel the complexities of the human mind and behaviour.

Learn about the Psychology Labs

Curzon with Millennium Point and Parkside

The Curzon Building

This course is based at our City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other social sciences, law and business students.

The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.

Realistic, simulated environments include two mock court rooms, a Magistrates' and Crown Court, and an interviewing suite. We’re also exploring the use of virtual environments as a way to develop case study analysis.

For those studying on the BA (Hons) Professional Policing or BA (Hons) Criminology, Policing and Investigation degrees, you’ll experience simulations of police interviewing environments for both suspects and witnesses, with access to tape recording and video playback analysis.

Crime investigation files are prepared using computer-based technology, and the crime data analysis requirements of the degree are supported by appropriate statistical and analytical software.

Psychology students can look forward to using state-of-the-art equipment as well, including the latest in eye-tracking software, and our new EEG machine, all geared towards giving you true hands-on experience with tools you’ll be using in your later career. You will also benefit from facilities across the wider campus including the Parkside and Millennium Point buildings.

The Curzon Building also features:

  • An impressive library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
  • Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
  • A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
  • Accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free
  • Shared facilities with the wider campus including the Parkside Building and Millennium Point

Our staff

Dr Emily Harrison

Senior Lecturer in Psychology

Emily is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology with a specialism in Child Development and Education. Emily’s research expertise lies within the area of childhood literacy development, and her doctoral thesis was entitled “Evaluating the potential of a speech rhythm-based reading intervention”, which involved designing, developing, implementing and...

More about Emily