King's College London

Scholarships available, see Fees & Funding section for more information.

You will develop knowledge about the genetic and environmental causes of psychopathology from pregnancy through to adulthood, the standard psychological therapies and treatments available, and research methods and statistics relevant to this field. The course will provide you with tools to understand both the latest research findings and current treatments for mental health conditions across the lifespan.

Benefit from comprehensive coverage of the field, exploring how biological (genetic), behavioural, and cognitive processes, along with family and wider social forces, can affect development across the life course.

The course is ideal if you plan to work/are working in mental health of young people (for example, within academia, education, charities, the media and in policy development), plan to study for a PhD, or if you are interested in a future career in the psychological professions (such as assistant psychologist, children’s wellbeing practitioner, psychological wellbeing practitioner, clinical psychologist). Please note, this course is not accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and it does not confer eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership.

Placements are available in a range of settings, including mental health charities, special education needs schools, within research teams and within the policy sector. Clinically related experience is available within diverse settings including research projects, mental health charities and local community projects within mental health. A limited number of clinical observerships are also available within the National Health Service (NHS). While these observerships can offer a way to gain insight into a clinical setting, students should note the additional prerequisites for applying for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and for Psychotherapy Training, that are not covered by this programme. This MSc does not provide the 9-12 months of full-time equivalent clinically relevant experience generally required by UK-based Doctorate in Clinical Psychology courses.

The course will provide training to graduates relevant to careers related to mental health. Topics covered include the genetic (biological) and environmental causes and development of mental health problems across the lifespan (including neurodevelopmental disorders) and an understanding of the most standard psychological therapies used in clinical practice and available support service systems. Please note, this does not include practical training in psychological therapies. In addition, the course will provide you with a solid understanding of, and practical training in the most recent research methods applied in this area. Also, embedded within the curriculum is the development of a range of skills and attributes linked to future careers and employability - such as cultural competency, and development of psychological attributes such as resilience, self-management, and team-working skills.

The course comprises three components:

1. Developmental psychopathology:
Covers parental mental health difficulties during pregnancy and in the postpartum period and the impact on infant development, followed by a description/classification of the most common mental health problems that typically onset across three life stages: childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The range of disorders covered includes autism, ADHD, conduct disorders, eating disorders, depression/anxiety, antisocial behaviour and schizophrenia. Students will learn about the genetic, environmental/social risk and resilience factors that determine onset as well as persistence of these mental health problems across the life course.

2. Advanced Methods in Developmental Psychopathology:
Covers general statistics (mandatory) as well as optional modules covering more specialised approaches, including family-based designs, using genomic data to test causality, and qualitative research methods. There is also an optional Psychological Approaches to Treatment module which covers the theoretical basis of mainstream psychological therapies used in clinical practice in infants, children, adolescents, and their families. Finally, within this component it is also possible to pick an optional credit-bearing Placement. Thus, you will be able to select the modules that best suit your interest, curiosity, and future career, choosing from those with a more methodological/genetic focus, a developmental focus, or a combination of both.

3. Dissertation Project:
This can be a quantitative or qualitative research project, with the possibility to link the project to your placement (where indicated by the programme). Many large-scale longitudinal datasets with developmental, clinical, and/or genetic data are available to test hypotheses you propose. You will work alongside one of our experts to complete a piece of high-quality scientific research.

We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and skills-based assessments, both for academic and professional development.