Please note the course details apply to 2025 entry. Details for 2026 entry for our postgraduate courses will be published from mid-October 2025.
Child & Adolescent Mental Health MSc
Key information
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Duration:
One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time for UK-based clinicians working in CAMH/ paediatric settings
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent):
UK 180/ECTS 90
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2025
Scholarships available, see Fees & Funding section for more information. This is a unique course for international and UK-based psychiatrists, pediatricians and psychologists, as well as allied professionals leading to enhanced clinical and research skills in child and adolescent mental health. Our child and adolescent mental health programme is taught by leading figures in the field and offers comprehensive content with strong research and clinical focus.
Key benefits
- Taught by leading clinicians and academics in the field.
- Opportunity to engage in innovative research.
- Work with a variety of specialist clinicians as part of the clinical placement.
- Obtain a course qualification which is internationally recognised.
- Mandatory supervised clinical placement.
- Innovative web-based clinical learning to supplement direct experience.
- Optional teaching in Eating Disorders, CBT and on Addictions in Young People.
“The lectures are given by world leaders in their field of subspecialty. The course is comprehensive and highly structured, offering everyone a perfect opportunity to learn. ”
Our child and adolescent mental health programme is specifically designed for international and UK-based psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists, nurses as well as other allied professionals who wish to develop their clinical and academic knowledge and skills. Modules will cover research methodologies (including statistics), presentation skills and systematic reviews with a focus on child and adolescent psychiatry, child development, aetiology of child and adolescent mental health disorders, the therapeutic interventions (talking therapies and physical treatments for emotional, behavioural and developmental disorders in children and young people, service models and health service development research. You will develop clinical skills and be able to contribute to culturally sensitive and clinically effective services. You will complete a dissertation project, which could use quantitative or qualitative methodologies. 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 assessment.
Base campus
Denmark Hill Campus
Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.
Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.
Regulating bodies
King's is regulated by the Office for Students
UK applicants
Standard requirements
A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree
If you have a lower degree classification, or a degree in an unrelated subject, your application may be considered if you can demonstrate significant relevant work experience, or offer a related graduate qualification (such as a Masters or PGDip).
Programme-Specific Requirements
Bachelor's degree with at least 2:1 honours in psychology/medicine/nursing/social work/education from a UK university or the overseas equivalent plus one year full time postgraduate experience working with children or adolescents with mental health problems. In order to meet the academic entry requirements for this programme you should have a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree, if you are still studying you should be achieving an average of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme.
A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also has substantial clinical experience.
Applicants whose qualifications have been gained outside the UK will be checked by the Admissions Office to establish equivalency with these standards before an offer is sent and applicants will need to demonstrate at interview that their background and experience, general education and scholarship are appropriate.
International applicants
Equivalent International qualifications
English language requirements
English language band:
D
To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.
Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.
For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.
Selection process
Applications must be made online using King’s online application portal apply.kcl.ac.uk and a non-refundable application fee of £85 applies.
Selection is made on the basis of the application and references. The programme leader will sometimes conduct telephone interviews; potential students are welcome to visit the department, please arrange a suitable time in advance.
Personal statement and supporting information
You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
| Personal Statement | Yes |
A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). Your personal statement should include your reasons for applying for the course and your goals. Please also detail any post-qualification clinical experience you have working with children and young people in a mental health setting. You should include details of the employment dates, the number of children seen and the types of disorders that you have had experience in managing. |
|---|---|---|
| Previous Academic Study | Yes | A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents. |
| Reference | Yes | One academic reference is required. A professional reference will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. |
| Other | Yes | Please also include a full CV as part of your application. |
Teaching methods - what to expect
| Module Name | Lectures (hours) | Seminars/tutorials (hours) | Field/lab/studio/supervised/learning (hours) | Self-directed study (hours) | Total (hours) |
| Presentation Skills | 25 | 15 | 10 | 100 | 150 |
| Clinical Skills | 75 | 10 | 240 | 120 | 450 |
| Child Development | 30 | 16 | 104 | 150 | |
| Research Skills | 35 | 15 | 100 | 150 | |
| Systematic Literature Review | 25 | 15 | 110 | 150 | |
| Service Development & Service Evaluation | 30 | 120 | 150 | ||
| Dissertation - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | 3 | 10 | 587 | 600 |
Contact time is based on 24 academic weeks. Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work. An average of 10 hours per week of preparation and self-directed learning is required. Between 2 and 4 full days of lectures/seminars a week during term time; a minimum of 4 days (1 day=7.5h) a week for 8 weeks of mandatory clinical placement (more days can be negotiated with the relevant clinical team).
Location
Our course is primarily taught at the King’s College London Denmark Hill Campus.
Assessment
- Written Examinations
- Coursework
The primary methods of assessment for this course are written examinations, coursework, and practical work. The study time and assessment methods typically give an indication of what to expect. However, these may vary depending upon the modules
Regulating body
King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students.
The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.
Structure
Over the course of your study, you will take modules totaling 180 credits. Part-time students who wish to complete the course within two years should plan to take 75 credits of the taught modules in the first year of study.
Required modules
Over the course of your study, you will take modules totaling 180 credits. Part-time students who wish to complete the course within two years should plan to take 75 credits of the taught modules in the first year of study.
Presentation Skills (15 credits)
Research Skills (15 credits)
Child Development (15 credits)
Systematic Literature Review (15 credits)
Service Development and Service Evaluations (15 credits)
Clinical Skills (45 credits – of which 25 credits are attached to the clinical placement)
Dissertation - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (60 credits)
Part - time students will take the above modules in year 1 except for the dissertation. Students might take the remaining 45 credits from the taught modules and the 60 credits from the dissertation in the second year of study.
Dissertation - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (60 credits)
Optional modules
There are no optional modules for this course , but there are optional workshops and optional lectures/lecture series.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.
Employability
UK and international graduates return to clinical practice with enhanced skills and knowledge in child mental health.
Career destinations
Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of organisations including:
-
The NHS
-
The TCES Group
-
Hackney Learning Trust
-
The Depaul Charity
-
Colombo Institute of Research & Psychology
-
Al Masarra Hosptial
Further learning
Graduates can undertake further study such as PhD or the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (more information about applying here). More resources on further study/careers in Clinical Psychology can be found here:
Tuition Fees
UK:
Full time: £16,950 per year (2025/26)
Part time: £8,475 per year (2025/26)
International:
Full time: £40,000 per year (2025/26)
Part time: £20,000 per year (2025/26)
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
Deposit
If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.
The Home deposit is £500. The International deposit is £2000.
- If you receive an offer before March, payment is due by 20 March.
- If you receive an offer between 1 March and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
- If you receive an offer between 21 May and 15 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
- If you receive an offer between 16 July and 10 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
- If you receive an offer from 11 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.
If you are a current undergraduate King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary this academic year, you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.
Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.
IOPPN Postgraduate Taught Scholarships
Scholarships of £5000 are available for this programme for 2025/26 entry, to support students with the financial commitments of postgraduate study. the scholarships are available for all full-time Home and International fee status students, with a deadline to apply of Friday 21 February 2025 click here to find out more.
Additional Costs
In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:
- Books if you choose to buy your own copies.
- Library fees and fines.
- Personal photocopier.
- Printing course handouts.
- Stationery.
- Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses.
- DBS checks.
- Graduation costs.
- Clothing for optional course related events and competitions.
- Society membership fees.
Funding
To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.
Our child and adolescent mental health programme is specifically designed for international and UK-based psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists, nurses as well as other allied professionals who wish to develop their clinical and academic knowledge and skills. Modules will cover research methodologies (including statistics), presentation skills and systematic reviews with a focus on child and adolescent psychiatry, child development, aetiology of child and adolescent mental health disorders, the therapeutic interventions (talking therapies and physical treatments for emotional, behavioural and developmental disorders in children and young people, service models and health service development research. You will develop clinical skills and be able to contribute to culturally sensitive and clinically effective services. You will complete a dissertation project, which could use quantitative or qualitative methodologies. 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 assessment.
Base campus
Denmark Hill Campus
Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.
Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.
Regulating bodies
King's is regulated by the Office for Students
UK applicants
Standard requirements
A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree
If you have a lower degree classification, or a degree in an unrelated subject, your application may be considered if you can demonstrate significant relevant work experience, or offer a related graduate qualification (such as a Masters or PGDip).
Programme-Specific Requirements
Bachelor's degree with at least 2:1 honours in psychology/medicine/nursing/social work/education from a UK university or the overseas equivalent plus one year full time postgraduate experience working with children or adolescents with mental health problems. In order to meet the academic entry requirements for this programme you should have a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree, if you are still studying you should be achieving an average of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme.
A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also has substantial clinical experience.
Applicants whose qualifications have been gained outside the UK will be checked by the Admissions Office to establish equivalency with these standards before an offer is sent and applicants will need to demonstrate at interview that their background and experience, general education and scholarship are appropriate.
International applicants
Equivalent International qualifications
English language requirements
English language band:
D
To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.
Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.
For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.
Selection process
Applications must be made online using King’s online application portal apply.kcl.ac.uk and a non-refundable application fee of £85 applies.
Selection is made on the basis of the application and references. The programme leader will sometimes conduct telephone interviews; potential students are welcome to visit the department, please arrange a suitable time in advance.
Personal statement and supporting information
You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
| Personal Statement | Yes |
A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). Your personal statement should include your reasons for applying for the course and your goals. Please also detail any post-qualification clinical experience you have working with children and young people in a mental health setting. You should include details of the employment dates, the number of children seen and the types of disorders that you have had experience in managing. |
|---|---|---|
| Previous Academic Study | Yes | A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents. |
| Reference | Yes | One academic reference is required. A professional reference will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. |
| Other | Yes | Please also include a full CV as part of your application. |
Teaching methods - what to expect
| Module Name | Lectures (hours) | Seminars/tutorials (hours) | Field/lab/studio/supervised/learning (hours) | Self-directed study (hours) | Total (hours) |
| Presentation Skills | 25 | 15 | 10 | 100 | 150 |
| Clinical Skills | 75 | 10 | 240 | 120 | 450 |
| Child Development | 30 | 16 | 104 | 150 | |
| Research Skills | 35 | 15 | 100 | 150 | |
| Systematic Literature Review | 25 | 15 | 110 | 150 | |
| Service Development & Service Evaluation | 30 | 120 | 150 | ||
| Dissertation - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | 3 | 10 | 587 | 600 |
Contact time is based on 24 academic weeks. Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work. An average of 10 hours per week of preparation and self-directed learning is required. Between 2 and 4 full days of lectures/seminars a week during term time; a minimum of 4 days (1 day=7.5h) a week for 8 weeks of mandatory clinical placement (more days can be negotiated with the relevant clinical team).
Location
Our course is primarily taught at the King’s College London Denmark Hill Campus.
Assessment
- Written Examinations
- Coursework
The primary methods of assessment for this course are written examinations, coursework, and practical work. The study time and assessment methods typically give an indication of what to expect. However, these may vary depending upon the modules
Regulating body
King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students.
The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.
Structure
Over the course of your study, you will take modules totaling 180 credits. Part-time students who wish to complete the course within two years should plan to take 75 credits of the taught modules in the first year of study.
Required modules
Over the course of your study, you will take modules totaling 180 credits. Part-time students who wish to complete the course within two years should plan to take 75 credits of the taught modules in the first year of study.
Presentation Skills (15 credits)
Research Skills (15 credits)
Child Development (15 credits)
Systematic Literature Review (15 credits)
Service Development and Service Evaluations (15 credits)
Clinical Skills (45 credits – of which 25 credits are attached to the clinical placement)
Dissertation - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (60 credits)
Part - time students will take the above modules in year 1 except for the dissertation. Students might take the remaining 45 credits from the taught modules and the 60 credits from the dissertation in the second year of study.
Dissertation - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (60 credits)
Optional modules
There are no optional modules for this course , but there are optional workshops and optional lectures/lecture series.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.
Employability
UK and international graduates return to clinical practice with enhanced skills and knowledge in child mental health.
Career destinations
Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of organisations including:
-
The NHS
-
The TCES Group
-
Hackney Learning Trust
-
The Depaul Charity
-
Colombo Institute of Research & Psychology
-
Al Masarra Hosptial
Further learning
Graduates can undertake further study such as PhD or the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (more information about applying here). More resources on further study/careers in Clinical Psychology can be found here:
Tuition Fees
UK:
Full time: £16,950 per year (2025/26)
Part time: £8,475 per year (2025/26)
International:
Full time: £40,000 per year (2025/26)
Part time: £20,000 per year (2025/26)
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
Deposit
If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.
The Home deposit is £500. The International deposit is £2000.
- If you receive an offer before March, payment is due by 20 March.
- If you receive an offer between 1 March and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
- If you receive an offer between 21 May and 15 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
- If you receive an offer between 16 July and 10 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
- If you receive an offer from 11 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.
If you are a current undergraduate King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary this academic year, you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.
Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.
IOPPN Postgraduate Taught Scholarships
Scholarships of £5000 are available for this programme for 2025/26 entry, to support students with the financial commitments of postgraduate study. the scholarships are available for all full-time Home and International fee status students, with a deadline to apply of Friday 21 February 2025 click here to find out more.
Additional Costs
In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:
- Books if you choose to buy your own copies.
- Library fees and fines.
- Personal photocopier.
- Printing course handouts.
- Stationery.
- Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses.
- DBS checks.
- Graduation costs.
- Clothing for optional course related events and competitions.
- Society membership fees.
Funding
To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.
Application closing date guidance
We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed and we may need to request further information from you during the application process.
The final application deadlines for this programme are:
· Overseas (international) fee status: 25 July 2025 (23:59 UK time)
· Home fee status: 25 August 2025 (23:59 UK time)
If the programme becomes full before the final application deadlines stated above, we will close the programme to further applications. Please note, you will not be eligible for an application fee refund if we are unable to process further offers because places are filled and we close the course before the final application deadline.
Key information
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Duration:
One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time for UK-based clinicians working in CAMH/ paediatric settings
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent):
UK 180/ECTS 90
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2025
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