Clinical Psychology University of Liverpool

Clinical Psychology registers postgraduate students for both MPhil and PhD degrees, both full-time and part-time. In recent years, up to 24 students have been registered for a higher research degree at any one time.

Subject Overview

The Division of Clinical Psychology has a long and successful history of research links with NHS services, including a nationally unique psychology service for people inLiverpoolwho are affected by cancer, which is provided in partnership with the University Division. Therefore we are extremely well placed to help develop students’ clinical research expertise across a range of settings in mental and physical health care. Our experience is that people undertake research degrees within Clinical Psychology at different stages in their careers and for different reasons.

Our research students include those with first degrees in Psychology, those who already have professional qualifications in Psychology, graduates of disciplines other than Psychology and professionals in other, related disciplines. This reflects the commitment to multidisciplinary approaches, but makes it difficult to make generalisations about the career paths of graduates from research degrees in this area. Some research students will go on to an academic career in research and teaching. Some students go on to undertake further training in an area of applied psychology (eg Forensic, Clinical) and to careers in, for example, the NHS. Some students are already working in the NHS and undertake a research degree part-time as part of their continuing professional development. For students who have BPS Graduate Basis for Registration, undertaking a research degree may fulfil some of the requirements for gaining Chartered Psychologist status.

Please see the British Psychological Society web pages (www.bps.org.uk) for more information on careers in psychology and for detailed information on the routes and requirements for achieving Chartered Psychologist status. We have a record of highly successful intercalated MPHil degrees, and medical students taking this route have been helped on their career by high-quality research publications.

---

Entry requirements

A good (2:1 or first class or equivalent) degree in a relevant subject is normally required. Potential students should be aware that for certain projects criminal record checks may be necessary. Projects will always be subject to appropriate ethical approval and in some cases collaborating NHS Trusts may require health checks before permitting access to patients. Prospective applicants are advised to contact potential supervisors in their area of interest before submitting a formal application. It is important to ensure that you apply to work in an area that is part of our research programme. Therefore it is often best to get in touch with potential supervisors first so that you can discuss research projects with them before applying formally. International Qualifications Applications from international students are welcome. International qualifications will be evaluated in line with the National Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) guidelines. English Language Qualifications All applicants must have reached a minimum required standard of English language, and are required to provide evidence of this. Qualifications accepted by the University include GCSE English; GCE O level English; AS Level English; A Level English Language; IELTS; TOEFL; Cambridge Proficiency etc. Please see www.liv.ac.uk/international/countries/index.htm for a full list. If you meet our other academic requirements but do not achieve the required level of English, it is possible to come and study at Liverpool on the University’s summer academic English programmes. If you need to increase your IELTS score by a grade of 0.5 (eg you need to improve from 6.0 to 6.5) you should attend the six week course. If you need to increase your IELTS score by a grade of 1.0 (eg you need to improve from 5.5 to 6.5) you should attend the ten week course. If you need to increase your IELTS score by a band of 1.5 (eg you need to improve from 4.5 to 6.0) you should attend the 19 week course. If you need to increase your IELTS score by a band of 2.0 (eg you need to improve from 4.5 to 6.5) you should attend the 29 week course. If you need to increase your IELTS score by a band of 2.0 or 2.5 (eg you need to improve from 4.0 to 6.0 or 4.0 to 6.5) you should attend the 40 week course. If you require additional English language training during your study, the University is able to provide tuition and arrange IELTS tests through its English Language Unit, details of which are available at www.liverpool.ac.uk/english-language-centre. IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component) TOEFL iBT 88 or above with minimum scores in components as follows: Listening and Writing 21, Reading – 22, Speaking 23 International Baccalaureate Standard Level 5 Hong Kong use of English AS level C INDIA Standard XII 70% or above from Central and Metro State Boards WAEC C4-6