Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology
Programme Director: Professor Kevin Woods
The Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology (D.Ed.Ch.Psychol.) is approved by the Health Professionals Council (HPC) as a three-year full-time initial professional training programme for educational psychologists. The programme takes approximately 10 new students each September. Successful graduates, who complete the full programme and achieve the award of D.Ed.Ch.Psychol. are eligible to apply to the HPC to be registered to practise as an Educational Psychologist. A practitioner is not legally allowed to practise using the title Educational Psychologist without being registered with the HPC.
An MPhil exit award may be made for candidates who do not complete the full programme successfully but this award does not confer eligibility to apply to the HPC for registration as a practitioner psychologist.
Applicants from under-represented groups, such as ethnic minorities, people with a disability/ disabilities and male applicants are encouraged. Please refer to programme Equality and Diversity Policy which includes details of how this policy is implemented and monitored. Practical disability support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Support Office. Email: disability@manchester.ac.uk
PLEASE NOTE: application to the D.Ed.Ch.Psychol. are not to be made via the Manchester University online system. See details below under 'How to apply to this programme'.
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Programme Structure and Fieldwork Requirements
The five modules of the programme's curriculum plan are designed to provide effective coverage of the required Standards of Proficiency for training in educational psychology provided by the Health Professionals Council. These concurrently taught modules include:
- Research in Applied Educational Psychology
- Social, Organisational and Ecological Context
- Child and Adolescent Development
- Mental Health and Well-being
- Communication and Interpersonal Effectiveness
Practical (fieldwork) is a central component of the programme. Practical learning includes evaluation of the context of schooling and its effects on children's learning and behaviour, as well as the essentials of psychological assessment, programme planning, team working and communication skills. Trainee psychologists undertake supervised fieldwork activity in Local Authority Children's Psychological Services, overseen by programme staff, for one day per week of fieldwork in Year 1. In Years 2 and 3, there is a requirement for between 2 and 4 days per week of fieldwork as an assistant educational psychologist within a Local Authority Children's Psychological Service. Further details about how trainees may pursue assistant educational psychologist posts or bursary placements will be provided to applicants before accepting a place on the programme.
Assessment
For assessment purposes, the programme is divided into four parts.
Part 1
Three research-based Assignments of 10,000 words each
- Research Assignment 1 - Evaluating the social, organisational and ecological context of children's learning (10,000 words)
- Research Assignment 2 - Thesis proposal and literature review (10,000 words)
- Research Assignment 3 - 'The psychologist as practitioner' - two case work analyses linked by a critical synthesis (10,000 words)
Part 2
A Professional Practice Portfolio of about 20,000 words (submitted in two parts)
Part 3
- Three Fieldwork Supervisor Reports
- Three Tutor Observations of Fieldwork Practice
Part 4
Written thesis of 40,000-50,000 words with satisfactory oral defence (viva voce).
How to apply
At present funding for places on the programme is organised by the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC). Please see the CWDC website for further information: http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/
Direct application to the University is not possible as we do not presently offer any places to applicants outside of the CWDC funding scheme.
Funding and Fees
Funding of fees is currently provided by the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC), throughout the 3 years of the programme. The CWDC also provides a bursary in Year One. Application packs are expected to be available via the website of the CWDC at www.cwdcouncil.org.uk.
Duration of the programme
Thirty-six months full-time from 1st September.
Entry Criteria
Selection for the programme is based strictly upon the Trainee Psychologist Person Specification. To obtain a copy of this and further information about the programme on entry to it please download the PDF file shown at the bottom of this page.
English language: students whose first language is not English require IELTS 7.0 (with 7.0 in writing). See IELTS level 7 descriptors.
Information Evening
We wecome the opportunity to meet potential applicants to the programme on our Information Evening which will be held on Tuesday 13 December 2011 from 6.45pm to 8.30pm in the Lecture Theatre, Samuel Alexander Building. This is an opportunity to find out more about the programme, and to ask and hear questions to a panel comprising tutors and trainee psychologists. If you would like to attend this meeting, there is no need to book a place in advance but please note that the evening begins with a short presentation at 7.00pm sharp.
Contact Information:
email: jacqueline.chisnall@manchester.ac.uk
telephone: +44 (0)161 275 3511
Files:
- Equality and Diversity Policy (PDF Document, 23 KB)
- IELTS Level 7 Descriptors (PDF Document, 14 KB)