Study Program
The Master's Degree consists of 90 credits (ECTS). The Post-graduate degree is achieved by passing each and every subject, organized into four modules, including the Practicum (work placement) and the Master's Thesis Project.
Módules
Scientific and professional foundation in Health Psychology
This comprises just one subject, Health Psychology Basics. The students go into greater depth and update their knowledge on the basics of this profession and the preferred scientific wisdom of Health Psychology. Students joining the Master’s course already have some knowledge of this subject, from the Health Psychology Specialization in their Degree in Psychology (or having taken subjects related to Health Psychology), so this course goes into greater depth on the key aspects required by professionals in the current context.
Assessment and Intervention in Health Psychology, where students acquire the skills that are directly related to working as a specialist Psychologist in clinical Psychology.
The module comprises four subjects. Two of these subjects are weighted with 12 ECTS each: Disorders and mental health: assessment and intervention and cross-discipline aspects of assessment and intervention. With the content of these subjects, students understand the regular mental health and psychological well-being issues that specialist psychologists face in clinical psychology and the main assessment and intervention methods.
The third subject, worth 6 ECTS, Information and research skills and methods for the general health psychologist, comprises training in basic general health psychologist skills, with more practical content applied to interventions.
Finally, the Optional subject (12 ECTS) offers more detailed content focusing on specific areas of the first two subjects in this module: Family therapy, Neuropsychology, Eating disorders, Promotion, prevention and intervention for psychological health and well-being and Additions and dependencies.
This module is central to the training given in the Master’s degree, as it is a professional post-graduate qualification. It is planned so that students apply the theory they have learnt and continuously self-assess their capabilities. The work placement period provides further skills training to provide an ultimate balance with their tutors’ guidance (in the Practicum center and at the University) from which to focus on the last period of the Master’s degree course. The subject represents a total of 750 work hours from the student, divided into:
• Practical activities from the students in the health centers and services.
• Monitoring tutorials in the Practicum center and from the University.
• Personal work from the student.
• Seminars on specific topics regarding work as a General Health Psychologist.
The Master’s students will do their work placement under the supervision of psychologists who will be their Practicum tutors.
This module aims for students to acquire interest and skill to lay foundations for and improve professional practice in research and reflection on their work. To do so, the student carries out a study, guided by a teacher, basically including the following parts: introduction, outlining the problem, making a hypothesis, planning and preparing the study, carrying out the study, data analysis, interpreting the results, drawing conclusions). The Master’s Thesis Projects will be assessed by public defense of the work before a Jury.
