2) Teaching Institution: The University of Edinburgh, SHSC (School of Health in Social Science)

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1 THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION FOR MSc in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families 1) Awarding Institution: The University of Edinburgh 2) Teaching Institution: The University of Edinburgh, SHSC (School of Health in Social Science) 3) Programme accredited by: University of Edinburgh 4) Final Award: PG Certificate/ PG Diploma/Masters in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families 5) Programme Title: MSc in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families, delivered by online distance learning 6) UCAS Code: E56 Relevant QAA Subject Benchmarking Group(s): 7) Postholder with overall responsibility for QA: Suzanne O Rourke 8) Date of production/revision: June 2013 / August ) External Summary The MSc in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families is a new fully online programme, which offers advanced study in psychological theory and its application for social science graduates and professionals interested or already working in the field of child and adolescent mental health and well-being promotion. The programme offers the core elements of teaching and learning on the theoretical, conceptual and evidence bases for mental health and well-being promotion whilst fostering a critical and reflective approach to the application of these. 10) Educational aims of programme: The programme will enable graduates and professionals coming from different environments (clinical, educational, social services, public health, policy making, non-governmental organizations, international cooperation, etc.) to: 1

2 Develop skills in the critical appraisal of psychological practice in the field of child, adolescent and family mental health and well-being promotion. Develop a critical perspective of knowledge in relation to children s mental health and well-being through engagement with relevant psychology theory, research and practice. Develop an understanding of theoretical and applied approaches to mental health and well-being for children, young people and families. Develop an understanding of individual child development as something that happens within a cultural and societal context. Develop a critical awareness of how different factors influence how children grow up in different contexts. Develop a cultural sensitised perspective on systems of care and psychological interventions. In its core elements it will include both conceptual and applied courses. At the conceptual level, the programme will review different theories of human wellbeing across the lifespan including psychological factors involved in the complex structure of a healthy development. At the applied level it will include a critical 2

3 appraisal of the current evidence base and psychological practice, a review of the World Health Organization guidelines and the most recent approaches of mental health promotion. Distinctive features of this degree include: The critical integration of clinical and professional practice with current theoretical and empirical developments in the delivery of, and evidence base for, mental health programmes for children, young people and families Its accessibility to a range of graduates and practitioners working in different fields linked with children and adolescence from multiprofessional backgrounds Opportunities for the synthesis of theory, evidence and practice The degree may be taken as a full MSc in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families for which candidates must complete a programme of taught courses and submit a dissertation (or alternative online evaluations such as wikis, web-based projects, online conferences, etc.) on an approved topic. Candidates may also register for a postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families. Courses within the MSc programme have been and will also be offered separately as Continuing Professional Development modules for graduate students and practitioners who are already developing a professional task in related fields. In contrast with the other programmes offered by the Clinical Psychology Section, it is to be delivered fully online. The rationale of doing so is that, while applied psychology postgraduate courses may need more face to face interaction, applied developmental models and mental health and well-being promotion is a field which needs more theoretical input and critical thinking about public mental health, and thus perfectly suits the online medium. 11) Programme Outcomes (a) Knowledge and understanding The programme equips students with advanced knowledge and understanding of: Theories of developmental well-being/ill-being and its application to psychological practice in the field of child and adolescent mental health Debates about research and the evidence base underpinning current 3

4 psychological practice within child, adolescent and families mental health and well-being Current issues within psychological practice including critical psychology, vulnerability and resilience, social inequalities and other contextual factors affecting mental health and well-being in children and young people. (b) Graduate attributes: Skills and abilities in Research and Enquiry The programme is aimed at opportunities to develop key professional skills in literature searching, online interaction, presentation and networking. A special course is tailored to offer specific features and ethical issues of children, young people and family research. Further support is offered for students interested in advanced knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research techniques. By the end of the programme students will be expected to analyse critically source materials and use them to present a structured argument and be able to design and execute an independent research. (c) Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Personal and Intellectual Autonomy The programme provides graduates with: opportunities to advance their knowledge in the field of children and young people s mental health promotion an advanced critical knowledge of key elements of psychological theory and practice a critical appreciation of approaches to psychological practice in the field of child and adolescent mental health promotion the ability to critically appraise the evidence base for mental health interventions and mental health promotion practice the ability to utilise knowledge of applied psychological theory and research to develop creative ways of working in the design of mental health and wellbeing promotion programmes (d) Transferable skills The programme furnishes students with a range of transferable skills including: advanced learning and study skills, including working in groups and independently skills of critical thinking, theoretical reasoning and scholarship analytical skills self-reflective skills time-management skills 4

5 oral and written communication skills online literature searching, online interaction and presentations. working in groups (e) Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Communication Students will be expected at the end of the programme to: Be able to summarise and communicate complex concepts of mental health promotion in oral, written and multimedia supports. Be able to report research results in an adequate way suited for publication. Be able to design and implement outreach activities of mental health promotion. (f) Technical/practical skills Key practical skills fostered by the programme include the capacity to: Critically appraise the role of psychological theories and models in the design of promotion programmes Situate theories and practices of psychological development and interventions in relation to wider debates e.g. social, economic, etc. Articulate complex issues in the application of psychological theory to the design of promotion, health education and prevention programmes Critically reflect on the strengths and limits of current practices in promotion, health education and prevention within children, young people and families settings 12) Programme Structure and Features: This is a flexible postgraduate degree designed for professionals who are interested in studying mental health promotion practice at an advanced level. The programme is designed to be completed either in one year of full-time study (available from September 2014) or part-time (available from January 2015) over two to three years. 5

6 Candidates on this programme will register for a MSc in Mental Health and Well- Being of Children, Young People and Families (180 credits), a PG Diploma in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families (120 credits), or a PG Certificate in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families (60 credits). Or register for courses as Continuing Professional Development. Market As we describe in the Programme Proposal, currently there are only two fully online MSc programmes in children and adolescent mental health UK wide. Our objective with this new programme is to open new online training possibilities for diverse professionals interested in mental health promotion working with children and young people in different settings. Mode of Study Full-time, part-time or CPD. Period of Study The programme is designed to be completed in one-year of full-time study or over two to three years of part-time study. Entrance Requirements Applicants for the programme will be considered on an individual basis. Guidelines for likely acceptance onto the course are possession of: 1) An undergraduate degree or equivalent (reaching SCQF level 9) AND 2) Where an applicant s undergraduate degree does not meet the level stated above or 6

7 is not obviously related to subjects relevant to children and young people s development and/or mental health, they may be admitted at the discretion of the programme director so long as they meet the relevant experience requirements stipulated above. AND 3) For applicants whose first language is not English, documentary evidence of competence in both written and spoken English will be required. The IELTS level for this programme is: 7.0 (with no score lower than 6.5 in each section). Suitability will be established through: 1. The completion of a personal statement submitted via the application form; 2. Two references which address how the applicant meets the academic and/or relevant experience requirements Overview of the Programme All courses listed are 20 credits unless otherwise stated. Most of the courses being brought for this programme have been already developed as CPD or option courses of the MSc in Children and Young People s Mental Health and Psychological Practice. Core courses Mental Health Promotion (CLPS11034) Developmental Well-being (CLPS11048) Discovering Development (Research course only compulsory for MSc level - CLPS11049) Optional courses Critical Psychology (CLPS11044) Trauma and Resilience (CLPS11045) Social Inequality and Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CLPS11046) In addition the following course forms part of the assessment profile for award of the MSc 7

8 Dissertation (Children & Young People s Mental Health Promotion ) (60 credits) NB Prerequisites apply to some of the optional courses above. Optional courses may not be available every year. Credits/ SCQF level Summative assessment Exit qualification Developmental Well-being (Core) 20/11 4,000-5,000 word essay/equivalent online activity Mental Health Promotion (Core) 20/11 4,000-5,000 word essay/equivalent online activity One optional course (20 credits) 20/11 4,000-5,000 word essay/equivalent online activity Three remaining courses (60 credits) 60/11 4,000-5,000 word essay/equivalent online activity PG Certificate PG Diploma Dissertation (progression to dissertation requires an average mark of at least 50 across courses required for the PG Diploma) 60/11 15,000 word dissertation/equiva lent online activity MSc Programme outcomes PG Certificate in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families The certificate is 60 credits which must include the two core courses and one other course. If students would want to study other courses offered within the School/College instead of the option courses offered within the programme it will be agreed with the Director of 8

9 Studies. PG Diploma in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families The Diploma is 120 credits which must include the two core courses plus the remaining optional courses. MSc in Mental Health and Well-Being of Children, Young People and Families The Masters is 180 credits which must include the three core courses plus other three option courses (120 credits in total). Entry to the dissertation is dependent on an overall mark of 50% subject to no more than 40 credits falling below 50% within the core and optional courses. Continuing Professional Development Courses within the MSc programme may be taken as stand-alone CPD courses for which credits will be awarded. Candidates entering in this way, who subsequently opt to undertake the PG Certificate, Diploma or MSc, will be accredited for the prior learning on the CPD course and will not be expected to repeat courses taken as CPD. Marking scheme All assessed work will be marked according to the University s postgraduate common marking scheme. A distinction may be awarded. To achieve a distinction, a student must have been awarded at least 70% for the dissertation and must also have been awarded marks across the taught courses that average at least, or very close to, the 70% standard. Progression: Students will be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Certificate upon successful completion of courses totalling 60 credits with an overall mark of at least 40-49%. Students will be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma upon successful completion of courses totalling 120 credits with an overall mark of at least 40-49%. Progression to dissertation will depend on successful completion of coursework totalling 120 credits. To proceed to dissertation for the award of an MSc an overall average mark of 50% will be required subject to no more than 40 credits falling below 50%. 9

10 13) Teaching and Learning Methods and Strategies The e-learning environment allows flexible and responsive approaches to learning, assessment and support of the students. The teaching methods will include: video-lectures - enhanced version of a classical lecture using multimedia materials. reflective blogs - aimed to promote critical thinking wikis - designed to promote group work online conferences multi-site activities to facilitate students interaction and debate films and videos - showing successful experiences of programmes implementation independent study and research 14) Assessment Methods and Strategies In an online environment, a flexible approach to assessment is essential. Although students will be able to submit classic 5000 word Essays and word dissertations, they will also be encouraged to create instead web-based projects, case studies or action plans. In any case, the different types of assessment will be designed to reflect advances in conceptual knowledge, critical thinking and synthesis. 15) Career Opportunities The programme is addressed at different professional groups working with children, young people and families, interested in expanding their knowledge of into the field of mental health promotion. Students will develop skills valid for a wide range of careers in the health, educational, and public health sectors. Examples include from policy professionals designing promotion programmes for children to be implemented in specific regions to education professionals 10

11 involved in the delivery of such programmes. 16) Other items: Resource information The programme reflects the expertise of existing staff within the School of Health in Social Science and the proposed programme draws on other existing MSc psychology programmes within the School. Students will have access to the full range of learning resources available in the School of Health in Social Science and the wider University of Edinburgh, including excellent library and computing facilities. For students with interest in choosing further research courses in addition to the core Discovering Development, the School of Health in Social Science has developed crosscurricular courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods. As the programme will be delivered online with an international cohort, those students with no access to children or adolescent populations for case studies, will be offered to do systematic reviews or analysis of secondary data for their dissertations. Additionally, other activities such as web-based mental health promotion projects will be eligible for evaluation. 11