MSc Mental Health and Well Being in Education

Buckinghamshire New University

Course Overview

Do you work in or aspire to pursue a career in education? Are you passionate about mental health and well-being? Our course will teach you important interventions, skills and research-based strategies to make you a positive influence and practitioner of psychological concepts for the benefit of those in education across the lifespan.

Whether you want to build your skills in a current teaching role, or start a career in education, this course gives you the tools to apply advanced teaching techniques in a professional setting, benefitting students mental health and wellbeing as you do so.

Why study this subject?

This course is suitable for a range of professionals engaged in mental and well-being in education, such as head teachers, teachers, social workers, school nurses, educational psychologists, police and youth justice workers.

The course is designed for professionals and graduates wishing to understand and optimise the role of mental health and well-being in the education system.

This is essentially a training in awareness and practices that can be adopted in a student’s existing or future profession within a sector like education rather than training as a psychology professional.

What will I study?

This course offers a detailed exploration of mental health and well-being across the lifespan within this setting, and unprecedented understanding of factors by which it may be influenced in learners of any age.

You’ll explore the psychology of development across the lifespan. In parallel, the course will also examine how often individual action in the educational environment can be an act of influence and leadership towards change.

In addition, you’ll explore research-based interventions in education, be introduced to the basics of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and positive psychology.

There will be a focus on research-based interventions in the educational environment, along with how individual influence and behaviour can support change.

You’ll learn research methods and skills focused towards your choice of professional context meaning you will always be able to apply your learning from day one. This approach will also help you decide on a specific subject area for a passion project – your final dissertation.

How will I be taught and assessed?

You have the option to study this course over three years and dedicate the third year purely to completing your dissertation – this flexibility means you can balance your studies confidently with other personal and professional obligations you might have.

You’ll be taught via highly interactive distance learning that will challenge and engage you as well as put you in touch with other students in similar professions meaning you can learn and support each other whilst building a network of like-minded people.

Over the course of the programme, you’ll be assessed in a number of different ways, such as literature reviews, reflexive logs, analytical reports, the design, planning and implementation of interventions, as well as a final dissertation project.

What are my career prospects?

This programme will give you a critical understanding of the key moments and contexts in which mental health in learners of any age can be influenced and changed.

You’ll be able to identify, define and utilise specific intervention pathways through which mental health can be influenced in education through classroom skills, the use of basic CBT skills and positive psychology as well as the management of stress.

This course will give you a personal and occupational insight into how the views, beliefs and behaviours of professional influence mental health.