The programme equips students to work as educational psychologists in Local Authority Children Services and other settings. It is the Health Professions Council recognised qualification to practise as an educational psychologist in England. At the end of the programme successful graduates can apply for recognition as a practitioner Educational Psychologist with the Health Professional Council. The programme prepares students to become committed and creative educational psychologists, applying psychology in educational and other settings, in order to make a positive difference for children.

Students study child development, the process of assessment, consultation, intervention and research. They learn to be reflective and critical practitioners working from an evidence base. Students develop skills in working with individual children, groups, families, and schools through both working alone and in multidisciplinary teams.

Training in Educational Psychology at UEL is well established with a commitment to children and families going back many years. It is one of the few universities in the country that offers Doctoral programmes in clinical, counselling and occupational psychology and its commitment to Positive Psychology is well known.

Throughout the Educational Psychology programme there is an implicit and explicit emphasis on applying psychology to make a positive difference to children and young people. The importance of listening to children’s views and involving them in decision making is reinforced by a commitment to improving the quality of life for vulnerable children.

The programme celebrates the opportunities of working in a diverse society and the importance of recognising the individuality of people within an evidence based profession.

Experienced and enthusiastic tutors ensure students become sensitive and mature reflective practitioners through problem-based learning and high quality teaching. Carefully planned and supervised placement experiences ensure all students become the “best EPs they can” over the course of the three year programme.

1. Eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) by the British Psychological Society (BPS). This means a degree in psychology (or equivalent recognised by the BPS).

2. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have gained two years relevant experience of working with children within educational, childcare or community settings.   Examples of the kinds of settings in which relevant experience is likely to be gained include work as:  a teacher, a graduate assistant in an Educational Psychology Service, a Learning Support Assistant, an Educational Social Worker, a Learning Mentor, a Speech and Language Therapist, a Care Worker, a worker in early years settings.   Whatever kind of work has been done, we will be primarily interested in what applicants have learnt from their experiences that is relevant to work as an educational psychologist, and how they have been able to apply the knowledge of psychology gained through their first degrees.
3. Experience of workplace organisations, particularly schools or other educational settings
4. Effective interpersonal and communication skills relevant to the practice of educational psychology
5. A strong and realistic commitment to train to become an educational psychologist
6. A willingness to learn new and challenging ideas, to be self-reflective, and to have an interest in the processes of teaching and learning
7. Good references
   
8. Where English is not the applicant’s first language, a minimum IELTS Academic English, or such qualifications as our University deems comparable, score of 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in all components, is required at entry.  Such assessment of English language competence must normally have been undertaken no more than two years prior to application, though relevant and more recent study in a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution may be accepted as sufficient proof of ability.

The programme lasts for 3 years full time. Each year starts in September and runs until August of the following year.   There are two stages of the programme.  Stage One comprises the first year.  Stage Two comprises the second and third years.

The programme comprises university-based learning and teaching, self-directed learning, research and placement in Educational Psychology Services (EPS) and other employment settings, where students work under supervision.

Stage 1 – (Year 1) – students complete 6 modules at the university, including one module largely comprising of a structured placement in an EPS.

Stage 2 – In Years 2 and 3, students are eligible for appointment as a Trainee Educational Psychologist in a service, for three or four days per week.  In both years students complete a module based on their learning on placement. They also complete a research module in Year 2 and their research thesis in Year 3.

Students are solely responsible for seeking appointment or bursaries at Stage 2. Whilst the programme assists students, it cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for the success or otherwise of the application. This arrangement is subject to change in line with new longer term agreements with regional educational psychology services, currently under negotiation.

The learning outcomes are achieved through:-

• Lectures, seminars and workshops led by the tutor team and outside specialists
• Problem based learning in small groups
• Supervised practice on placement
• Individual and group tutorials
• Independent and directed reading
• Reflection
• Completion of assessed assignments and the placement files
• A research thesis

A key feature of the programme is negotiated learning in respect of the written assignments, using the Learning Contract and required learning outcomes.  Such student/tutor negotiations enable students to plan work which is of direct benefit to them in light of their previous knowledge and understanding.

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

Research thesis commences in Year 2 for submission in Year 3 (35,000 +/- 10% words)

Students who fail a module assignment twice fail the whole programme.

To obtain the degree of Professional Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology all aspects of the assessment procedure in all three years must be passed. This is the only qualification which will allow the student to register with the Health Professions Council and practice as an educational psychologist.

Students who complete at least 120 credits in year one (on any Modules in the first year of the programme) and leave the programme will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Educational and Child Psychology.

There is the opportunity within the School of Psychology to convert this into a Masters of Professional Studies by undertaking a 60 credit Dissertation.

The programme is the recognised Health Professional Council qualification to practice as an educational psychologist in the U.K.
Educational Psychologists are employed by Local Authorities within Children Services to fulfil both statutory and nonstatutory functions around the promotion of learning and development in line with the Every Child Matters agenda. Educational Psychologists also work for voluntary agencies and privately.

Students are expected to undertake their research during their second and third year of the programme. This research is based on a negotiated area with the Local Authority where students are working. Within this negotiation the student has the opportunity to put forward their own areas of interest.

The research is expected to have a practical value and to add to the knowledge of the area under consideration. The research methodology is based on the student’s own interest and expertise in consultation with their Director of Studies. The Research Proposal (an assessed piece of work) goes through the University’s ethical approval procedures before the research is commenced.

Registration of the research component can only take place following a recommendation from the relevant School Research Degrees Sub-Committee to the university Research Degrees Subcommittee of the suitability of the candidate to undertake research, of the programme of research, of the supervision arrangements and of the research environment.  These approvals require appropriate academic judgement to be brought to bear on the viability of each research proposal. 

Candidates for a Professional Doctorate must, prior to the submission of the research derived assessment, successfully complete all assessed elements from the taught part of the programme.

Once the research stage of the programme is reached progression will be formally reviewed annually by a Panel comprised of staff with appropriate academic and professional expertise who are independent of the candidate’s supervisory team.  The School Research Degrees Sub-Committee and the University Research Degrees Subcommittee monitor the reports from these Panels.

The examination of the research component of the Professional Doctorate has two stages: firstly the submission and preliminary assessment of the research; and secondly its defence by oral examination.

The research thesis is required to be 35,000 ( +/- 10%)

• individual students development and support
• close placement supervision
• range of placement experiences in Year 1
• highly professionally experienced tutor team
• high quality tutor support
• small group problem-based learning
• opportunity to learn therapeutic intervention skills
• opportunities to learn organisational change and consultancy skills
• individually negotiated learning contracts and choices of assignments within agreed parameters
• in a School of Psychology which trains chartered, clinical, occupational, counselling and careers psychologists, with a large child development research group.   Students can thus utilise extensive specialist staff expertise

Graduates can work as a qualified educational psychologist in Local Authority Children Services.   They can progress to senior management and directorships in Local Authorities, Children’s Trusts, and relevant clinical settings.  They can also take up specialist positions in relationship to CAMHS, Looked After Children, Youth Offending Teams and the Voluntary sector.

Each student has:

• regular individual and small group tutorials with their Professional and Academic tutor over all three years
• an individual Field tutor
• regular and planned individual visits on placement by Field tutors and Professional and Academic tutors
• an individual Supervisor on each placement in an EPS
• linked specialist librarian to the programme

The Graduate School is responsible for providing a focus to the support of our postgraduate research students and for our institution’s research and scholarly strategy.

Professional Doctorate students have at least two and not normally more than three supervisors, who together demonstrate an appropriate range of academic and professional experience.  One supervisor shall be the Director of Studies with responsibility to supervise the candidate on a regular and frequent basis.

• an emphasis on the unique characteristics and experience of each trainee, and their personal and professional development
• regular programme meetings between tutors and students
• close links with local Educational Psychology services who contribute to the development of the programme and lead sessions
• a very well established team of experienced tutors
• a long and excellent tradition  of professional training of educational psychologists
• placed within a large and thriving School of Psychology at the University of East London
• located at Stratford – on the doorstep of the 2012 Olympics