| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-05-24 | - |
| 2023-09-14 | - |
| 2024-01-18 | - |
Program Overview
This course does not participate in the generic Postgraduate Open Evenings and it has its own Open Event. For more details check this page regularly in September.
This course provides full-time professional training leading towards registration with the Health and Caring Professions Council (HCPC) as an Educational Psychologist (this is a protected title). During the programme trainees will participate in University-based teaching and learning, modular assessments, research culminating in a doctoral thesis and professional practice placements in Local Authorities and other settings relevant to educational psychologist work.
This course will equip you to work as an educational psychologist in Local Authority children's services, educational psychology teams, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), voluntary agencies or independently. We are driven by our determination to work towards social justice for vulnerable young people and their families and for children with special educational needs and to advocate for their rightful place in society.
The Professional Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology programme at UEL aims:
To ensure trainees:
In reflecting the ethos of the University of East London the programme is committed to:
We are looking for practitioners who are seeking to extend their use of psychology with children, young people and families. You will need the Graduate Basis for Certification with the BPS and relevant experience. Full details of the application requirements and processes are available from The Association of Educational Psychologists .
In recent years, around half of our students have been teachers or assistant educational psychologists, while other professions represented have included teaching assistants, mental health and clinical practitioners, youth workers and social workers. Many have postgraduate qualifications as well as a depth of relevant paid experience.
The course meets both the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards and the Division of Educational and Child Psychology - British Psychological Society (DECP) criteria for three-year training.
Successful applicants are expected to confirm their fitness to study and practice at the start of the programme. Potential applicants need to be aware of these requirements prior to application. Once on the programme, trainees are expected to maintain their health and well-being throughout the duration of the programme and in line with the HCPC's guidance on conduct and ethics, to let the education provider know if their health status changes.
The programme is doctoral level and the overall credit rating for this course is 540 credits. This is a national standard for professional doctorates. If for some reason you are unable to achieve this credit you may be entitled to an intermediate award, the level of the award will depend on the amount of credit you have accumulated. You can read the full University student policies and regulations on the UEL website. Because the title of educational psychologist is protected it is important to be clear that any award other than that achieved by successful completion of the full Doctorate programme will not entitle you to use the title educational psychologist. The title can only be used following successful completion and subsequent registration with the HCPC. The AEP also place stipulations related to completion in the contract for a funded place.
You cannot apply directly to UEL for this programme because there is a national
system for applying to train to be an educational psychologist.
Full details of the application requirements and processes (including key dates) are
available from the Association of Educational Psychologists .
Program Outline
The course involves campus-based learning and teaching, self-directed learning, research and placement in Educational Psychology Services (EPS) and other employment settings, where you will work under supervision.
In your first year you will spend most of the first two terms on campus, completing two modules related to Professional Practice as an EP. Topics include Consultation, Values and Ethics. You will also spend time on placement developing skills with children and young people. In your second year, you will take on a bursary-supported placement for three days of the week. During the autumn term, you will complete a module at the University on research - in order to complete your research proposal on the placement. Throughout the year you will also take a module in Developing the Competent and Reflective Practitioner in Simple Systems and you will begin the research for your thesis. In the third year, you will continue in your placement, as well as completing a module in Developing the Critical and Reflective practitioner in Complex Systems. You will complete your research and write up your thesis.We consistently review our courses to ensure we are up to date with industry changes and requirements from our graduates. As a result, our modules are subject to change.
To be a practitioner you need to know how to help children and young people build resilience and confidence so that they can succeed in school, at home and in their community. This will involve working directly with children and young people as well as supporting parents, teachers and other responsible adults.
You will have regular individual and small group support from your academic and professional tutor at UEL as well as from fieldwork tutors and supervisors on placement. Practice placements constitute a crucial and integral part of the training for educational psychologists in all three years. Trainees will be on placements throughout their training, working with a range of client groups and, increasingly, will develop skills and knowledge across the three years to enable them to work effectively and ethically with complex cases. The year-long placement modules support trainees' development on bursaries by progressively building their experience of service delivery and working effectively as a practitioner in different contexts with a range of client groups and issues. Each trainee is assessed extensively using the Placement Assessment Report and Portfolio at the end of each year's placement by their placement supervisor, there is also an end of year progress review conducted by the trainees' academic and professional tutor. In your second and third years, when you will usually be placed in a Local Authority Educational Psychology Service, you will be expected to undertake a piece of research on an important area of concern. This will involve what we call 'real-world research'. For example, one of our students recently undertook research on students excluded from secondary schools. As educational psychologists we are committed to facilitating high quality adult learning. You will be expected to engage as a professional trainee at doctoral level. Our trainees have varied knowledge and experience and we, therefore, recognise the need to offer differentiated experiences. We encourage reflection, autonomy and commitment. We are highly supportive as an academic team and we pride ourselves on promoting the wellbeing of our trainees. The course involves campus-based learning and teaching, self-directed learning, research and placement in Educational Psychology Services (EPS) and other employment settings, where you will work under supervision. In your first year, you will spend most of the first two terms on campus. The focus is on work with children and people. You will complete year-long academic and placement modules. We currently arrange placements in Year 1 with partner local authorities in London and the South East Region. These are supported by fieldwork tutors who work in the Local Authority. You will also complete a group research project in the LA setting. In your second year, you will complete year-long academic and placement modules. The focus is more on applying psychology at the group level. You will also take on a bursary-supported placement for 130 days (usually three days each week). During the autumn term, you will complete a research proposal. Your research thesis commences in Year 2 for submission in Year 3 (35,000 words +/- 10%). In the third year, there is a focus on complex systems and organisational change. You will complete year-long academic and placement modules. You will usually continue in the same placement. You will complete your research and write up your thesis.
The programme team
Module leaders
Students are assessed in three main areas: professional skills, academic ability and research skills. These skills are integrated throughout the programme and are evident in all pieces of assessed work. We use a range of assessment methods, including, essays, reports and presentations (individual and group), all of which meet a range of different learning styles and best meet the learning outcomes.
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.