MA/ MSc Communications Engineering Masters

You must have at least a 2:1 degree or recognised equivalent at undergraduate level and you will need to provide a certificate or transcript showing your degree level at the time of applying. We welcome applicants with higher degrees which should ideally be in a clinically relevant area. Unfortunately, we do not accept applicants with a 2:2 at undergraduate level, even if they have a Master’s or PhD. Whilst people who have taken conversion courses are not at a disadvantage in our process, we do require their original degree to be 2:1 or above.

We also require evidence of competence in research methods as evidenced by a score/rating of at least 60% on the undergraduate research dissertation – noted on the undergraduate transcript. Applicants who do not yet have an undergraduate transcript, or who have completed a conversion course without a detailed transcript, would need to provide formal evidence of research competence from the awarding University. This could take the form of an academic referee commenting specifically upon these competences, including explicit reference to the applicant’s scores on research and statistics modules.

Candidates must have Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society. For guidance on the kinds of experience considered to be relevant when applying for the Clinical Psychology Doctorate, please visit the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology’s website.

Selection Procedure

We operate our selection procedures in line with NHS Values Based Recruitment.

Our selection process is as follows:

1. 1. NHS funded applications are initially made via the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology’s website (for international applications please see below).

1. 1. Applications are screened to ensure that candidates meet our minimum academic entry criteria (as described above).

1. 1. Applicants who meet our minimum academic criteria are short-listed according to information presented on the application form. This includes elements such as academic/research competence and relevant experience. Forty eight short-listed candidates are invited to attend the University of Birmingham for half a day (morning or afternoon), which includes a series of interviews and a written exercise designed to assess competence in research. Experts by experience and local clinicians are involved in the interview process. After the final interview date, offers are made to the most suitable candidates subject to satisfactory DBS disclosure and Health and Immunisation checks. Please note: the offer process at the University of Birmingham has several steps, and the final formal offer will be made by the University of Birmingham Admissions Team.

Equal opportunities

We are very conscious of being situated in an area of rich ethnic and cultural diversity, and the course particularly welcomes applications from people from ethnic minority groups.  We take measures to ensure that no applicant is discriminated against on the grounds of age, social class, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We are actively addressing issues of race and diversity in the curriculum and in all aspects of the course. We do not currently use equal opportunities data during the selection process and we do not currently subscribe to the “Disability Confident Scheme” (also known as “double tick”). However, we are actively considering how best to include contextual admissions values in our selection procedures, and although we don’t yet have a formal position on this, we will update this webpage with any developments.

Please note that if you have given your consent, we may use equal opportunities data collected by the Clearing House during selection to inform future selection strategies.

Work experience

Applicants must demonstrate that they have been engaged in work experience that allows them to understand the profession of clinical psychology, and to demonstrate skills that can be enhanced through training, that are relevant to the role. We require applicants to have completed at least one year’s full-time clinically relevant experience (which can include placement experience from a clinically relevant Master’s degree) at the time of applying. This experience could come from a variety of roles, including Assistant Psychology and research posts, and graduate roles within IAPT services. However, this is not an exhaustive list of potential relevant experience. Applicants need to demonstrate that they have been applying psychological principles in a clinical setting, preferably under the supervision of a psychologist, or have been engaged in research that is relevant to a clinical population (eg as a research assistant or as part of a 3-year PhD). The experience could be spread across more than one year but must equate to one year full-time as a minimum requirement. Candidates are required to describe this experience clearly on the application form. Candidates who have previously pursued relevant professional careers will be considered on an individual basis; however, all applicants must meet our minimum academic requirements and requirements for GBC (see above for details).

Please ensure when detailing Clinical Experience gained, that you are clear how many hours you worked per calendar week if this role is part time. In addition, it is helpful to detail the tasks / role carried out and the profession of the person supervising or overseeing that work. This information could be within your supporting information or an uploaded CV.

Please note that for applications for the ClinPsyD, a research proposal and names of proposed research supervisors are not required as research projects are developed during the first year of training in collaboration with staff and local clinicians.

International students

We welcome applications from international self-funding candidates. Such applicants must meet the same entry criteria as those applying for NHS funded places (see above) and also have overseas fees status. This is assessed by the University Admissions team. Applications for overseas candidates are made directly to the University of Birmingham and not through the Clearing House.

Standard English language requirements apply

For candidates whose first language is not English or whose first degree was not taught in English the minimum requirements are IELTS 7.0 with no less than 6.5 in any band.

Mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19 for prospective healthcare students

Please note you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to undertake your course unless you can satisfactorily demonstrate that you are medically exempt or under 18 years of age. The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed that all staff in England who are deployed in health and social care roles involving face-to-face contact with service users (including students on placements) must have been fully vaccinated with an MHRA approved COVID-19 vaccine. If you are unable to receive the vaccination, please contact: lesplacements@contacts.bham.ac.uk to discuss this.

For more information visit our website: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/les/mandatory-vaccinations-for-covid-19-for-prospective-healthcare-students.aspx 

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more