MSc Clinical and Health Psychology Student Handbook

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

School of Health Sciences, Division of Psychology and Mental Health

2024-25

Programme Director: Dr Lizzie Tyler

Programme Administration : shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

Website: https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/psychology/

Introduction to MSc Clinical and Health Psychology

Welcome to the Division of Psychology and Mental Health at the University of Manchester and to your MSc in Clinical and Health Psychology.

This handbook provides details of the University of Manchester Programme leading to the MSc in Clinical and Health Psychology and the diploma (exit award only). It includes information about the aims and learning outcomes, structure, content, admissions, assessment and programme management. It should be read alongside related University documentation.

In Part A, there is a summary of how the course is structured while, in Part B, each of the course units is described. Part C contains practical information about the School, and Part D the various University Regulations.

We hope that your time here in Manchester will be productive and enjoyable and we look forward to getting to know you.

Dr Lizzie Tyler

MSc Programme Director

Coupland 1 Building

Email: elizabeth.tyler@manchester.ac.uk

School of Health Sciences Student Handbook

Click here to access.

You will need your University of Manchester login.

The student handbook has been developed as a resource for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students completing degree programmes within the School of Health Sciences (SHS).

This resource should be used as the first point of reference for questions concerning your programme, support and advice, or academic policies and procedures.

The University of Manchester is a large and complex organisation, and we want to ensure that you know how to access the information, support, and guidance you need to succeed in your studies. It is therefore designed to guide you through many aspects of your time as a student and provides useful links to information available through the University’s website, as well as summarising the facilities and support services that are available across the University and how you can access them. It also outlines what you should expect of the School and what they can expect from you, and clarifies the policies and procedures relevant to your area of study.

SECTION A: Programme Structure & Exemptions

Rationale and General Description

This taught Master’s programme is suitable for students considering training for a career in Clinical or Health Psychology or who wish to improve their knowledge, understanding and research expertise prior to embarking on a research PhD. The Master’s level qualification meets the needs of those requiring a higher degree and the programme is designed to provide training, skills and knowledge that would help support subsequent applications to clinical training.

The programme can be completed either full-time (three semesters over one year) or part time (six semesters over two years).

During the first two semesters of the course, students attend a number of course units covering a wide range of research issues and methodologies, as well as topics on health, wellbeing and illness. This taught element of the course comprises seminars, workshops and several forms of independent learning. Throughout the programme, students will also work on a dissertation, which involves a substantial piece of empirical work. After completion of the course unit assessments, including examinations in May/June, students work on their dissertation exclusively, and submit a thesis in September. Dissertation topics are chosen and developed by students in consultation with their supervisor.

Programme Learning Aims

As an MSc student you will become a member of a Division that leads research and development in areas of clinical and health psychology. The ethos fosters excellence in pure and applied research and in developing treatment approaches. The educational aims of the programme are to provide students with an understanding of core principles and features of psychological and health interventions and work in clinical and health settings, and prepare students for higher research degrees or professional training. The course will produce students who:

have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of key theoretical, clinical and methodological issues in the application of clinical and health psychology.

understand the role of psychological processes and states in disease and illness and understand the inter-relationships between emotion, behaviour, cognition, personality and well-being.

have experience and training in a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods.

have knowledge of core principles and features of interventions within clinical and health psychology

have an understanding of the ways in which psychologists work within healthcare and related services at the level of individuals, groups and populations.

have developed a range of transferrable skills including: effective oral and written communication suitable for both lay and professional audiences; familiarity with electronic databases; use of a range of software and analysis tools commonly used in clinical and health psychology settings.

can independently organize their time and take responsibility for their learning.

have a good understanding of social responsibility in research and practice, for example in following ethical guidelines, professional regulations and engaging patients and members of the public in research design and dissemination.

have an awareness of the careers routes open to them and the necessary skills to make strong applications for further training or employment.

Programme Learning Outcomes

At the end of the MSc Clinical and Health programme successful graduates are expected to be able to:

Understand the process of designing, conducting, analysing and reporting research findings within a clinical and health psychology context using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Be able to apply these skills to critically appraise work published in a variety of areas in clinical and health psychology and to the conduct and reporting of an original piece of research.

Understand the ways in which social-cultural factors contribute to physical and mental health and wellbeing and the role of social policy within these relationships.

Understand the psychological and social processes that underlie mental health difficulties, and the evidence-based treatment options available.

Understand the experience of illness and receiving health care from a psychological perspective focusing on how psychological processes can influence (and be influenced by) response to illness, interactions with healthcare services and maximise positive health outcomes

Understand the mechanisms underlying interactions between emotion, cognition, behaviour and personality and how these factors interact to produce health and illness.

Understand and be able to critically evaluate the science and practice of interventions for facilitating change in behaviour, cognition, and wellbeing within clinical and health psychology.

Understand the role and scope of psychology and psychologists within health care practice and the legal and ethical frameworks relevant to practice in clinical and health psychology. Understand the importance of reflection on studying, practice, and personal development.

Understand the role and scope of psychology and psychologists within health care practice and factors that inhibit the effective implementation of psychology into clinical practice.

Details of the aims and learning outcomes of specific course units are outlined in the Syllabus Booklet.

Dissertation

The dissertation involves a student working closely with their supervisor to develop and implement an empirical research project. Details of what is involved, and of how and when to submit the dissertation are provided in the Syllabus Booklet.

Please note: For those students progressing to a 3-year PhD following completion of this MSc, the data collected for this dissertation cannot be used in the PhD. However, it is perfectly proper to use the MSc dissertation research as a pilot study for the PhD.

The minimum requirements for progressing to the third year dissertation module are as follows:

Students must have accrued 120 credits at MSc level (50% or higher for each module, unless the student has referred marks).

Students must not have been referred in over half the total taught credits.

Further information of the process and supervisory arrangement for the dissertation is provided in the Dissertation Handbook that students will receive when they commence the unit.

Supervisory Arrangements

All Graduate Research Students are allocated a Supervisor. Supervision is governed by the University Manual of Academic Procedures, which outlines in more detail the responsibilities of the Supervisor and the Student. Briefly, the responsibilities of the Supervisor include: giving guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected; the planning of the research programme; and pointing the Student towards relevant literature and other sources of information.

The relationship between the Student and his/her Supervisor is of central importance. Both the Student and the Supervisor have a responsibility to ensure that the dissertation is completed within the prescribed period of the programme. Supervisors and students should establish at their initial meeting clear and explicit expectations of each other in order to minimise the risks and problems of misunderstanding, personality clashes, inadequate supervision and unsatisfactory work. Timetables for Progress Monitoring meetings must be closely observed. It should be noted that in some instances students may be jointly supervised by staff, and be assigned a principal and second supervisor.

During induction, you will be asked to identify areas of interest or research ideas. The Dissertation Unit Lead will then allocate a supervisor with expertise in your chosen areas. Whilst it is not always possible to allocate students to the supervisor of choice, every attempt will be made to match students to a research area of their choice.

Supervisor Availability

It is the responsibility of the student to liaise with their research project supervisor to arrange supervision meetings, and to agree on deadlines around reading drafts. We recommend discussing availability and other practical aspects of meeting (when, where, how supervision will take place) in the first supervisory meeting, and booking in supervision meeting dates in advance.

Supervisors sometimes become unavailable unexpectedly, for example due to illness. Where a supervisor is unavailable and you have an urgent issue that needs resolution, you can contact your academic advisor for further advice or support. If they are also unavailable you can also contact the Programme Director/s, or the dissertation lead (Lynsey Gregg) for further advice or support.

Distressing Material

This programme will inevitably contain information that is potentially distressing for a number of reasons.

First, the topics of clinical and health psychology entail distress, in that the people who see clinical and health psychologists are often in distress, sometimes at a severe and urgent level. Whilst it is not necessary to reproduce this level of distress in the teaching materials, it is necessary to refer to it and describe the topics and concerns that clients experience.

Second, it is often critical to know the experiences of people who have mental or physical health problems in order to understand why they have the symptoms that they experience; as we shall see, very few psychiatric symptoms are ‘inexplicable’ from a psychological perspective, and the explanation can provide support for the theory, research and forms of practice involved.

Third, learning about the distress experienced by other people can bring about empathy and a willingness to try to provide the most appropriate help.

Fourth, this programme involves some involvement by people with lived experience of mental health problems. We have made sure to select people with substantial experience speaking to groups, and have who have experienced a substantial recovery since the most distressing periods of their lives. Nonetheless, they may describe personal experiences or have personal opinions that could be distressing. We regard this as a necessary minimal risk to weigh against the huge potential benefits of their involvement, but we do value your feedback on this.

Despite the above reasons for providing potentially distressing material in the teaching, it is also essential that, as a student, you feel in control and fully informed about what you are going to be informed about. For this reason, we have made great efforts not to include material that might be distressing unless it is directly relevant to the learning aims of the session. Also, the introduction to each lecture will include information about potentially distressing material. I would also like to advise the following:

Please contact your Academic Advisor if you have been significantly distressed byany material in the They can help to address any issues for yourself or any other students who might be affected.
If you wish to miss a specific session because of the potentially distressingmaterial in that session, you may do so without having to give any more details. However, you will need to contact the lecturer or unit lead at least 48 hours in advance to inform them that you will not be attending for this reason.
If you are attending a session and you feel that you need to leave owing to yourlevel of distress, you can leave immediately without giving any reason or explanation. It is not uncommon for students to leave a session early for a wide range of reasons and lectures are informed not to draw attention to or comment on this.

To summarise, all teaching staff have attempted to balance the requirement for clinically relevant material and accounts of lived experience against the potential for producing distress, by providing the necessary information in advance and the option for you, as students, to make your own decisions about how and whether to engage with the material.

Chatham House Rule

We recognise that students may have lived experience and/or work experience of issues that are covered in the MSc. Students may choose to share their experiences in classes although they should not feel compelled to if they do not want to. We ask students to follow the Chatham House Rule

“When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.” This is to encourage inclusive and open dialogue but protect the identity of those who are speaking.

Programme Exemptions to PGT Degree Regulations

The MSc Clinical and Health Psychology/ MSc Health Psychology programme applies the University PGT Degree Regulations with the following exemption: The following course unit has two weighted components: PSYC 60010 (Dissertation) The overall pass mark for this unit is 50% (Masters).

Word limits for Assessed Work (including dissertations)

With the exception of examination answers, all assessed work is subject to a word limit. There are reasons for this. It is one of our objectives to encourage students to acquire the skill of expressing ideas clearly and concisely. Writing within a word limit imposes a discipline on your work. Additionally, for any given type of work we can only apply fair and consistent marking standards when everyone is writing within the same constraints. Finally, imposing word limits communicates clear expectations.

In accordance with the University Policy on Marking:

Each written assignment has a word limit which you must state at the top of your first page.

Please note that all assignments on the MSc Clinical & Health Psychology adhere to a strict word count policy and are therefore exempt from the 10% leeway stated in the standard policy. If you present an assignment with a word limit exceeding the upper banding, the assignment will be marked but the marker will stop reading when the word limit is reached.

In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception:

All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly page or reference list.

All words that form the actual essay.

All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves.

All in-text (that is bracketed) references. All directly quoted material.

We trust you to be honest that your assignments are within the word limit. However, we do check the word count within TurnitinUK and staff are good at recognising overlength work.

The word limits for assessed work are provided in the Syllabus Booklet

Reference Format Style in Assignments

The programme requires students to use APA 7^th formatting for references in any submitted work, unless stated otherwise.

Format of all submitted work

All Assignments MUST be submitted in the following format:

Font: Arial

Font Size: 12

Line Spacing: 1.5

Monitoring Dissertation Progress

In order to monitor their progress, students will have regular, scheduled meetings with their dissertation supervisor. Progress forms should be completed at these meetings (see appendix 1).

Progress meetings will take place as follows (check dissertation handbook for exact dates):

Meeting 1: Full-time and Year 1 Part time students in December 2024 – The purpose of this meeting is to discuss initial ideas for your dissertation work once students have been allocated a supervisor.
Meeting 2: Full-time and Year 2 Part time students in February 2025 – The purpose is for students to discuss their progress on the dissertation with their supervisor, and to ensure timely progress in dissertation work.
Meeting 3: Full-time and Year 2 Part time students by June 202 – The purpose of this meeting is to monitor the student’s progress in dissertation work, and to plan a timetable for the completion of the dissertation.
For Part-time students review meeting dates are expected in December 2024, June 2025, March 2026 .

In order to provide opportunity for reflection, students will be required to complete a Progress Form at each meeting with their supervisor which must be signed by both parties following the meeting. This form should be used as the basis for discussion in the meetings.

After each meeting, the forms should be submitted via Blackboard (Unit PSYC60010) by the dates specified in the dissertation handbook to ensure that School records are complete and up-to date. It is your responsibility to ensure forms are completed and submitted on time.

Academic Advisors

You will be allocated an Academic Advisor who you will be expected to meet with (either in person or online) as follows

Meeting 1: Full-time and Year 1 Part time students in October 2024. This will be a group meeting to help you orient to the course and ask any questions you have.
Meeting 2: Full-time and Year 1 Part time students in November. This will be individual meetings to discuss any issues, progress with the dissertation and career ideas
Meeting 3: Full-time and Year 1 Part time students in February. This will be timed to follow exam board and to discuss your progress with taught content of the course.
Meeting 4: Full-time and Year 1 Part time students end of semester 2. This is to review progress and discuss career plans.

In addition, students may request meetings with the Programme Director/s at any point throughout their studies if there are additional matters they wish to discuss.

External Examiner

The External Examiner for this programme is: Dr Gillian Shorter

Name of Institution: Queen’s University Belfast

Position at current Institution: Psychologist; Reader

All MSc students are encouraged to attend the regular seminars (or webinars) held within the University.

Division of Psychology and Mental Health Research Seminars

External speakers or speakers from within the Division present their research to an audience of postgraduate students and academic members of staff. These talks are followed by scholarly debates, and usually an informal drink or meal after the session to which all are invited. The programme of speakers is published in advance, and posters and emails advertising the week’s seminar are circulated during the week. Topics for these seminars are drawn from the full range of psychology and psychiatry topics, including cognitive, social, clinical, health psychology as well as forensic and forensic mental health topics. You should attend these sessions regardless of whether you feel the topics are directly related to your coursework or research as they are a good opportunity to learn about a range of methodologies and theories and to network with other postgraduate and academic researchers.

SECTION B: Timetables

The following summarises the core teaching in each semester for the full and part time routes.

You are referred to the ‘Timetable and Assignment’ document which contains full details of all dates and locations for teaching sessions, as well as deadlines for all assignments for all units.

Timetable for Full time students

(12 months September 2024 – September 2025)

Full time students are required to attend/ access all teaching in both semesters. Full time students attend 60 taught credits per semester. For full time students it is expected that 36 hours per week will be committed to the programme, including attending/ accessing teaching sessions (including online live sessions), undertaking dissertation research, completing assignments, and self-directed learning.

Full time students are expected to attend live teaching sessions on two days a week. Some of these sessions may be face-to-face, requiring you to travel into University, whereas others may be online. It will be important therefore to check in advance which days you will need to travel into University. Where possible the timetable has been arranged to avoid days where there are a mix of online and face-to-face live sessions. However, please be aware there may still be days where this has not been possible and there may be a mix of online and face-to-face live sessions. On these days the timetable has been planned to allow for travel time from home to University between sessions. If you are still likely to experience difficulties in attending sessions on these days please speak with your Academic Advisor. There may be a need to attend meetings on other days due to supervisor or advisory meetings, depending on student and staff member availability (these may be face-to-face or remote meetings).

All students are required to attend three of the four optional units listed below and are advised to discuss their choices with their Academic Advisor and project supervisor prior to the end of the first semester. The deadline for submitting your decision is in the Dissertation Handbook.

Students are to commence the dissertation in semester one (worth 60 credits), discussing ideas with the supervisor and applying for ethical approval. In semester two the aim is to receive ethical approval, commence data collection, complete analysis and write up of the project. The Dissertation is submitted in September 2025 (September 2026 for part time students)

See below for a unit timetable for full time students:

Semester 1		Semester 2
September – January		February -May
Monday	Thursday	Monday	Thursday
Critical, Creative and Comprehensive Research Methodologies PSYC 60001	Psychology in Clinical Practice (PiCP) 1 PSYC 69741	Critical, Creative and Comprehensive Research Analyses PSYC 69802	Health Behaviour Change PSYC 69842 *Optional Unit
			Psychology in Clinical Practice (PiCP) 2 PSYC 69742 *Optional Unit
Professional Issues PSYC 69841	Health and Society PSYC 69831	Mind and Body PSYC 69822 *Optional Unit	Illness & Health Care PSYC 69852 *Optional Unit

Optional units include:

PSYC 69742: Psychology in Clinical Practice (PiCP) 2 (15 credits) – Thursday

PSYC 69822: Mind and Body (15 credits) – Monday

PSYC 69842: Health Behaviour Change (15 Credits) – Thursday

PSYC 69852: Illness and Health Care (15 Credits) – Thursday

BMAN 74762: Health Policy, Strategy & Leadership

Full time students will select 3 optional units at the end of the first semester. Part time students will select 1 optional unit in the first year and two optional units in the second year.

Timetable for Part Time Students

(24 months, September 2024-September 2026)

There is the option of completing the MSc part time. This is done over two years, with two teaching units taken each semester (rather than four). Part time students are taught as part of the same cohort as full time students and the same policies and procedures apply unless stated otherwise. For part time students it is expected that 18 hours per week will be committed to the programme, including attending/ accessing teaching sessions, undertaking dissertation research, completing assignments, and self-directed learning.

Part time students are expected attend live teaching sessions at least one day a week. Some of these sessions may be face-to-face, requiring you to travel into University, whereas others may be online. It will be important therefore to check in advance which days you will need to travel into University. Where possible the timetable has been arranged to avoid days where there are a mix of online and faceto-face live sessions. However, please be aware there may still be days where this has not been possible and there may be a mix of online and face-to-face live sessions. On these days the timetable has been planned to allow for travel time from home to University between sessions. If you are still likely to experience difficulties in attending sessions on these days please speak with your Academic Advisor. There may be a need to attend University or make contact on other days due to supervisor or advisory meetings, depending on student and staff member availability. As with full time students, part time students will have a choice over the units they take in the second semester of study (for both years 1 and 2).

The dissertation is completed across the two years. The timeline for identifying and being allocated a supervisor remain the same as full time students. This is to ensure that part time students are able to start their projects soon to maximise the time they have to work on their research.

As with the full time students, part time students begin discussing ideas with the supervisor and planning for an ethics application in semester one of their first year. In semester two the aim is to receive ethical approval, and then commence data collection. However, part time students have added flexibility in how they plan their dissertation. Whilst some students may plan to complete the bulk of the work in the first year others may wish to split the workload more evenly across the two years. It is important to discuss and agree on such plans with your project supervisor, ensuring your time line is realistic and manageable given the other demands of the programme. The Dissertation is submitted in September 2026.

See below for a unit timetable for part time students

Year 1		Year 2
Semester 1	Semester 2	Semester 1	Semester 2
Sept 2024-Jan 2025	Feb-May 2025	Sept 2025-Jan 2026	Feb-May 2026
Monday	Mon/Thurs depending on Optional Unit Selection	Thursday	Mon/Thurs depending on Optional Unit Selection

PSYC 60001:Critical, Creative and Comprehensive Research Methodologies (15 credits)	PSYC 69802 Critical, Creative and Comprehensive Research Analyses (15 credits)	PSYC 69741:Psychology in Clinical Practice (PiCP) 1 (15 credits)	Optional Unit*

PSYC 69841: Professional Issues (15 credits)	Optional Unit*	PSYC 69831: Health and Society (15 credits)	Optional Unit*

Transfer to the MSc Clinical and Health Psychology

Students who develop a strong interest in Clinical Psychology during the first semester may be permitted to transfer from the Health Psychology Programme onto the MSc Clinical and Health Psychology at the discretion of the Programme Director/s. However, Health Psychology students who have received a bursary will not be permitted to transfer programmes. Clinical and Health students cannot transfer to Health Psychology.

SECTION C: Key Contacts and Resources within the School

Head of Division:

Prof Richard Brown

The Division address is: Contact details:

Division of Psychology & Mental Health Switchboard: 0161 275 2000

The University of Manchester

Oxford Road

Manchester

M13 9PL

Academic Staff

Dr Lizzie Tyler, Programme Director

Email: elizabeth.tyler@manchester.ac.uk

Key Contacts

As an MSc Student, the key members of staff who will guide you through your degree are your Supervisor, your Advisor and the Programme Director/s.

If you have any queries or concerns at any time during your period of study, there is a range of people you can approach:

Your Student Representatives

Student Support Hub

Your Supervisor

Your Advisor

The Programme Director The Head of Division

Any time you need to make contact with the Programme Administrator or Programme

Team always contact shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk

If you wish to raise a confidential matter at Faculty level, you should make your enquiry for the attention of the Head of Academic Administration.

Progress Committee

The MSc Programme Committee, and ultimately the School Postgraduate Committee, considers issues of poor student progress, student dissatisfaction with academic supervision and other mitigating circumstances that may be influencing progress.

Failure to submit progress forms or assessments on time will result in investigation.

SECTION D: University Regulations and Policies

Social Media – A Guide to Conduct

What precautions should be taken when social networking?

The same ethics, morals and penalties apply to online social networking as to any other activity. This is particularly true for healthcare students and professionals, who are expected by the University of Manchester, their professional bodies, and by the public generally, to meet the same standards of behaviour both in and out of their professional settings. Students from Schools in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health should therefore conduct themselves appropriately online, and take reasonable precautions to ensure that the information they upload cannot be used in a way that could place them, or others, at a disadvantage, either personally or professionally, now or at any time in the future.

The following pointers may be helpful:

Do everything that you can to limit access to your posts to those for whom they are intended. Change security settings if possible to restrict unwanted access. Consider the language and terminology that you use when you are online and make sure that it is appropriate.

Avoid posting personal information such as phone numbers or personal addresses, of you or anybody else, since these may fall into the hands of criminals.

Use your common sense. If you feel that a post, a picture, or a video that you are about to upload might have repercussions for you later, or might not be in good taste (e.g. it relates to sexual activity or inappropriate behaviour, or it expresses inappropriate views), then simply do not post it. Once it is online it is there for good.

Make sure you are thinking clearly before you go online. If, for any reason such as the effects of medication, stress or inebriation, your judgement might temporarily be impaired, you may be tempted to post something that you otherwise would not.

Do not post material that might be considered offensive and/or derogatory, that could cause somebody else to feel bullied, harassed, or that could harm somebody’s reputation. If you have a grievance about an individual related to your programme, follow it up through the recognised channels in the School, Faculty and/or the wider University.

Avoid posting confidential information about patients, clients and service users that could violate professional codes of conduct.

It is imperative that if you post anything about somebody else, including any images of them, it is done with their knowledge and consent. It might seem inoffensive to post images of friends, relatives, staff or other colleagues, but it might easily cause offence that you had not intended or could not have foreseen.

Try to make sure that the people to whom you give access to your information use it sensibly, and also that they themselves do not upload potentially incriminating material about you, which can be just as damaging.

Avoid joining any groups that could be seen as discriminatory or judgemental in nature.

Are there any related policies and guidance in the University?

The University’s Conduct and Discipline of Students (Regulation XVII) document states that a student may be liable to disciplinary action in respect of conduct which, amongst others: “involves violent, indecent, disorderly, threatening or offensive behaviour or language (whether expressed orally or in writing, including electronically) whilst on University premises or engaged in any University activity” and “involves distributing or publishing a poster, notice, sign or any publication which is offensive, intimidating, threatening, indecent or illegal, including the broadcasting and electronic distribution of such material”.

Regulation XVII also states that:

“the conduct covered (above) shall constitute misconduct if it took place on University property or premises, or elsewhere if the student was involved in a University activity, was representing the University, was present at that place by virtue of his or her status as a student of the University or if the conduct raises questions about the fitness of the student on a programme leading directly to a professional qualification or calling to be admitted to and practise that profession or calling.”

The University of Manchester’s Dignity at Work and Study Policies and Procedures give information about the nature and consequences of acts of misconduct while social networking, such as discrimination, bullying and harassment1, and the penalties that they may incur.

These policies should be read in conjunction with this guidance. The University’s Dignity at Work Procedure for Students states:

“Any cases of harassment, discrimination and bullying will be taken very seriously by the University and, where necessary the appropriate procedure will be used to investigate complaints. Similar arrangements will be used in dealing with complaints made by members of staff or by visitors to the University.”

“Cases of proven harassment, discrimination or bullying may be treated as a disciplinary offence where it is not possible to reach a compromise or resolution. Some cases of harassment, discrimination or bullying if proven could result in dismissal for staff members or expulsion for students.” In addition, the University’s Crucial Guide states that:

“The University expects its members to treat one another with respect. There are established procedures to use if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the

University’s facilities and services, and you are encouraged to use these procedures to bring such matters to the University’s attention. Inappropriate or defamatory comments about either the University or its members in any media (print, broadcast, electronic) contravene the University’s regulations and offenders may be liable to disciplinary action.”

What do the Professional Bodies say?

Professional body codes and guidance also explore the potential consequences of social networking activity:

The BPS recommend the following:

You should:

Remember that social networking sites are public and permanent. Once you have posted something online, it remains traceable even if you later delete it. Keep your professional and personal life as separate as possible. This may be best achieved by having separate accounts, for example Facebook could be used for personal use and LinkedIn or Twitter used for professional purposes. If ‘friends’ requests are received from clients and service users, decline the request via more formal means of communication.

Be minded that whether you identify yourself as a psychologist or not on your profile, you should act responsibly at all times and uphold the reputation of the profession.w.bps.org.uk

Protect your privacy. Consider the kinds of information that you want to be available about yourself and to whom. Ensure that you regularly check your privacy settings.

Be aware that social networking sites may update their services and privacy settings can be reset to a default that deletes your personalised settings. Remember that images posted online by family (for example, your children) or friends, may be accessible as they may not set privacy settings as tightly as you do.

Be minded that social networking sites can make it easier to engage (intentionally or unintentionally) in professional misconduct.

Report the misconduct of other members on such social networking sites to any relevant parties (such as the employer, the Health Professional Council and the Society).

You should not:

Establish inappropriate relationships with clients and service users online.

Discuss work-related issues online in any non-secure medium.

Publish pictures of clients or service users online, where they are classified as clinical records.

Use social networking sites for whistle-blowing or raising concerns. Post defamatory comments about individuals or institutions. Defamation law can apply to any comments posted on the web, irrespective of whether they are made in a personal or professional capacity

The HCPC (Health Care Professions Council) recommend the following:

Think before you post. Assume that what you post could be shared and read by anyone.

Think about who can see what you share and manage your privacy settings accordingly. Remember that privacy settings cannot guarantee that something you post will not be publicly visible.

Maintain appropriate professional boundaries if you communicate with colleagues, service users or carers.

Do not post information which could identify a service user unless you have their permission.

Do not post inappropriate or offensive material. Use your professional judgement in deciding whether to post or share something.

If you are employed, follow your employer’s social media policy. When in doubt, get advice. Appropriate sources might include experienced colleagues, trade unions and professional bodies. You can also contact us if you are unsure about our standards. If you think something could be inappropriate or offensive, do not post it.

Keep on posting! We know that many registrants find using social media beneficial and do so without any issues. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t keep on using it with confidence.

APPENDIX 1 – Standard marking criteria

Criteria of levels of achievement for the programme are as follows –

Marks	Boundaries	MARKING CRITERIA
90	70%-100% Distinction	EXCELLENT (allows award of distinction) Exceptional work, nearly or wholly faultless for that expected at Master’s level.
80		EXCELLENT (allows award of distinction) Work of excellent quality throughout.
74		EXCELLENT (allows award of distinction) Work of very high to excellent quality showing originality, high accuracy, thorough understanding, critical appraisal, and very good presentation. Shows a wide and thorough understanding of the material studied and the relevant literature, and the ability to apply the theory and methods learned to solve unfamiliar problems
62, 65,68	60%- 69.9% Merit	GOOD PASS (allows award of Merit) Work of good to high quality showing evidence of understanding of a broad range of topics, good accuracy, good structure and presentation, and relevant conclusions. Shows a good knowledge of the material studied and the relevant literature and some ability to tackle unfamiliar problems.
52, 55,58	50%-59.9% Pass	PASS Work shows a clear grasp of relevant facts and issues and reveals an attempt to create a coherent whole. It comprises reasonably clear and attainable objectives, adequate reading and some originality
42, 45,48	40%-49.9% PGDip Pass	DIPLOMA PASS, POTENTIALLY COMPENSATABLE FOR MASTERS Work shows a satisfactory understanding of the important programme material and basic knowledge of the relevant literature but with little or no originality and limited accuracy. Shows adequate presentation skills with clear but limited objectives, and does not always reach a conclusion.
38	38 0%-39.9%	FAIL, POTENTIALLY COMPENSATABLE FOR Fail DIPLOMA Work shows some understanding of the main elements of the programme material and some knowledge of the relevant literature. Shows a limited level of accuracy with little analysis of data or attempt to discuss its significance
20-29		FAIL Little relevant material presented. Unclear or unsubstantiated arguments with very poor accuracy and understanding.
0-19		CLEAR FAIL Work of very poor quality containing little or no relevant information.

The minimum pass mark for each course unit at MSc level is 50%