Applied Child Psychology

Keele University

United Kingdom, Keele

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795

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Home/United Kingdom/Keele /Keele University/Applied Child Psychology

Keele University

United Kingdom , Keele

Key Facts

Program Level

Master by Course Work

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Campuses

Keele University campus

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake DeadlinesSeptember-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 1 year(s)

Tuition Fee

GBP 17,700 / year

Next Intake September-2026

Applied Child Psychology

About

Why study Applied Child Psychology at Keele University?

High staff-to-student ratio enhanced by small-group tutorials and an inclusive research community

Practice and research-led teaching draws on our broad expertise in children’s social and cognitive development and religion

Optional placement opportunity enables you to relate your learning to professional settings and applications in policy, research or practice

Opportunities to hear from guest lectures with experience of working with children, families, carers, teachers

Course summary

Since childhood plays such a huge role in shaping the rest of our lives, studying the mind and behaviour of children in order to support their physical, mental, intellectual and emotional growth can be both fascinating and rewarding.

Our MSc Applied Child Psychology will be of interest to anyone, UK-based or international, who currently works with or is interested in careers supporting children, from infancy to adolescence, in a professional or personal capacity in education, healthcare, childcare, forensic settings, such as courts, and leisure or voluntary settings, such as sports clubs and youth groups.

It will prepare you to design and conduct psychological research to assess children’s physical, cognitive and emotional development. This encompasses everything from memory capacity to how they learn language, use reasoning or imagination, feel and express their emotions, and interact with their peers and with adults.

Teaching is very much linked to practice, with multiple opportunities to work on research with other students and staff, capitalising on our expertise in areas as diverse as sensory and brain development disorders, such as ADHD and deafness; bullying and peer relationships in schools; legal topics like child witnesses; topics associated with gender; topics like religion and beliefs.

If you choose the optional placement, you will gain valuable experience, observing and reflecting on the ways in which different practitioners approach children’s issues, for example, within a school, charity or youth group. In legal settings, for instance, child psychologists are often consulted to make children feel more comfortable socially, physically and morally when testifying in court.

The Action Research project too offers a chance to tackle any issues of particular interest to you, opening up dialogue with relevant stakeholders and preparing your analysis and recommendations. For example, you may consider interventions for bullying within a school or how to improve information sharing with parents, teachers and other interested parties on matters ranging from mood disorders to gender identity. In doing so, you will develop essential transferable skills, learning to tailor communication and research to suit different audiences.

This course is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council's Doctoral Training Pathway and is eligible for applications for funding for a combined MSc and PhD application. Visit the NWSSDTP to learn more.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Typical offer

Please ensure that you read the full entry requirements by selecting your qualifications from the dropdown menu below. This will include any subject specific, GCSE/Level 2 Maths, and English language requirements you may need.

Typical offer: 2:2 degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject Additional criteria apply

Please select your country from the drop-down list below for the full entry requirement information

UK

2:2 degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Bangladesh

60% in a 4-year degree or 3-year degree with a 2-year Master's in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject from a public university or CGPA 2.8 in a 4-year degree or 3-year degree with a 2-year Master's in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject from a private university
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

We don’t accept degrees from certain universities, please see our Bangladesh Country Page for more information

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Canada

70% or C or a GPA of 2.5 in a degree (Ordinary or Honours) in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

China

70% in a degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject or 65% in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject from a '211' university
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Ghana

Second class degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

India

55% or CGPA 6/10 in a degree of at least 3 years in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Kenya

Second class degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Nepal

60% / 2.4 in a 4-year Bachelor's degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
65% / CGPA 2.8 in a 3-year Bachelor's degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Nigeria

Second class degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Pakistan

We accept a range of qualifications from Pakistan. Please visit our Pakistan Country Page for more information

or we will consider demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience

You will also need an English language qualification (see below)

South Africa

Second class division 2 / 60% in a Bachelor's degree with Honours in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
Second class division 1 / 70% in an Ordinary Bachelor's degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Sri Lanka

55% in a Special Bachelor's degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Uganda

Second class degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

Zimbabwe

Second class degree in psychology or in a childhood, family, early years, youth or related subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience

You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)

English Program Requirements

All of our courses require an English language qualification or test. For most students, this requirement can be met with a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please see our English Language guidance pages for further details, including English language test information for international students. For those students who require an English language test, this course requires a test from Group C.

Career

Your career

This MSc has been designed to provide the psychological knowledge, tools and skills to work with children from infancy to young adulthood. This could lead to careers working with children and young people across the public, private and third sector, for example, working in education, research, social services, health services, health promotion, policy or advocacy.

Should you wish to continue your research, you will be well placed to pursue an academic or research career in developmental or educational psychology, for example, or by studying for a PhD or through relevant work experience.

The research expertise and range of transferable skills you will develop on this MSc, such as decision making, critical thinking, communication skills, data collection, analysis and research design are relevant to almost any profession, making you highly attractive to future employers.

Roles related to your degree include: