Psychology and Health Inequalities

Course summary

Our MSc in Psychology and Health Inequalities is designed to help you understand and address the social drivers and barriers that can lead to inequalities in health across different groups of society. For example, the differences in life expectancy and quality of life based on where people live or their household income, the health disparities associated with ethnicity and minority status, or the disproportionate chance of developing a physical and/or mental health problem depending on sexuality.

This MSc programme will prepare you to use psychological theory and models in conjunction with developing your research skills further to bring about positive change in society. You will also have the option to go on placement within a health-related organisation where you will gain valuable experience in the real world where you can apply your knowledge and get prepared for life after your MSc.

This course is of interest to anyone who has an interest in working with seldom heard and disadvantaged groups in society from a health perspective. For example, working for Government agencies to understand how to tackle health inequalities at a policy level, working with charities to understand barriers to accessing health services, or applying your knowledge in research settings to make sure seldom heard groups are included. Our course will also further develop your research training which will equip you with the transferable skills you need to conduct research both within and outside of the health field and to pursue further postgraduate training such as a PhD.

We need to make sure that your level of English is good enough for you to study at Keele University. On this page you will find a list of the English Language qualifications we accept. For UK students, we normally ask for a minimum of a grade 4/C in GCSE English Language. For EU and International students, we accept qualifications from several countries, as well as a range of international qualifications and tests.

Students who need a Visa to study in the UK must meet both the University entry requirements as well as those of the UK Home Office (UKVI). For example English Language Tests (eg IELTS) must be dated within the two years immediately preceding the programme start date as set out in any offer letter issued by the University and different tests cannot be combined. 

Your career

The Psychology and Health Inequalities MSc programme is designed to equip you with a range of transferable skills and experiences so that you are prepared you for a variety of possible career paths. For example, you will learn about the social determinants of health, develop your research and analysis skills, learn about engaging with different marginalised groups in society, how to use research to influence policy and practice, gain valuable experience in the real-world on your placement, and benefit from one-to-one supervision from an expert in their research field as part of your dissertation.

These skills and experiences will make you well placed to work in areas that need an advanced understanding of research and analysis, health and health behaviours, seldom heard groups in society, and how the conditions people are born, grow, and live can shape their health and what we might be able to do to readdress the balance. For example, you might want to work within a government department seeking to understand how policies might impact different groups in society, or with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity creating ways to support people from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Alternatively, you might pursue further postgraduate study by doing a PhD or taking further professional training. The Psychology and Health Inequalities MSc will prepare you for these roles and many more.

Potential roles related to the course:

• Researcher/analyst working with government departments, charities, or private industry
• Research assistant
• Further postgraduate study (e.g., PhD)
• Communications advisor
• Research consultant
• Information officer
• Research manager
• Market and/or user experience researcher
• Public health advisor and/or analyst