Psychology

• Postgraduate study and training is a requirement to become a Chartered Psychologist and to register as a practitioner psychologist with the Health Professionals Council (HPC).
• For all training routes competition for entry is high. Relevant experience is generally key to getting onto a course [National Careers Service Psychologist Profile]
• See Internships and experience or Finding graduate opportunities for more information on getting relevant experience
• The BPS has a useful qualification flowchart for qualification routes. All now lead to either a Doctorate or Society Qualification (Stage 2), apart from Occupational Psychology, which does not have a Doctorate option

• Professional training involves a 3 year full-time doctoral degree
• The National Health Service (NHS) provides the funding for most of the places on clinical psychology courses. Successful applicants are employed as Trainee Clinical Psychologists by the NHS while they study
• Courses generally look for candidates with a 'good' 2.1 or above
• You will need a range of clinically-relevant experience before applying for a course. Quality is as important as quantity, as is the ability to show what you have learnt from this experience
• Experience could include part-time or voluntary work gained at Sussex. You will find some ideas in this jobs and experience widget and on the Clearing House experience page
• In 2023 there were 4990 applicants for 1166 places, with a 23% success rate
• There are 30 course centres in England, Wales & Scotland

Full details on clinical psychology training are available from the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology

Deadlines are often in November or December. Please check!

See also the BPS guide to becoming a clinical psychologist

• Professional training involves a 3 year full-time doctoral degree in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• The first year is spent in full-time study. The 2nd and 3rd years include a placement in a Local Education Authority (or other educational psychology provider) with 1 or 2 days of study per week
• The Educational Psychology Funded Training (EPFT) scheme is run by the Department for Education (DfE) and administered by the Association of Educational Psychologists.
• You will generally require a 2.1 or above along with at least 1 year full-time (or equivalent part-time) relevant experience of working with children and young people
• Experience could include part-time or voluntary work gained at Sussex. You will find some ideas in this jobs and experience widget
• If you are accepted onto a funded place, you must also commit to working as an educational psychologist for 2 years after qualification (in England)
• There are 13 institutions offering the doctoral qualification in England. For information about training/funding in other parts of the UK contact course providers directly

Full details on educational psychology training are available from the Association of Education Psychologists. This includes the number of places at each university, entry requirements, funding and deadlines

See also the BPS guide to becoming an educational psychologist

• You will need an accredited Master's in Forensic Psychology followed by two years' supervised practice
• Gaining experience before your course could help you get a place. You will find some ideas in this jobs and experience widget
• Your supervised practice could be in the justice system (trainee psychologist, psychological assistant, crime analyst or researcher) or in academia (research or lecturing). Social work, probation, the Health Service, Prison Service or Police could all be relevant areas in which to work
• Alternatively, you could do an accredited Doctorate, such as at Birmingham, Nottingham or Portsmouth (equivalent to the Master's and supervised practice). However, you will still need to have extensive experience in a forensic setting before being admitted to a course
• There is no official funding available. Some people may be funded by their employers, if already working in a related area. Others may look for sponsorship for their dissertations or university-sponsored studentships and bursaries. You could also apply for a Master's loan, if eligible.

See the BPS guide to becoming a forensic psychologist

There are no compulsory training courses or qualifications. However, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has a recommended route:

• Take an Introduction to Counselling course to see if it is right for you (8-12 weeks)
• You can then move on to a Certificate in Counselling Skills (1 year part-time)
• Finally, Core Practitioner Training (1 year full-time, 2 years part-time)

• In order to work as a clinical neuropsychologist you will need to take the clinical psychology or educational psychology qualifying route
• Educational psychology allows you to get into paediatric clinical neuropsychology
• Clinical psychology allows you to get into adult or paediatric clinical neuropsychology
• After qualification you will be eligible to take the BPS Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology which confers eligibility for entry onto the Society's Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists

See the BPS guide to becoming a neuropsychologist

• You will need an accredited Doctorate in Counselling Psychology to become a Chartered Psychologist
• Some doctorate courses require a Certificate in Counselling (1 year, part-time course) prior to starting, as well as relevant counselling experience (paid or voluntary)
• There is no official funding available, although you may be eligible for institutional support/scholarships
• An alternative is the BPS Qualification in Counselling Psychology, which is essentially a self-study version of the Doctorate. You would need to arrange your own training experience too

See the BPS guide to becoming a counselling psychologist

These areas of psychology follow a similar path with an accredited Master's course followed by two years supervised practice:

• Occupational Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Sport and Exercise Psychology

There is no official funding available, although you may be eligible for institutional support/scholarships. You could also look for employer funding, if that is applicable