Child Mental Health

MSc

  • Entry year 2026
  • Duration Full time 1 - 2 years, Part time 1 - 2 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • Learn from experts in clinical psychology and developmental science

  • Approved as postgraduate research training by the Economic and Social Research Council

  • Work with leaders in mental health research and the development of clinical practice

The MSc Child Mental Health offers a uniquely rich learning experience through a partnership combining the expertise of world-renowned developmental psychologists and leading clinical psychologists. You will build critical insights, in-depth knowledge and practical skills as you learn about:

  • The questions, theories and evidence behind our modern understanding of development and neurodevelopmental conditions
  • The critical and the practical challenges involved in doing research in developmental science and in clinical psychology
  • Working with children and adolescents, in clinical practice and in research on mental health intervention or treatment

Who is this programme for?

Those who wish to explore the dynamic processes shaping development and mental health and build the practical and research skills required for careers working with children and young people. The MSc in Child Mental Health is a route to professional training (e.g., Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) or to work with children and young people, in research on development or mental health, or in education and social care.

Looking ahead to employability

You will learn from expert teachers who are world-leading researchers in developmental psychology and in clinical psychology. You will:

  • Learn how clinical psychology researchers design, develop, evaluate and deliver mental health interventions and treatments
  • Deepen your knowledge and understanding of the nature of development and neurodevelopmental conditions
  • Engage in stimulating debates to develop your critical insights into the important conceptual and ethical issues for policy, practice and research
  • Develop your skills in using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods
  • Work with real examples of mental health research to highlight how these methods can be applied and developed to meet real-world problems

What to expect

Through a mix of seminars, activity-based workshops and lectures, you will learn about the important questions scientists are now exploring as we try to understand neurodivergent development, mental health, and how we can make a difference to the lives of children and young people.

You will learn how scientists working at the cutting-edge seek to understand human development, as we examine a range of neurodevelopmental conditions, their psychological and behavioural characteristics, how we make assessments and what we can do to develop interventions.

Explore the dynamic processes shaping mental health across childhood and adolescence, focusing on core individual factors like emotion regulation and executive function, and examining how they interact with family, school, peers, technology and experiences of adversity. Throughout our work together, you will learn about the practical concerns, experiences and questions that confront practice in the delivery of mental health interventions or treatments across the lifespan.

Your Master’s culminates with a dissertation project where you can contribute evidence to answering real research questions, as independent researchers, or working as part of research teams.

Three things we would like you to know

  • You will learn from world-class developmental scientists and from experts in the theory and practice of clinical psychology
  • Our staff are involved in internationally significant research on how to better understand and treat mental health difficulties like bipolar disorder
  • Our developmental research facilities include a large Infant and Child Development Lab

Careers

Graduates of the MSc Child Mental Health are well prepared to pursue:

  • Advanced training in clinical psychology (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) or educational psychology (Doctorate in Educational Psychology)
  • Jobs in research focusing on children and young people, neurodivergent development, and mental health
  • Careers working with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
  • Roles as assistant psychologists

Alumni of our previous MSc Developmental Disorders have progressed into roles as:

  • Support worker
  • Clinical psychologist
  • Clinical supervisor
  • Assistant psychologist
  • Assessment design manager
  • Educational psychologist
  • SEN teacher Lab

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Psychology, Health or Medical Sciences, Education, Social Sciences, or a related discipline.

We will also consider applications on an individual basis where you have a degree in an unrelated subject. In these cases, you should clearly demonstrate how your experience and skills have prepared you for postgraduate study, in particular providing you with a background in development, in mental health, or in working with children and adolescents.

English language requirements

We require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test.

We also consider other English language qualifications and if your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Help from our Admissions team

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.

We also have more details on our website about:

Pre-master's programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master's pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master's degrees. Visit INTO Lancaster University for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future. The University will make every reasonable effort to offer programmes and modules as advertised. In some cases, changes may be necessary and may result in new modules or some modules and combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

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Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2026-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Check our current list of scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. Find out more about our  Charter and student policies.