Glasgow Caledonian: Leaders in Doctoral Applied Psychology and Physiotherapy education

17 Feb 2017

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Set on a cutting-edge, vibrant and multi-award winning campus in Scotland’s largest city is Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), embracing more than 20,000 students from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds. As a prestigious UK institution, GCU is intent on nurturing knowledge and creativity to address real-world global challenges and transform the lives of others. Because of this, GCU contributes to society in a way that goes far beyond the traditional university role.

“Glasgow Caledonian University is a distinctive, inclusive and forward-looking university that is committed to its social mission to promote the common good,” says Professor Pamela Gillies, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of GCU. “We have become an international centre of excellence in higher education, promoting employability and global citizenship in our graduates,” she adds. “We win awards for our support and commitment to the student experience, whilst delivering innovation through our world-class research in key areas of strength.”

Via three notable Departments in the School of Health and Life Sciences : the Department of Nursing and Community Health ; the Department of Psychology, Social Work and Allied Health Sciences; and the Department of Life Sciences , GCU provides high-quality teaching, state-of-the-art facilities and specialist areas of study.

Department of Psychology, Social Work and Allied Health Sciences

With a multidisciplinary team who are committed to the pursuit of excellence in learning, teaching, research, knowledge transfer, internationalisation and business development, the Department of Psychology, Social Work and Allied Health Sciences further enhances respect attached to the GCU name.

Image courtesy of GCU

On top of fostering a dynamic and globally-recognised research culture, with 34 PhD-level students covering fields like Active Living, Cognitive and Applied Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Education, Forensic Psychology, Health Psychology, and Musculoskeletal and Neurological Rehabilitation, the Department also offers an extensive range of undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD training in the following disciplines:

In September 2017, the Department’s postgraduate offerings are due to see two new and exciting additions – the Doctorate in Health Psychology, the Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and the Doctorate of Physiotherapy – while notable programmes will receive detailed revisions to reflect current industry demand. Not only will this boost the Department’s reputation for providing a comprehensive, specialist education, it will also soar rates of graduate employability to brand-new and exciting heights.

Graduate Diploma (GDip) Psychology

The GDip Psychology programme at GCU presents the ideal route to becoming a recognised member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), especially for graduates of other disciplines who wish to pursue a professional career in Psychology. The Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the BPS is a necessary requirement for most postgraduate training courses in Psychology, and with the GDip at GCU, students can confer eligibility to the GBC if an overall pass rate of at least 50 percent is achieved. This represents the first major step to becoming a Chartered Psychologist.

Students undertake seven core, accredited modules: Personality and Individual Differences; Applying Research Methods in Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Applied Human Cognition; Social Psychology; Physiology of Behaviour; and the Psychology Empirical Project. Upon successful completion of the programme, students can then apply to pursue postgraduate study at GCU, or elsewhere in their preferred area of Psychology-based study.

Image courtesy of GCU

GCU’s Doctoral Programme in Health Psychology is specially-designed to meet accreditation standards of the BPS, thus meeting the requirements for Chartered Psychologist status. The fundamental aim of the programme is to instil the knowledge and skill needed to develop a career as a practicing Chartered Health Psychologist. To achieve this, the University provides training and supervision in five key competency areas: research; teaching and training; consultancy; behaviour change interventions and professional skills. In doing so, the programme will enable students to work as Health Psychologists within a broad range of inter-disciplinary environments, including third sector, health and social care (e.g. NHS), government, industry, private practice and academic/research settings.

Doctorate in Sport & Exercise Psychology

Covering a relatively new and increasingly popular area of the field, Sport & Exercise Psychologists work in all areas of their respective discipline, especially professional and Olympic sports and in boosting exercise participation among the general public. In line with this trend, GCU will launch a Doctorate programme in Sport & Exercise Psychology, specifically-designed to meet accreditation standards set by the British Psychological Society, thus meeting the requirements for Chartered Psychologist status.

Here, there are a number of opportunities for developing close links between this Framework and others at the School. For example, the Framework and the proposed Doctorate in Physiotherapy may give students the chance to share learning and teaching in particular study areas, as well as in research supervision, articulation, professional skills and interdisciplinary working.

Master/Doctorate of Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy at pre-registration, and especially at postgraduate level, has been developed to address challenges faced in establishing a professional evidence base. To meet this complex need, GCU became the first University in Europe to establish an MSc in Physiotherapy (pre-registration), a graduate entry, accelerated programme that can be completed over a two-year period, more than two decades ago. As mature and experienced participants, the majority of MSc students will have planned their preferred career path, whilst on, or before having started the course. GCU’s newly proposed pre-registration programme, the Doctorate of Physiotherapy (DPT) however, will provide an alternative route for students who aspire to develop their research skills in the pursuit of evolving healthcare research. All DPT students enrol on shared modules that have been approved and delivered in Year 1 of the MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration) programme. At the beginning of Year 2, DPT students commence their research training with a 60-credit, Doctorate-level module called ‘Advanced Research Enquiry’.

Image courtesy of GCU

A learning environment that’s truly unparalleled…

“With a modern campus in the heart of the vibrant and welcoming city of Glasgow, our university has an excellent learning environment,” Professor Gillies concludes. “…Harnessing the latest technologies and industry expertise, Glasgow Caledonian University aims to unlock talent and equip our students with the skills to enable them to succeed in an increasingly competitive workplace.”

*Please note both the Physiotherapy and Psychology Doctorates are subject to approval by the University

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