MSc Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education

University of Manchester

Improving our understanding of how education can support mental health and wellbeing is one of the most pressing challenges of our time and a public health priority across the globe. This master’s brings together the latest research, policy, and practice to equip you with the expertise to make a meaningful difference in educational settings.

You will explore fundamental questions such as:

• What do we mean by mental health and wellbeing?
• How can we measure it accurately?

How can education serve as a powerful context for promoting it?

Alongside these core themes, you will study how social and emotional development unfolds, why inequalities in mental health arise across groups and contexts, and how policy can be translated into effective action.

Our course is built on two pillars. The first is the latest academic scholarship. The second is the lived and professional experience of those who work in, and are directly affected by, mental health and wellbeing challenges.

Teaching is led by our core academic team and enriched by contributions from young people with first-hand experience, as well as senior professionals including Educational Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists and Mental Health Support Team practitioners.

Learning is varied and engaging, combining lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops.

You will have the opportunity to tailor your studies by selecting optional units from our MEd Psychology of Education. Assessment methods are equally diverse, from essays and case studies to research proposals, provision plans and policy analysis, ensuring you graduate with a broad set of skills to apply in real-world contexts.

Whether you are aiming to improve mental health provision in schools, influence policy, or advance research in the field, this MSc will give you the critical insight and practical skills to drive positive change in the lives of learners, educators and communities.

The course has been designed to prepare students for careers at the intersection of mental health and wellbeing and education - or where they already occupy such a role, to support and enhance their professional development.

The overarching aim of the course is to develop your knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing, and how it connects to educational contexts, policy, and practice.

On this master’s you will:

• Develop critical skills in the evaluation and analysis of current theory, research, policy and practice relating to mental health and wellbeing in education
• Foster an ethos of inclusive, compassionate and positively-oriented approaches to mental health and wellbeing in education
• Apply learning through practice to address real-life problems and challenges in educational settings.