Applicants are expected to:
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Be eligible for Graduate Basis for Registration from the BPS
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Hold a minimum of a 2:1 degree in psychology (or suitable equivalent please see below)
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Demonstrate at least one year's (whole time equivalent) sustained, recent experience in clinically related areas (see pre-requisites section for additional details).
As the programme is training professionals for the NHS, applicants need to have the right to work in the UK and settled status.
Entry to this programme is conditional on a satisfactory check by the Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS), formerly known as the Criminal Record Bureau (CRB).
Applicants are required to hold a current, valid UK driving licence and have access to transport for work purposes.
We particularly welcome applications from candidates from groups that are under-represented amongst clinical psychologists and from candidates who have followed non-traditional career paths.
Eligible for Graduate Basis for Registration
Applicants must be eligible for Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) from the British Psychological Society. An exception is made for those in the final year of their undergraduate degree. In these cases candidates may apply and any offer of a place is conditional upon achievement of the required degree mark from a programme that confers GBR.
Qualifications
Applicants are required to have an honours degree (2:2 or better). This can either be:
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A psychology degree which confers eligibility for GBC (1st or 2i honours)
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A psychology degree (2ii) which confers eligibility for GBC plus a Masters level degree in Psychology of at least 65%
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A degree in another subject (1st or 2i honours) plus an accredited conversion qualification which confers eligibility for GBC
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A degree in another subject (2ii) plus an accredited Masters level conversion qualification which confers eligibility for GBC of at least 65%.
Applicants who hold a conversion qualification or who studied overseas are required to send transcripts for their undergraduate degree directly to the Admissions team at Surrey. (Transcripts for GBC-accredited undergraduate degrees and GBC-accredited conversion courses will be provided through the Clearing House). An absence of a transcript will result in an applicant not being considered as there will be no means to verify the minimum requirements stipulated.
Applicants who attained a lower second class undergraduate degree in Psychology (2ii) will only be considered if they hold either a completed psychology masters qualification with average achievement at 65% or over, or have completed a PhD in a relevant area. These applicants (except those holding a PhD) are required to send a transcript of their masters degree directly to the Admissions team at Surrey. Failure to provide this transcript will mean your application cannot be considered. Please contact the Admissions team for further discussion if you are unsure of the status of your academic experience.
Experience
Applicants may either be graduates or those who are in their final year of an undergraduate psychology degree. In all cases, applicants must have at least one year's full-time (or equivalent if part-time) relevant experience at the point of application. This experience needs to have been acquired within the last three years prior to application. Applicants are not expected to have extensive previous experience in a range of settings. It is important that applicants can demonstrate that their relevant experience has allowed them to apply psychological principles in practice. It is not necessary for job roles to have been supervised by a clinical psychologist, but it is important to demonstrate how experience has allowed applicants to gain a realistic sense of what working as an applied psychologist in clinical or health settings means. Examples of relevant experience include working as an assistant psychologist, increasing access to psychological therapies (IAPT) worker, research assistant, and healthcare assistant/support worker posts in the community or in Schools and colleges which involve working with clinical populations and where psychological thinking can be demonstrated.
Applications on the basis of clinical or health-related research experience will only be considered if this research experience involved direct contact with clinically-relevant groups involving the application of direct methods of assessment or testing (e.g. psychometric tests, diagnostic interviews, biological samples, experimental designs, semi-structured interviews). Applicants may have attained their experience in either a paid or voluntary capacity. Mature applicants or those with experience outside of traditional healthcare settings are strongly encouraged to apply if their experience is relevant. It is important that experience is sustained and recent (i.e. gained within the past three years).
When stating the duration and dates of your experience, this information must be complete and accurate. Any gaps of longer than four months from the start of your undergraduate degree should be accounted for on your form.
Other
If applicants are not using their current employer as their clinical referee, they must explain why or their application will not be accepted. Where an applicant has more than one current relevant employer, they must indicate their reason for choice of clinical referee on the application form.
Applications are expected to be well written, demonstrating a good grasp of the English language. Values are expected to be in accordance with those encapsulated in the NHS values.
Note
If you are currently enrolled on any other degree (e.g. a PhD or masters programme) and have any outstanding requirements from another programme, you may be required to withdraw from that programme in order to take up a place or to continue your studies on a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
When you accept an offer of a place on the programme you have to also hold an employment contract with Surrey and Border NHS Foundation Trust as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist. If you are refused a contract or have a contract rescinded you will not be able to gain/retain your registration on the programme.
IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each element.
