Intro

The Psychiatry MSc is run by the Institute of Postgraduate Medicine in collaboration with 91¶¶Òõ and Sussex Medical School, KSS Deanery and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The course at a basic level prepares doctors for papers 1-3 and CASC membership examinations for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and offers wider academic opportunities via a higher qualification. A research dissertation is incorporated into the course with associated supervision.

Students are normally expected to be at postgraduate level and currently employed in a psychiatry-related post with demonstrable clinical skills. However, applications will be considered from non-medical staff who have been working for a minimum of two years in a relevant role within mental health and who are able to demonstrate an ability to study at masters level.

Modules 4 and 5 are particularly aimed at psychiatrists in training but applicant eligibility can be reviewed on an individual basis.

Key facts

Location Sussex Education Centre, Mill View Hospital, Hove, and the university's 91¶¶Òõ: Falmer campus

Part-time 3 years

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2022. They should be used as a general guide. 

Degree and/or experienceStudents are normally expected to be at postgraduate level and currently employed in a psychiatry-related post with demonstrable clinical skills.

For non-native speakers of EnglishIETLS 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

Course content

Course structure

Students studying for the postgraduate diploma and MSc Psychiatry will undertake six modules in years one and two (a total of 120 credits) and in the third year the latter group will undertake a 16,000 word dissertation to obtain the remaining 60 credits required for the award. Those studying for the postgraduate certificate will take three modules (a total of 60 credits). The course is run on a part-time basis for modules 1-5 with teaching taking place for a full day on alternate Thursdays. Module 6 takes place over one full week. A choice of weeks throughout the year is available for this module.

All teaching takes place at the Sussex Education Centre, Mill View Hospital, Hove with the exception of module 6 which takes place at the Falmer campus.

Teaching sessions will encompass lectures, group discussion, clinical assessment workshops and exam practice sessions. There will also be opportunities for students to give presentations. Students are encouraged to contribute work-based experience to group work to enhance the relevance of the content. Learning outside the classroom will include recommended scientific, clinical and research reading. 

Areas of study

The first year of the course covers the principles of psychiatry and their scientific background, incorporating both behavioural and organic science. The second year covers clinical application of these principles and the clinical subspecialties of psychiatry. The research methods module provides the background to the research dissertation year.

Students will develop the ability to critically appraise a host of clinical and research information relevant to psychiatric practice. The course develops clinical judgement skills and facilitates the integration of research methodology and findings to enhance applied clinical skills, notably accurate diagnosis and management of common psychiatric disorders and the accurate relaying of this knowledge to other health professionals, patients and their families.

Participants on the course further benefit from shared learning and networking opportunities with other health professionals and long-term career discussions with an academic supervisor.

The six taught modules of the course closely follow the membership exam syllabus for the Royal College of Psychiatrists. (Professional accreditation is not linked to university accreditation for this course).

Year 1 modules

  • Module 1: Principles of Psychiatry
  • Module 2: Behavioural Science and Psychotherapy
  • Module 3: Biological Sciences

Year 2 modules

  • Module 4: Subspecialties I
  • Module 5: Subspecialties II
  • Module 6: Research Methods

Careers

The course provides a strong platform for professional development and enhanced career progression.

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK/EU (full-time)6,750 GBP

Island Students (full-time)6,750 GBP

International (full-time)12,330 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our Medicine BM BS students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university and check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can also check out the .

Chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

While PCs and 4–6-hour loan Chromebooks are available at both universities, to enable you to make the most of the learning opportunities at BSMS we strongly recommend that you have a suitable laptop computer. You’ll be entitled to a range of free software from the 91¶¶Òõ, including Microsoft Office.

You should add the one-off cost of buying a stethoscope (around £50). There can also be costs for travel, parking etc when on regional attachments, and travel, accommodation and living expenses for your fifth-year clinical elective. However, these costs will vary, depending on where you go, and reimbursement schemes and bursaries are available to support you.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from 91¶¶Òõ city centre. Students based here study a range of subjects including education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. 91¶¶Òõ & Hove Albion’s Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes and the Students’ Union shop and bar.

The campus has extensive sport and leisure facilities including a fitness suite, swimming pool, outdoor grass football and rugby pitches, sports hall, tennis and badminton courts, and dance and spin studios.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students, and labs and a strength and conditioning suite used by sport students. We’ve recently redeveloped the Falmer campus – learn more about the many facilities our students have access to.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine-minute journey to central 91¶¶Òõ.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

91¶¶Òõ: Falmer

Halls of residence
BSMS students are allocated between halls of residence at the 91¶¶Òõ and the University of Sussex. You'll be able to rank your accommodation choices in terms of preference, however we cannot guarantee your first choice.

  • At 91¶¶Òõ, BSMS students are normally placed atVarley Park, our popular dedicated halls site that offers a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Falmer campus and the University of Sussex, and four miles from the city centre.
  • Find out more about

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

student outside the sport and health complex at Falmer

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

One of Time Out's 50 best cities in the world

“91¶¶Òõ has… all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.”
Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025

About 91¶¶Òõ

The 91¶¶Òõ is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. 91¶¶Òõ is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the 91¶¶Òõ Festival, the Fringe, 91¶¶Òõ Digital Festival, 91¶¶Òõ Science Festival, the London to 91¶¶Òõ bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the 91¶¶Òõ Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in 91¶¶Òõ enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from 91¶¶Òõ to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from 91¶¶Òõ
91¶¶Òõ Beach sunset

Maps

91¶¶Òõ and Sussex Medical School map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our 91¶¶Òõ Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at 91¶¶Òõ

Sport 91¶¶Òõ

Sport 91¶¶Òõ brings together our sport and recreation services. As a 91¶¶Òõ student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

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Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

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Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus

Stay in touch

91¶¶Òõ and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)
01273 641782
pgm@bsms.ac.uk

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