phd in clinical psychology uk

Clinical Psychology DClinPsy

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2025 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Clinical Psychology DClinPsy (2024), click here

The UCL Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) is a professional training course for Clinical Psychologists in the United Kingdom, and welcomes high-calibre candidates from the UK and abroad. The programme provides a first-rate training in clinical psychology, leading to a doctoral qualification accredited by the UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the British Psychological Society (BPS).

UK tuition fees (2025/26)

Overseas tuition fees (2025/26), programme starts, applications accepted.

Applications open

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a minimum of a good upper second-class (67% or above) Honours undergraduate degree in Psychology or an equivalent postgraduate qualification in Psychology where the undergraduate degree is not in psychology. This qualification needs to confer eligibility for Graduate Basis for Charted Membership. It is important that candidates show us that they can undertake work at a Doctoral level. Please see UCL's entry on https://www.clearing-house.org.uk for full details of all entry requirements before applying.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The DClinPsy at UCL offers a uniquely broad range of clinical and research opportunities to trainees. Current research specialities include treatment outcome, psychotherapy processes, experimental psychopathology, addiction, psychopharmacology, neuropsychology, dementia, eating disorders, internet-based treatments, developmental psychopathology and psychosis.

Who this course is for

This programme is for individuals who wish to practise as qualified Clinical Psychologists. It provides a comprehensive British Psychological Society (BPS) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) accredited programme of study in clinical psychology, incorporating clinical, academic and research components.

What this course will give you

The DClinPsy programme offers a clinical training supervised by high-calibre clinicians including those working in national centres of excellence. This is coupled with the opportunity to undertake research supervised by world-renowned academics who are research leaders in psychotherapy outcomes, psychoanalysis, attachment, psychopharmacology and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Our aim is to train ‘thinking psychologists’ who can make significant national and international contributions to clinical psychology services and the development of clinical science.

The foundation of your career

Graduates on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology typically go on to become professional practitioners in the NHS, local councils, charities or other settings.

Employability

Clinical psychology training courses are the primary route to becoming a qualified clinical psychologist in the UK. The UCL DClinPsy is the largest programme of its kind in the UK and will give graduates the skills required to become a clinical psychologist working in national and international healthcare settings.

Students benefit from the department's research collaborations with many institutions including Anna Freud and the Yale Child Study Centre. We also invite speakers from external institutions and professionals working for health services to give lectures to our students.

Accreditation

The programme leads to a doctoral qualification accredited by the UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Teaching and learning

The teaching programme consists of larger group lectures, alongside several smaller group seminars across all three years of training. Within lectures, a range of methods are used including didactic teaching, small group discussions and role plays. There is also self-directed study that occurs across all three years. Trainees also learn clinical skills on placements where there is time for placement related reading and study to support developing clinical practice.

Examinations and assessed course work comprise:

Three clinical case reports submitted across the three years
One service related research project submitted at the start of Year Two
Two in Year One: Theory and applications of clinical psychology methods and Research methods in clinical psychology
Two in Year Two: Theory and applications of clinical psychology methods (advanced level) and Statistics
One in the final year: Research thesis viva

Additionally, students on the course must pass six 6-month clinical placements.

The course is full-time (37.5 hours each week). In the first year, typical contact hours are around 11 hours split across two days covering a range of lectures and seminars. In the second and third years, contact hours gradually reduce with the remaining time spent in independent study working towards thesis deadlines. Trainees are also allocated a number of research days (7.5 hours each) across years 2 and 3 which they can take to work on their theses. Across all three years, three days a week (22.5 hours) are spent on supervised placements in a range of services designed to develop the necessary clinical competences, rising to four days (30 hours) outside of term-time in Year 1 and, typically, after summer term ends in Year 3.

Research areas and structure

Neuroscience
Psychological Therapy
Health and Wellbeing
Mental health

Research environment

The programme will prepare you to work with a range of patient groups from across the life span and with different abilities. Graduates work in a variety of mental health and health specialities, often at the most senior levels within the National Health Service, charity organisations and universities.

The programme runs over three years, and consists of a formal teaching programme for two days per week during university term and 3-4 days per week of supervised clinical practice within the health service or related mental or physical healthcare provider organisation. The teaching programme is organised developmentally, to reflect your needs and skills at each stage of the course.

Year 1 focuses on providing you with the core clinical and professional skills and knowledge required to work effectively with, assess and treat adults with common mental health difficulties. This includes core generic clinical skills, in-depth training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and teaching on the foundations of ethical and safe practice.

In Year 2, you will be introduced to work with children, older adults and people with learning disabilities and receive teaching in a number of additional therapeutic approaches including systemic therapy and the principles of health psychology.

In the final year, you will be introduced to newer innovations in psychological therapy, and provided with teaching sessions and workshops designed to prepare you for your post-qualification professional life. Throughout training, the course holds termly conferences and clinical master classes.

You will also undertake a doctoral research project, which begins in the second term of the first year and runs throughout the remainder of training. Preparation for research includes a formal teaching programme in research methods and statistics, workshops for developing the major research project and ongoing research supervision.

Compulsory modules

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

On the programme, there are six placement periods of six months each.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

Overseas students must pay a £2,500 Additional Fee Element in addition to the published fee.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

International students on the DClinPsy may be subject to an Additional Fee Element (AFE). The AFE (also known as a bench fee) is an additional cost, incurred by yourself or your sponsor. It is levied to cover the costs related to weekly clinical supervision within the NHS and private sector, placement travel and research fees.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide .

Funding your studies

There are currently no UCL scholarships available for overseas students.

Currently, home fee status trainees are funded by the NHS - this includes a salary and payment of tution fees. Home fee trainees are paid on NHS Band 6. We do not accept home fee status trainees on a self-funding basis.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Home fee and international applicants must apply via the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology ( clearing-house.org.uk ). Please note that Home fee applicants can apply to a maximum of four NHS courses, and international applicants can apply to as many self-funded courses as they wish via the Clearing House.

Detailed information about the application process is available at ucl.ac.uk/dclinpsy/applying .

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.