Addiction and Mental Health

The Addiction and Mental Health MSc programme at Aston University is designed for those who want to make a real difference in people’s lives. With the growing need for professionals trained to support individuals experiencing addiction and mental health conditions, this programme equips you with the specialist knowledge and practical skills to work confidently in this vital field.

You will explore the science of addiction behaviours and how they relate to mental illness, the impact of long-term mental health conditions and how to provide compassionate, evidence-based care, and strategies to support recovery and well-being through counselling, therapy, and treatment planning.

You’ll gain the expertise to pursue rewarding careers in:

•    Mental health services (NHS, private practice, community care).
•    Addiction counselling and recovery programmes.
•    Social care organisations, clinics, and hospitals.
•    Policy, education, or academic and clinical research.

Whether you’re looking to advance your current career or take the next step towards becoming a specialist in mental health and addiction, this master’s degree will prepare you to meet the growing demand for skilled, compassionate professionals.

You’ll have access to specialised facilities that will bring your learning to life. These spaces will allow you to put theory in practice, work collaboratively with peers, and gain valuable experience through interactive learning opportunities led by academics with clinically relevant knowledge and research experience.

• Dedicated psychology laboratories - for experimental research and applied studies.
• Feeding laboratory - to explore the links between eating behaviours, addiction, and mental health.
• Observation suite with covert audio-visual recording - to analyse behaviour and interactions in real time.
• Experiment and testing rooms - for psychological assessment and behavioural research.
• Large-scale labs - designed for focus groups and audience-based experiments.
• Neurophysiological equipment (EEG) - for measuring brain activity.
• Eye-tracking and computerised facial emotion recognition technology - to understand perception, attention, and emotional responses.
• Electrodermal recording equipment - to monitor stress and emotional reactivity.

You’ll learn in an environment that combines academic expertise with hands-on, practical experience. Our facilities are designed to mirror real-world professional settings, giving you the opportunity to build confidence and develop the skills employers demand.

We also work closely with the Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, giving you access to additional on-campus clinics and research facilities at the forefront of healthcare innovation.

1. Critically evaluate a variety of psychological research designs and methodologies.
2. Use a wide range of basic and advanced descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative methods, for analysing data appropriately. 
3. Communicate advanced, critical understanding of historical and contemporary theories and concepts in core areas of addiction and mental health, and of how these link to practice. 
4. Synthesise and critically evaluate different psychotherapeutic, concepts, theories, and research evidence, and to question received wisdom.
5. Convey a strong understanding and application of formal academic communication styles in their own work. 
6. Create and present sustained arguments, backed up with evidence that reflects contemporary understanding of the field. 
7. Articulate, explain, and reflect critically upon their own employability skills and attributes, and be able to map these against possible graduate career pathways. 
8. Identify a research question and hypothesis, and thereupon design, execute, and report a sustained and independent empirical research project, with clear consideration of ethical practice. 
    

We may update our courses to reflect best practices and academic developments. If we do, we’ll let you know of any changes at the earliest opportunity by updating our course web pages. If you have already received an offer, we’ll write to you directly to let you know of the changes.

A 2.2. in Psychology OR equivalent experience working in health/mental health

See international student information below for international equivalent information.

Course fees

The duration of this programme is set out at the top of this course page and you will be responsible for the payment of an annual tuition fee in each of these years. The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees annually in accordance with its Terms and Conditions. This means that your total tuition fee may be higher than stated above, but your total tuition fee will never increase by more than 6% year on year. An increase in fees will allow the University to cover the increased costs of delivering the course and ensure it is able to maintain high standards of education and facilities.

Our Addiction and Mental Health MSc could provide you with the opportunity to work in a variety of rewarding careers, as it will equip you with specialist knowledge and skills to support patients struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. Graduates of the course could pursue roles such as:

• Mental health counsellor or therapist
• Clinical psychologist
• Psychiatric nurse practitioner (for those with a nursing background)
• Social worker
• Care worker

Graduates of this programme will be well-equipped to work in environments such as hospitals, private practice, specialist clinics, education, rehabilitation centres, or social services agencies.