MSc in Child and Family Health and Wellbeing
In this course, you’ll explore child and family healthcare during online and in-person lectures, and gain knowledge and skills to boost your employability and career prospects.
With strong support from your lecturers, you’ll learn about children’s rights, child and adolescent mental health issues, child and family relationships, global child health and complex healthcare needs. You’ll also study various research methods and undertake a real-world research project.
Access individual support
This interdisciplinary course is for recent graduates or professionals who work or aspire to work with children, young people and families. Class sizes are small, so you’ll benefit from individual guidance and in-depth discussions.
Once you graduate, you’ll be sought after for roles in areas like educational inclusion, mental health liaison and child health promotion. Alternatively, you may choose to move into research or education.
The MSc in Child and Family Health and Wellbeing will appeal to recent graduates and early or mid-career professionals who work with, or who aspire to work with children, young people and their families in various capacities. The programme is suitable to individuals from across different disciplines, including, but not limited to, children’s nurses and other nursing disciplines, allied health and social care professionals, and related areas such as those working in community, voluntary and non-governmental organisations.
The programme aims to deepen the knowledge, skills and competence of students to:
- Critically evaluate contemporary evidence and issues in promoting child, young person and family health and wellbeing
- Foster critical reflection and analysis to address current and future child health societal challenges
- Promote and advance interdisciplinary skills to enhance collaboration across disciplines in research, policy and practice.
The MSc in Child and Family Health and Wellbeing is a two-year, part-time, blended-learning (online and face to face contact) programme which enables students to consider how their learning impacts their field of practice in improving health and wellbeing outcomes for children and their families, and ensure the acquired knowledge supports their professional development in their working environment.
Students will complete the following modules:
- Child and family focused care and wellbeing
- Children’s rights and participation
- Global child health and health inequalities
- Care and service provision closer to home
- Research methods and evaluation
- Contemporary issues in child and adolescent mental health
Students will also complete a year-long supervised research dissertation module.
Applicants who wish to exit from the programme with the an alternate award of Graduate Diploma should discuss this in further detail with the Programme Chairperson.
The programme is designed to provide continuous professional development for a wide range of professionals working with children, young people and their families to significantly positively impact employability and career prospects. Graduates of this programme will progress into leadership roles, or continue into a research or education capacity.
Requirements
Applicants will typically hold a (NFQ) Level 8 Honours Degree with a H2.1 or equivalent. Candidates will generally hold a primary degree in a relevant discipline, for example:
Children’s nursing or other nursing disciplines; applied health and social care; education; child, youth and family support work; or a cognate discipline.
Due to the specialist nature of this programme, additional criteria may be used to assess suitability to undertake this programme. For further information, please contact the Programme Chair using the contact details above
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applicants are required to submit a cover letter along with their application under the Transcripts section of the portal, affirming their intent to apply for RPL. For more information on RPL see here.
Prior learning may be formal accredited learning or experiential/uncertified learning which includes the knowledge, skills and personal qualities acquired through life, work experience and study which are not formally attested. Prospective students may apply through the RPL route if they meet one or more of the following entry 5 requirements:
• Relevant learning, qualifications and experience within their RPL application
• Holding a position or role related to health or social care, health and social inclusion promotion, or a related area
• Holding an appointment or professional position in the domain
• Professional qualifications in the domain, with clear articulation of intention to progress to work in the domain.