This advanced professional development programme focuses on supporting practitioners in this field. Through campus-based workshops and clinical placements, you’ll gain a detailed knowledge of intellectual and developmental disabilities and learn how to arrange or provide support for individuals.

Overview

Our placement opportunities provide supervised experience in applying the knowledge you gain from your academic modules to working life.

What you'll learn

Coursework is taught through a mixture of web-based resources, directed reading, videos, lectures, seminars and practical sessions. You also work with skilled professionals through a number of workshops, where you have the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with fellow students.

You work in two different placements during the course of the programme: a service placement based at the Tizard Centre and an individual clinical placement based in a community learning disability team or social care service. You complete a dissertation which must be based on empirical research.

Careers

Our postgraduate courses improve employability prospects for both those with established careers and new entrants to the field. Many of our students already work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in professional, management or supporting capacities.

Our programmes support their continuing professional development and enhance their opportunities for career advancement. Other students, who are at the beginning of their careers, move on to a range of professional roles in health and social care including working as psychologists in learning disability or behavioural specialists in community learning disability teams; service management of development roles; clinical psychology training or a PhD.

Career destinations include working as a consultant behaviour analyst, carer co-ordinator, service care manager, special needs teacher, quality officer, ABA tutor and research assistant in various health care organisations such as Dimensions UK Ltd, Care Management Group, Consensus Support Services, Mencap and Ambitious About Autism.