Mental Health and Working with Vulnerable Groups

The main assessment for this course will take place in person at Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen, on the last Friday of the course.

You’ll be assessed via an oral presentation of a case study focusing on mental health.

Adults with Incapacity (AWI) assessment

If you require accreditation to complete AWI paperwork, you’ll also need to complete an AWI assessment.

This includes an observed capacity assessment and can be carried out in practice or during your work placement.

The course totals approximately 150 hours of study and assessment time. That’s around 10 – 15 hours per week.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes, including the AWI component. This includes time for independent study, as well as your teaching, work-based placement, and assessments.

The course is designed so that you undertake the teaching on a Friday and have the remainder of the week for self-directed study.

Your teaching materials are available in MyAberdeen, 24/7, so you can also log in and study them when it suits you.

Live online sessions

Live sessions take place at the start and end of each of your weekly teaching days, which is typically on a Friday.

Sessions are scheduled to last for around one hour. Session dates and times will be organised at the start of the course. Your course coordinator will consider everyone’s circumstances and time zones before setting up live session times.

Sessions will be recorded so that you can access them after they have taken place. While live attendance is not mandatory, it is highly desirable.

Work-based-placement hours

The course will include 30 hours of placement within Mental Health Services and can be in a range of environments across NHS Grampian. Timing of this can be flexible, to fit around your other commitments, and will be organised with your course coordinator towards the start of the course.

Activities at fixed times

There will be some activities scheduled at a fixed time, such as online meetings with your tutor and your in-person assesments.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your coordinator via email, MyAberdeen and Microsoft Teams. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

• Careers and Employability Service
• Disability support
• IT support
• Library support
• Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
• Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
• Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
• Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Entry requirements

We welcome students from around the world.

See our minimum entry requirements above. If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check equivalent qualifications for your country.

Visa requirements

You will need to make your own transport, accommodation and visa arrangements to study with us on campus here in Aberdeen. If you have a visa query, email immigration@abdn.ac.uk for advice.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

If English is not your first language, use our English requirements checklist to see if you need to provide evidence of your English language skills when you apply.

English language tests and scores

If you do need to provide English language test scores, these are the tests and minimum scores we accept.

These are our Postgraduate Higher requirements.

IELTS Academic, IELTS UKVI Academic, and IELTS Online (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training)

• 6.5 overall
• 5.5 for listening and speaking
• 6.0 for reading and writing

TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition

• 90 overall
• 17 for listening
• 21 for reading
• 20 for speaking
• 21 for writing
• TOEFL DI code is 0818

Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency

• 176 overall
• 162 for listening and speaking
• 169 for reading and writing

LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT

• 70 overall
• 60 for listening and speaking
• 65 for reading and writing

LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken) – Online / In-centre

• Overall High Pass
• 33 for listening, reading and speaking
• 38 for writing

Oxford ELLT Digital – English Language Level Test Online

• 7.0 overall
• 5.0 for listening and speaking
• 6.0 for reading and writing

PTE Academic (online test not accepted)

• 62 overall
• 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

Duolingo – tests taken from 1 July 2024 onward

• 120 overall
• 95 for listening and speaking
• 105 for reading and writing

University of Aberdeen English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE)

• Pass
• Valid for one year. Refresher can be offered if out of date

Pre-sessional academic English preparation programmes undertaken at other UK universities

• Pass at an equivalent of 6.5 (C1)
• B2 in all four skills
• Certification must be within one year prior to the start of your course

For full information about language requirements, see our English Language Requirements page.

For this course, you’ll apply through our Applicant Portal. It allows you to upload relevant qualifications and documents. Our admissions team will then review these and contact you.

Documents you’ll need to apply for this course

• Degree certificate
• Degree transcript, if you have one
• CV
• Personal statement

Apply now

Start with our step-by-step guide. It explains degree transcripts, what to write in your personal statement and how to use the Applicant Portal.

Apply as early as you can. This is so we have time to review your application and get a decision to you. We also want to ensure you have time to enrol before teaching starts.

January 2025 intake

For our January 2025 intake, the application deadline is 9 December 2024.

You will need to accept your offer and provide any outstanding documents to meet the conditions of your offer by 18 December 2024.

Teaching starts on 27 January 2025.

To view your online course materials, you’ll need access to:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:

• Windows 10 or later
• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.

Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.

Reliable internet access

We recommend:

• a wired connection
• a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.

Speakers or headphones

• We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
• A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one from some interactive sessions.

Software

We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your studies each week:

• Be realistic
• Create a weekly schedule as a guide

If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.

Fee payment

Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.

We accept payment via Visa Debit, Visa Credit and Mastercard.

On-campus fees

Your course fee covers all your teaching resources. But you will need to arrange and pay for your own transport, accommodation and visa if required.

Ways to save

You may be able to get help funding this course via:

• discounts – if any discounts are available for this course, they’ll appear in the section below
• employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors

Find out more about funding options.

Student card

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.