Applied Educational Psychology Doctorate (DAppEdPsy)

Overview

This is an exciting, challenging and creative programme. 

This programme will prepare you: 

• to work as a registered applied Practitioner Educational Psychologist in Local Authorities (LAs)
• to work well in the changing landscape of services for children and young people  

You’ll benefit from: 

• theoretically grounded training in applied psychology practice and research.  
• excellent collaboration between the Local Authority Educational Psychology Services in the region. The North-Eastern Principal Educational Psychologists’ group helps to develop and improve the Programme. This group commissions research conducted by year one students each year.
• a diversity of well-supervised placements in Local Authority settings in the North-East. Educational psychologists provide teaching on the Programme and placement supervision. 

Important information

We've highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.

Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions

Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2025-26.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

 

What you'll learn

We aim to prepare Educational psychologists to support positive changes in the education, development and psychological well-being of children and young people. 

Educational Psychologists trained at Newcastle University can work across three interlinked areas within Children's Service Authorities:  

1. educational and organisational effectiveness
2. research and evaluation
3. consultation, training, assessment and interventions at any one of three levels:  

• • child/young person and family
  • school / educational / community setting
  • local authority

The programme emphasises:  

• that the socio-cultural context frames our understanding of the nature of development
• the systemic nature of a child’s situation
• that assessment should be within the wider context of teaching and learning
• that the social context in which the educational psychologist works influences their professional practice 

The programme aims to develop educational psychologists who: 

• are confident and competent practitioners
• are familiar with and work within established codes of professional practice.  
• are effective and skilled communicators
• contribute to a team of educational psychologists, but also to the broader team of parents, carers, and other professionals 

Central to the skills developed on the Programme is research and the critical application of psychology.  

The Programme structure encourages the development of a range of skills and frameworks. Therse skills and frameworks enable Trainee Educational Psychologists (TEPs) to work with others to examine the ways that practices are constructed and to collaborate in the creation of inclusive processes. 

Modules

You will study modules on this course. A module is a unit of a course with its own approved aims and outcomes and assessment methods.

Course content changes

Module information is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content changes periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

Optional modules availability

Some courses have optional modules. Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

 

Applied Educational Psychology modules

Modules

Compulsory modules

Inclusion and Diversity (30 credits)
Working in Partnership (30 credits)
Learning and Social Environment (30 credits)
Frameworks for Practice (30 credits)
Professional Practice A (30 credits)
Professional Practice B (30 credits)

Year 1
Modules are shown above.

Year 2
You will undertake the following work, which is not modularised:

• a systematic review of the literature (5,000 words). This will examine an aspect of a broad topic of interest that will be the focus of the inquiry throughout the whole thesis (and be summarised in the title for the thesis) 
• an empirical research proposal
• a portfolio of professional work 

Year 3
You will undertake the following work, which is not modularised:

• a critical methodological and ethical commentary critique on relevant research designs and methods to be employed in an empirical study (3000 words)
• an empirical research study (7,000 words)
• a reflective synthesis of professional and academic learning acquired conducting the research project (2,000 words)
• a portfolio of professional work

How you'll learn

Delivery and teaching methods

All teaching sessions will encourage active student participation. Alongside traditional teaching methods the programme uses Enquiry Based Learning which will involve working in small groups where you will take responsibility for individual and group learning

 

Assessment methods

Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:

• Essay
• Portfolio
• Thesis
• Viva

Additional assessment information

You'll also be assessed by

• presentation
• an assessment of practice placements – five formal assessments across the three years
• a viva voce examination of a thesis

Postgraduate student support

Our mission is to help you:

• stay healthy, positive and feeling well
• overcome any challenges you may face during your degree – academic or personal
• get the most out of your postgraduate research experience
• carry out admin and activities essential to progressing through your degree
• understand postgraduate research processes, standards and rules

We can offer you tailored wellbeing support, courses and activities.

You can also access a broad range of workshops covering:

• research and professional skills
• careers support
• wellbeing
• health and safety
• public engagement
• academic development

Our team

Our Applied Educational Psychology director is:

• Dr Wilma Barrow

Our staff (as of March 2025):

Dr Tim Cox; Dr Katie Gibson; Dr Emma Miller; Dr Richard Parker; Dr Jenny Vecsey; Dr Mel Whitby.

Your development

Placements

You will undertake supervised practice placements in local authority educational psychology services. You will work with schools and settings of other children’s service agencies and professionals. You will work with children and young people and their families. Your practice placements will provide opportunity to experience a range of educational psychology work to support you to develop the required professional competencies and HCPC Standards of Proficiency. 

In Year One placements will be in the North East. Depending on availability, there is opportunity to seek placements beyond the North East in Years two and three.   

In Year One you will complete two placements (Nov to January and March to July). Placement days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  

In Years Two and Three you will attend placement on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Thursdays and Fridays are used for university teaching, practice portfolio development and  thesis work.

The programme workload will mean working additional hours on top of study days. The DAppEdPsy is a full-time professional training programme. This reflects in the working hours at both the university and the placement.

Locations

Placements A and B in year one will be in Local Authorities in the North East region. These placements will be overseen and supported by our Field Work Tutors. 

The placements available for years two and three are different every year. Placements are offered by Local Authorities. You can make requests to those available in the region or further afield. These are decided by a regional allocation panel.

Your future

Our Careers Service

Our Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. 

Visit our Careers Service website

Quality and ranking

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Check the government’s website for more information.

Facilities

You'll have access to facilities and a growing collection of online resources, including:

• a well-stocked Education Resource Centre
• an audio-video lab
• a recording studio

Find out more about the facilities in the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences.

Fees and funding

If you’re awarded a place on the programme your fees will be paid throughout the three-year course.

You will be provided with a bursary in year one. In years two and three we will seek a bursary for you from a local authority or other commissioners of educational psychology services. 

The Department for Education directly manages the government-funded element. See the Educational Psychologist Funded Training (EPFT) scheme for more information.

How to apply

Applied Educational Psychology Doctorate - Open Event

We hold an Annual Open Event for potential Applied Educational Psychology Doctorate applicants. You will have the chance to speak with current and past students and the Programme team. There is also a brief formal presentation about the Programme.

The DAppEdPsy Open Event for 2026 entry will take place on 27th of September, 11am - 1pm at the Boiler House, Newcastle University. Register your interest in the Open Event.

Please get in touch with any questions, if you miss the event but still would like to apply to start in September 2026. You can email the Programme Administrator: ecls.edpsych@ncl.ac.uk.