BPS accreditation for PhD and MSc in Clinical Psychology

Hello, I am a psychology department graduate from a university in Turkey. I plan to do my master's and Ph.D. in the UK. However, most of the master's degrees in Clinical Psychology are not BPS accredited. However, BPS accreditation is a widely required criterion for a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. What should I do? Is it possible to do my MSc in Clinical Psychology (not BPS accredited) and continue with a Ph.D.?

When you refer to PhD, I assume you're talking about Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, right? I ask, as in the UK that's not a PhD (which is a research doctorate) it's a DClinPsy (which is a professional doctorate). It's a requirement for registering with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and actually becoming a Clinical Psychologist.

If that is your aim, then you need to gain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the BPS (normally abbreviated as GBC). Your existing undergraduate degree doesn't confer that status, so you need to do one of two things:

1. Use the process detailed in the BPS website to gain GBC using your current undergraduate degree. That will involve them looking at the modules within that degree to establish whether or not it contains the required content. It may not. See the "Non-UK applicants" section of this page for details.

2. Taking a BPS-accredited conversion course, which will be a Master's degree. This will not be specific to Clinical Psychology, and is instead design to ensure that all the required core Psychology content has been covered. To find such courses, use this page, and specify Conversion Programmes with a Status of Accredited.

However, before you embark on this journey, please read the "International Applicants" page, here, on the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology website. Pay particular attention to funding and residency requirements.

Hi, so I just wanted to gain more clarity.

1. If my undergrad gains GBC, I can skip masters and apply for DClinPsy directly? Or do I still complete a Masters which does not have accreditation (most Masters degrees do not confer GBC according to my research)
2. If my undergrad is rejected for GBC, a conversion course, which is a Masters, is what I will have to do. This will grant me GBC. Then I can apply for DClinPsy. Is that correct or am I missing a step here?

Thank you in advance!!

1. Correct - if your undergrad degree confers GBC then there is no need to take a Master's - you can apply straight for the DClinPsyc. Having said that, many people take a Master's anyway (perhaps to make their DClinPsyc application more competitive), but there is no requirement to do so.

2. You are correct.