Find your perfect mental health programs abroad
Find mental health programs you love that match your needs and aspirations, where you stand a high chance of acceptance.
Mental Health degrees abroad
The struggles of individuals with mental illnesses and emotional disorders are increasingly recognized around the world. By studying a mental health program, you’ll learn how to diagnose and care for people facing a wide range of conditions, including depression, eating disorders, addiction, and schizophrenia.
You’ll learn how to create a supportive and therapeutic relationship with patients, identify their needs, and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment or therapy for them. Most of all, you’ll gain the skills required to help people bring about positive change in their lives, see hope for the future, and move towards lifelong recovery.
Studying and working in the mental health sector means that you’ll encounter patients from a diverse pool of countries, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Therefore, studying abroad in new surroundings is a fantastic opportunity to develop the cultural awareness and sensitivity needed to be an effective mental health professional.
Mental Health program structure
You can study mental health at various undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees.
A two-year associate degree will give you a broad introduction to the field and prepare you for entry-level jobs, or progression onto a bachelor’s program. A BSc usually takes between three or four years of full-time study to complete. You might be required to spend a year on placement or abroad as part of your program.
Once you’ve finished your BSc, you can go on to study a master’s over one or two years. After this, you’ll have the opportunity to study a PhD which takes about five years to finish.
Mental health programs are structured around theory and practical application. You’ll be taught through a mixture of lectures, hands-on laboratory sessions, seminars, and workshops. Most courses will also require you to spend time learning in local hospitals and mental health facilities.
You’ll be assessed through a combination of exams, presentations, coursework, practical assessments, and clinical examinations. You’ll complete a dissertation in your final year of study which will account for a significant percentage of your overall grade.
The exact content of mental health programs differs between universities due to the range of electives that you can choose from. However, here are some of the core areas of study that you’ll find on most courses:
- Foundations of mental health and wellbeing
- Knowledge and skills for professional practice
- Contemporary issues in mental health
- Mental health in children and young people
- Research and development in care for older people
- Understanding addiction
- Psychological interventions
- Principles of prescribing

Best countries to study mental health
Mental Health study abroad programs
What are the top mental health undergraduate programs abroad?
Centennial CollegeAddiction and Mental Health Worker - OCDip
- 2 years
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Undergraduate diploma
- Subject area
- Addiction Studies, Mental Health
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
- Next available start date
- September 2025 +1 more
- Annual tuition fee
- 18,235CAD
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
College of Southern NevadaApplied Psychology: Mental Health Services - Cert
- 1 year
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Undergraduate certificate
- Subject area
- Applied Psychology, Mental Health
- Location
- Las Vegas, USA
- Next available start date
- June 2025 +3 more
- Annual tuition fee
- 12,200USD
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced LearningAddictions and Mental Health - BSocSc
- 4 years
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Subject area
- Addiction Studies, Mental Health
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
- Next available start date
- September 2025
- Annual tuition fee
- 20,686CAD
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
Stockton UniversityPsychology: Mental Health - BA/BSc
- 4 years
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Subject area
- Mental Health, Psychology
- Location
- Galloway Township, USA
- Next available start date
- September 2025 +2 more
- Annual tuition fee
- 24,524USD
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
Teesside UniversityNursing Studies: Mental Health - BSc (Hons)
- 3 years
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Bachelor's
- Subject area
- Mental Health, Nursing
- Location
- Middlesbrough, UK
- Next available start date
- September 2025
- Annual tuition fee
- 17,000GBP
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
See all undergraduate degrees in mental health abroad
What are the top mental health postgraduate programs abroad?
Buckinghamshire New UniversityMental Health and Well Being in Education - MSc
- 3 years
- Part-time
- Online
- Program type
- Master's
- Subject area
- Education, Mental Health
- Location
- High Wycombe, UK
- Next available start date
- September 2025 +2 more
- Annual tuition fee
- 2,900GBP
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
California State University, East BaySocial Work.: Community Mental Health - MSW
- 2 years
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Master's
- Subject area
- Mental Health
- Location
- San Francisco, USA
- Next available start date
- January 2026
- Annual tuition fee
- 16,667USD
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
Georgian CollegeMental Health: Interprofessional Practice - PGCert
- 8 months
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Postgraduate certificate
- Subject area
- Mental Health, Professional Practice
- Location
- Barrie, Canada
- Next available start date
- September 2026
- Annual tuition fee
- 19,200CAD
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced LearningAddictions and Mental Health - PGCert
- 18 months
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Postgraduate certificate
- Subject area
- Addiction Studies, Mental Health
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
- Next available start date
- September 2025 +1 more
- Annual tuition fee
- 21,141CAD
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
London Metropolitan UniversityAddiction and Mental Health - MSc
- 1 year
- Full-time
- On campus
- Program type
- Master's
- Subject area
- Addiction Studies, Mental Health
- Location
- London, UK
- Next available start date
- September 2025
- Annual tuition fee
- 11,000GBP
- Admission requirements
- Am I eligible?
See all postgraduate degrees in mental health abroad
Future mental health careers
The opportunities are greater than ever for graduates looking to begin a rewarding and successful career in the field of mental health. With your degree, you’ll have the knowledge, skills, and empathy necessary to work in roles supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of others, including:
- Psychiatric nurse
- Psychiatrist
- Art therapist
- Clinical or counseling psychologist
- Marriage and family therapist
- Clinical social worker
- Mental health counselor
- Dramatherapist
For most of these roles, you’ll need to earn a postgraduate qualification before you can practice. If you’re unsure of the steps you’ll need to take to secure your dream job, your university’s career service will be able to offer professional advice and guidance.
