Our intensive MSc Psychology (Conversion) programme is designed to provide students with a grounding in the theories and research practice of contemporary psychology.
It places particular emphasis on the application of psychology to real-world problems, based on a combination of pure and applied research.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
This competitive BPS-accredited programme is aimed primarily towards people wishing to pursue a career change in any field of psychology. It prepares students for their professional journey by helping them develop a broad knowledge base across the key areas of psychology in a contained period of time.
As a student, you will learn about the core areas of psychology, such as social, developmental and cognitive psychology, biological bases of psychology, and individual differences.
In addition, you will acquire statistical and research methods skills needed to conduct, under expert supervision, your independent research project on a topic of your choosing.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year. It consists of eight taught modules and a dissertation. The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. All modules are compulsory, there are no elective modules, and modules may be subject to change.
-Preparation for Academic Research in Psychology
-Brain and Behaviour with Research Methods
-Fundamental Concepts in Social Psychology with Research Methods
-Statistics and Data Analysis for the MSc in Psychology (Conversion)
-Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology (MSc Level)
-Social and Cognitive Development with Research Methods
-Cognitive Psychology with Research Methods
-Personality, Intelligence, Individual Differences & Psychopathology
-Dissertation
EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME
-Fundamental scientific understanding of the mind, behaviour and experiences and the complex interactions between these
Ability to present multiple perspectives is a way to foster critical thinking and evaluation of research
-Provide an understanding for real life applications of theory to the full range of experience and behaviour
-Ability to show deepened understanding of the role of empirical evidence in the creation and constraint of theory, and also in how theory guides the collection, analysis and interpretation of empirical data
-Acquisition and knowledge of a range of research skills and methods for investigating experience and behaviour, culminating in an ability to conduct research independently
-Develop scientific psychological knowledge, leading to an ability to appreciate and critically evaluate theory, research findings, and application
PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
-A critical understanding of all elements of psychology and the ability to assess their relevance in the understanding of the contemporary world
-A reflective understanding of the main theoretical perspectives and debates of psychology and their relevance to a range of areas
-An ability to identify, summarise and apply key concepts in psychology to a range of psychology areas
-An ability to distinguish between and evaluate different methodological approaches to the study of mind, behaviour and experiences
-An ability to conduct a research project on the post graduate level.
Intellectual / cognitive skills
-Summarise and apply key concepts in psychology to a range of research areas
-Read psychology research, critically evaluate it and identify the key points
-Distinguish between and evaluate different methodological approaches to study psychology
-Assemble data from a variety of sources, discern and establish connections, and draw well-grounded conclusions
-Evaluate the integrity of evidence and of ‘data’ and to discern the difference between opinion an evidence
-Design and execute psychological research studies, and be competent in the collection, management and analysis of research data and derivation of conclusions
-Form grounded defensible theories, reasoned arguments in relation to evidence, and interpretations of findings. In addition students should be able to compare and contrast different theoretical approaches within the discipline
-Ask questions from a range of different angles and to challenge given views drawing on theory, evidence, and critical insight
-Plan, conduct, analyse and report an individual study to test formulated hypotheses for the dissertation
Professional practical skills
-Demonstrate competence in commonly used psychology research methodology
-Design and carry out psychological research using a variant of psychological research methods
-Gather, analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative data
-Use information and computer technology to collect, analyse, and report on psychological research
-Collect, evaluate, and utilise information from primary and secondary sources in order to inform psychological questions
-Produce and present a poster
-Write a scientific research proposal and research reports in accordance with guidelines
-Write essays in accordance with guidelines
-Effectively communicate both orally and in writing
-Learn and think independently, as well as part of a group
-Demonstrate good time management and personal organisation
-Plan and execute an investigation/experiment, act autonomously and demonstrate originality
Key / transferable skills
-Communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively by oral, written and visual means
-Formulate and solve problems, both individually and as part of a team
-Apply statistical and numerical skills to psychological data
-Execute research skills through the formulation of questions / hypotheses, designing studies that address these questions / hypotheses, collecting and managing ‘evidence’ through various data management techniques, making sense, and disseminating findings
-Acquire and demonstrate a research-based orientation to real world and scientific problems
-Use Information and communication technology e.g. WWW, databases, statistical software, Microsoft Office, and literature search tools, for a variety of generic and subject-specific purposes
-Work effectively and independently on a given project or task
-Work effectively in small groups and teams towards a common goal/outcome
-Work towards targets and deadlines under pressure through discipline and careful organisation
-Demonstrate personal organisation and time management skills through meeting multiple deadlines
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