Developmental Psychology - MSc

I really enjoyed the MSc in Developmental Psychology and the friendly environment at Lancaster. All staff involved with the course were very approachable and helpful.

I was course representative and always felt able to make the students’ voice heard during staff-student meetings. There was a real feeling that the lecturers were genuinely interested to hear student feedback, responsive to student suggestions and would take any queries or concerns we students had very seriously.

During the first two term of the MSc I experienced material such as theories of infant and child development, how individuals grow and change over time, developmental cognitive processes, advanced statistical methods and presenting psychological research. In addition to the four compulsory modules, there were a broad range of optional modules available, from which I found it very difficult to only choose one! My eventual choice, ‘Developmental Disorders’, was very beneficial when it came to carrying out my MSc dissertation during the third term of my MSc, which involved studying how children with and without autism learn words.

Since finishing the MSc, I have progressed to PhD study at Lancaster, investigating language acquisition in typically and atypically developing children. I live on campus and I feel very privileged to be working within a very friendly and welcoming department, studying such an interesting topic and living within an environment that I love. I was instinctively drawn to Lancaster University when I first came to look around before starting the MSc and I still love it here. Lancaster’s awards for best University halls in the 2010 - 2013 National Student Housing Survey and its regular top ten position in the University League tables are both certainly well deserved. I recommend Lancaster University, both the psychology department and the University as a whole, to prospective students very strongly.

I decided to stay in Lancaster and after the MSc I worked for a couple of years as a support worker and then was admitted to the Lancaster University Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. I now work as a Senior Clinical Psychologist in adult mental health.

I have had a wonderful and very exciting career progression so far and I really enjoy what I do. The MSc has not been a formal requirement for the professional roles I have undertaken, but it really helped during my doctoral studies. The research experience and academic knowledge I gained during the MSc has really helped me to get through the very demanding DClinPsy studies.

So overall, I would say although the MSc was not a formal requirement for my next professional steps, it has practically helped me so very much and I have never regretted doing it - on the contrary. And my stay on campus was also lovely, it was an exciting year, I made some friends with whom I am still in touch and had a great time, which I still remember fondly!