MSc Psychological Research Methods

"I became really passionate about research and Developmental Psychology while studying on the undergraduate course at Sheffield. I completed a Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience placement in between my second and third year and this sparked my interest in developmental research. I also became aware, through this scheme, what fantastic facilities the department has for doing developmental research. The developmental lab has connections with local schools and a database of lots of local families that have kindly volunteered to take part in our studies. I decided to study the MSc Psychological Research Methods to continue the research I started at Sheffield as an undergraduate, and to gain skills that would help me become a researcher.

"The MSc was fantastic in giving me skills that would help me become a researcher. I learnt advanced statistics and research methods, gained experience running systematic literature reviews, and even got practice writing grant applications. I continued to specialise in Developmental Psychology and completed my Masters dissertation project on how children learn to flexibly switch their attention. The MSc course was interesting and stimulating. It was challenging at times: I was juggling studying with several part-time jobs but I was lucky that one of my jobs was being a University science and engineering ambassador which was a lot of fun. At all times, I felt part of a supportive community of other students and academic staff. I particularly enjoyed being able to run a larger-scale research project as part of the dissertation and then presenting the findings at the MSc conference towards the end of the year.

"Completing the Masters really confirmed for me that I wanted to be a researcher, and so I decided to apply for a PhD. I chose to stay at Sheffield because the facilities and expertise for developmental research are excellent, I had a very supportive and knowledgeable supervisor and I felt a close connection to the University and their ethos. I was successful in getting funding for my PhD and I continued to work on a similar research topic. In fact, I'm still working on that area now! There are always so many more questions to answer and I am still very passionate about understanding early attention and cognitive skills.

"I returned to the University of Sheffield in 2017 as a lecturer in Developmental Psychology. The MSc at Sheffield provided me with an excellent foundation to becoming an academ

“I studied at the University of Sheffield for my BSc in Psychology and fell in love with the city. I chose the MSc in Psychological Research Methods with Advanced Statistics as I knew the department well and wanted to prepare myself the best I could for eventually applying for the DClinPsy.

“I was lucky enough to have a fabulous supervisor that gave me great opportunities for research in depression and anxiety which is a keen interest of mine! From the MSc I now have two published papers from the systematic review module and my research project is currently under review for publication.

“I am now a Clinical Studies Officer in the NHS. I work on various research projects for the NIHR in mental health and dementia - this involves me promoting research within clinical teams; conducting neuropsychological assessments on clinical trials and visiting individuals with severe mental illness on inpatient wards or at home to complete research questionnaires. Without my MSc I wouldn’t have qualified for the job, it gave me the knowledge and skills I needed to continue a career in research. I intend on applying for the DClinPsy in the near future.”