Masters degrees in Qualitative Psychology explore non-statistical methodologies to research psychological behaviour within natural settings, attempting to understand the ways in which people give meaning to their experiences.
Related subjects include Research Methods in Psychology and Social Psychology. Entry requirements typically include an undergraduate degree in a relevant Psychology subject.
Qualitative psychologists are primarily interested in conducting research within group or community settings, hoping to capture natural interactions with research participants. By creating relatively informal settings for research, these psychologists believe they can gain a greater insight of perspective within the context of daily life.
Courses in this field equip you with the means to develop and conduct research activities, exploring the theoretical concepts behind the advantages of different methodologies. These may include conversation analysis, discourse analysis and thematic analysis, as well as grounded theory.
Qualitative psychologists could work with a range of groups and communities to better understand human experience, and find out where changes or improvements may be needed. For example, this could include interviewing groups of children in schools to assess approaches to learning.
