Masters Degrees in Community Psychology, United Kingdom

Community psychology brings social change to the forefront of the way that we understand and promote psychological wellbeing.

It provides an alternative to the standard model of psychological enquiry that foregrounds the individual at the expense of the collective, instead contextualising the difficulties faced by particular communities before seeking to develop solutions through participatory and action-oriented research.

The central focus of this course is to provide knowledge and training platforms that allow you to work towards addressing the institutional marginalisation and disempowerment that drives local and global community issues. It introduces critical, liberation and human rights perspectives, reflecting on traditional modes of scientific enquiry and what they mean for groups and individuals struggling with issues of marginalisation.

Our degree programme is among the few in the country that allow you to work directly with local communities to facilitate social change. With the help of our award-winning Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp), it gives you the opportunity to apply your skills as a psychologist and gain professional experience in the field.

This course will be of particular interest to those interested in developing a career in mental health.

Course structure

The course is primarily taught through intensive teaching sessions where modules run over blocks of two to three days, though some optional modules require weekly attendance.

Through lectures, workshops, seminars and the facilitation of community research partnerships, the course provides opportunities to explore the appropriateness and significance of how we work as community psychologists and to better understand the role of ideology inherent in the creation of an effective community psychology. It achieves this while retaining a degree of flexibility within the syllabus such that you are able to tailor your learning towards the kinds of areas most relevant to your work and interests.

The programme also offers an extended masters route for international students, allowing you to combine the degree itself with an English language course. Depending on your present language level, you will study English for between two and four months before starting your MA.

Areas of study

Community psychology is a culturally relative discipline and therefore takes different forms in different parts of the world. To help you maintain an open-minded approach to the subject, we introduce you to both local and international examples of community psychology in practice.

The syllabus is informed by contemporary research into such diverse areas as homelessness, older adults, disadvantaged young people, LGBT mental health, organisational wellbeing and mental health literacy in Cambodia, as well as by the experiences of our core teaching staff, Carl Walker, Katherine Johnson and Liz Cunningham.

For the Social Research Practice module, you undertake an action-orientation project in a community psychology setting. Those who are working in a related profession can relate the project to their employer's needs; those who aren't have the opportunity to work with community and voluntary organisations including Mind, Age Concern and the Richmond Fellowship.

Modules:

Community Psychology: Theory and Practice
Research Methods in the Social Sciences
Community and Clinical Approaches to Mental Distress
Social Research Practice
Dissertation

Dissertation

The dissertation forms a focal part of the MA and allows you to gain practical skills as a psychologist by doing fieldwork in the community. Previous students have used the opportunity to:

• do a piece of participatory action research to explore the challenges faced by the growing population of Brazilian women in Brighton
• use life-history narratives to investigate experiences of academic and social acculturation for international students
• work with a local LGBT mental wellbeing service in order to reflect on the way that the development of a community has affected not only the wellbeing but the identities of its members.

Cupp

We strongly believe that it is our duty to use our knowledge and resources for social benefit, which is why we set up the Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) back in 2003.

Cupp is an award-winning project that aims to tackle disadvantage and promote sustainable development through partnership with local organisations. Our combined efforts have made a tangible difference to the effectiveness of community sectors and the lives of local people.

As a Brighton student, you will have the opportunity to volunteer through Cupp and work in the community yourself, all the while developing your vocational skills and gaining valuable work experience.

Careers and employability

The course explores processes of social change and participatory engagement and equips graduates with theoretical knowledge, research skills and practical insights for working in the field of community psychology. It also serves as an ideal grounding for the further use and study of participatory modes of enquiry at doctoral level.

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Overview

The MSc in Social & Community Psychology prepares psychology graduates for the next stage of their career in research or applied areas of social and community psychology.

Keele has a vibrant, well-established and ever-expanding community of researchers in aspects of social and community psychology, combining tradition and innovation. Students will benefit from their expertise across a wide range of areas including experimental social psychology, group dynamics, cyberpsychology; and critical social psychology, qualitative, participatory and arts-based research approaches. MSc students are made to feel part of this research culture both through the formal modules and through involvement in research seminars and meetings.

- Career destinations:
Many of our MSc graduates go on to take up positions in the workplace or register for a PhD in psychology.

See the website https://www.keele.ac.uk/pgtcourses/socialandcommunitypsychology/

Course Aims

The programme provides taught content and research training in a range of areas in social & community psychology, building on areas of staff research expertise. Strengths include critical social psychology, qualitative, participatory and arts-based research approaches; community-based action research; experimental social psychology, group dynamics, and cyberpsychology.

Course Content

The programme addresses written and communication skills, independent learning skills, data analysis, critical reflection and critical evaluation. Our students benefit from a wide range of support including accessible academic staff with a wide range of expertise, laboratory and other research space, study space, and access to IT and research tools.

List of Module Titles:
- Advanced Study in Social & Community Psychology (30 credits)
- Contemporary Research in Psychology (15 credits)
- Advanced Research Skills & Design (15 credits)
- Qualitative Research Methods (15 credits)
- Advanced Quantitative Statistics (15 credits)
- Research Apprenticeship in Psychology (15 credits)
- Dissertation (75 credits)

Teaching & Assessment

The course is of one year duration for full time and two years for part-time.

The course is assessed through written coursework, unseen examination, verbal presentation of research, and independent research written up as a dissertation.

Additional Costs

Apart from additional costs for text books, inter-library loans and potential overdue library fines we do not anticipate any additional costs for this postgraduate programme. Limited support is available for research-related expenses.

Scholarships

There are substantial scholarships available, please see this link: http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentfunding/bursariesscholarships/internationalfunding/postgraduate/
or
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentfunding/bursariesscholarships/

Closing Date

30th June 2016

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In this taught programme in Social Psychology you will enhance your knowledge and understanding of the theories, concepts and methodological tools that constitute social psychology’s distinctive perspective. You will be guided and supported in exploring the social psychological literature. You will be given rigorous training in qualitative and quantitative analyses. You will have diverse opportunities to build your own research experience, through seeking and implementing research-based answers to questions in the field or in the literature. You will participate in our unique problem based approach to providing empirical answers to social psychological questions.

In short, you will learn to think like a social psychologist, and you will learn to do social psychology.

You will benefit from being part of a growing group of friendly, enthusiastic social psychologists working within a vibrant department, in a lovely city. You will benefit from our expertise in working in different cultures, in the field, and with mixed methods. You will also benefit from the breadth and strength of the interdisciplinary academic community at Edinburgh, for example, by having the opportunity to select option courses, attend research seminars across different disciplines, take part in the social psychology reading group or in discursive psychology and conversation analysis data sessions.

Programme structure

You will undertake the following:

Core courses (worth 90 credits in total):

• Univariate Statistics and Methodology using R (10 credits)
• Multivariate Statistics and Methodology using R (10 credits)
• Qualitative Methodologies in Psychological Research (10 credits)
• Psychological Research Skills (20 credits)
• Research Methods for Social Psychology (10 credits)
• Problem-based social psychological research (10 credits)
• Current Topics in Social Psychology (10 credits)
• Critical Social Psychology (10 credits)

Option courses worth 30 credits in total:

• Chosen from a wide range of courses relevant to Social Psychology from Psychology or other disciplines, as approved by the Programme Director

And a Dissertation in Social Psychology (60 credits)

Learning outcomes

The overall aim of this programme is to advance your understanding of how social questions can be addressed using social psychology, and to provide you with the conceptual and research tools to do so.

More specifically, on successful completion of this programme, you will be able to:

• think as a social psychologist in seeking understanding of and solutions to practical and theoretical problems
• address the challenges of researching individuals embedded in their social worlds
• understand epistemological issues in social research
• understand key theories and concepts in social psychology
• conduct rigorous independent social psychological research drawing on the range of social psychological approaches and methodologies
• evaluate published research in social psychology
• make well-informed contributions to discussions about social issues

On completion you will also:

• have acquired wider research skills, including giving conference talks, making poster presentations, writing research proposals, knowledge exchange and writing for a lay audience
• be prepared for a range of career paths including PhD work, or the wide variety of careers in which it is valuable to be able to conduct sound social research or evaluation

Career opportunities

The programme will provide relevant preparation for a range of career paths, including:

• undertaking a PhD in Social Psychology or in a related field, possibly leading to an academic career
• undertaking a Professional Doctorate/Masters training programme in Clinical or Health Psychology
• a wide variety of careers where it is valuable to be able to conduct sound social research, or to develop and evaluate practices and policies relating to social behaviour or thinking; such as policy development in education, health, and social care or in areas surrounding marketing; such as opinion-generating, fostering multiculturalism and equality, and communication skills. 

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The programmes provide high quality and up-to-date training in theory, practice and research in clinical and community psychology. All teaching is informed by the distinct UEL DClinPsy perspective: where psychological processes are understood in direct relation to social and cultural contexts, diversity and inequalities. The programmes provide training with the same strong emphasis on the historical and current social, political and cultural issues that affect clinical and community psychology provision.

The programmes are situated in our School of Psychology, a large and well-established scholarly community, with a strong record for delivering high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, research and consultancy. Students will benefit from excellent teaching and research facilities located in a purpose-built block (a major refurbishment of which was completed in 2008) with new experimental facilities, dedicated research laboratories (virtual reality technology, eye-tracking equipment and EEG suite) new teaching accommodation, and a well-stocked library of test equipment.

Programme structure:
We aim to provide flexibility in learning patterns to meet the varying needs of students from a variety of backgrounds and current employment statuses. There are 10 modules available, 6 taught and research modules and 4 placement modules.

Students may tailor their training choices to fit with their interests, current employment roles and future career ambitions. The level of qualification sought can be matched accordingly. The programme is highly flexible, and may be taken in part-time or full-time modes. Student may enrol in Semester A (September) or Semester B (February).

Students must obtain 180 credits, including credits obtained via core modules (Clinical & Community Psychology Theory & Practice and the Research Methods & Dissertation) to be eligible for the MSc.

Students obtaining 120 credits (by passing 4 taught or placement modules, which need not include the core/research modules) are eligible for the PG Diploma. Students obtaining 60 credits (by passing 2 taught or placement modules, which need not include the core/research modules) are eligible for the PG Certificate.

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The Reading for Life MSc, the first of its kind in the country, is concerned with the wider and deeper ways in which serious creative literature ‘finds’ people, emotionally and imaginatively, by offering living models and visions of human troubles and human possibilities.

The programme uses books of all kinds – novels, poetry, drama, essays in philosophy and theology – and books from all periods – from Shakespeare to the present to help you to develop the ability, the confidence and enthusiasm to use all literature as a form of personal time-travel and meditation. You will also learn how, in turn, you may re-create this process for others, through the formation of equivalent reading-groups based on the innovative and successful shared read aloud project run in various locations across the country (schools, hostels for homeless people, community libraries, day centres for the elderly, rehabilitation and drop-in centres, prisons) by the award-winning charity, The Reader.

The programme is run part-time over two years at our Liverpool campus and is available to be studied on a CPD basis at our London campus.

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Your programme of study

If you enjoy understanding the way we think and interact with the world and different areas in it, especially the behaviours and coping mechanisms displayed within health and health care this advanced degree will enable you to play an active role in solving major health challenges. As a society we have already seen the positive health impacts of therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy and mood control, moving many away from traditional drug therapies to thinking therapies.

As we understand more about the power of the mind we can look at ways to improve our quality of life and impact on others and our life experiences to promote good health outcomes much earlier on and work towards them. This is a highly rewarding field which can have a major impact on people's lives and create more positive outcomes within health services to better manage long term illness, disability, stress and impacts on our coping mechanisms.

The University of Aberdeen MSc in Health Psychology, which is accredited by the British Psychological Society, offers you the opportunity to expand on and apply your knowledge and skills to help solve some of the big health issues facing society today. To be considered it is ideal to have a 2:1 Honours degree in Psychology or equivalent programme overseas which is equivalent to the British Psychological Society accreditation. Topics covered in Health Psychology include:

Health Behaviours - understanding and changing damaging behaviours
Psychological Aspects of Illness and Disability - impact of illness on individuals, families, carers, promoting positive behaviour
Health Related Cognitions and Emotions- Processes which explain health and illness behaviours
Processes Influencing Delivery of health Care - influencing factors affecting health care delivery
Professional Practice - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, motivational and health coaching

Courses listed for the programme

Semester 1
Health Behaviour and Behaviour Change
Applied Statistics
Research Methods and Practise for Psychology
Health Psychology and Research Review
Generic Skills

Semester 2
Illness, Disability and Interactions with Healthcare
Health Professional Behaviour
Stress, Personality and Health
Systematic Reviewing

Semester 3
Health Psychology Research Project

Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/degree-programmes/112/health-psychology/

Why study at Aberdeen?

• Aberdeen offers one of the largest health campuses in Europe with Medial School, teaching hospital, Rowett Institute of Nutrition
and Health and close relationships with epidemiology, health service research, economics, pharmacy, public health and primary
care
• Ranked No. 1 in Scotland for Public Health (REF 2014) The School of Psychology is ranked in the top 20 (REF 2014)
• You are taught by research active and renowned experts in health psychology

Where you study

• University of Aberdeen
• Full Time or Part Time
• 12 months or 24 months
• September

International Student Fees 2017/2018

Find out about fees:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/tuition-fees-and-living-costs-287.php

*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.

Scholarships

View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/finance-funding-1599.php
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/

Living in Aberdeen

Find out more about:
• Your Accommodation
• Campus Facilities
• Aberdeen City
• Student Support
• Clubs and Societies

Find out more about living in Aberdeen:
https://abdn.ac.uk/study/student-life

Living costs
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/finance.php

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Course starts September 2018

The first intake for this course is September 2018. If you would like to know more about the course and application process please email [email protected]

What is special about this course?

Are you interested in the science of human behaviour and thought? Are you thinking about a career change or interested in how psychology might contribute to your existing career or interest? If so, this MSc Psychology Conversion* is ideal.

This intense, online course will provide you with a broad and critical awareness of psychological theory and practice. Throughout the course you will develop an understanding of what drives people's behaviour, why we are unique and in what ways we are the same, and explore the theories which explain human behaviour and how they are relevant in today's society.

You will examine the core fields of psychology including biological, individual differences, cognitive, and social and developmental psychology, as set out by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Alongside acquiring the key concepts and core knowledge of psychology, you will build strong project management, analytical and report writing skills. Your learning experience will culminate in a substantial research project/dissertation, for which you will have support from your supervisor.

Application for accreditation by the BPS has been submitted*. This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.

Two face-to-face, long-weekend residentials are held in Inverness in August/September and March/April. You must attend these to be eligible for BPS registration on graduation.

*subject to validation/accreditation

Special features

The course is delivered online which means you can fit your studies around your work and personal commitments wherever you are
An access route is available for those who have less than 60 credits in psychology or who do not have an honours degree
On successful accreditation by the British Psychological Society, the degree will confer Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GB) with the British Psychological Society

Modules

PgCert/Access to Psychology Conversion

You will choose three of the following core modules:

The individual in contemporary society
Cognitive psychology and intelligence
Social and evolutionary psych
Behavioural neuroscience
Developmental psychology: from conception to death
Advanced research methods
Applicants with less than 60 credits in psychology or who do not have an honours degree are advised, but not required, to undertake three modules of 20 credits each at level 10 to 'top-up' their psychological knowledge and understanding, and the practice of research. The selection of modules will be negotiated on the basis of your previous academic experience.

PgDip

You will choose the remaining three modules from those listed in the PgCert

MSc

To achieve the award of MSc you must complete a research project/dissertation.

Locations

This course is available online with support from Inverness College UHI, 1 Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5NA

Study Options

You will study through supported online learning using the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

You must attend the two residential weekends to be eligible for BPS* registration on graduation

Top five reasons to study at UHI

1. Do something different: our reputation is built on our innovative approach to learning and our distinctive research and curriculum which often reflects the unique environment and culture of our region and closely links to vocational skills required by a range of sectors.
2. Flexible learning options mean that you can usually study part time or full time. Some courses can be studied fully online from home or work, others are campus-based.
3. Choice of campuses – we have campuses across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Each campus is different from rich cultural life of the islands; the spectacular coasts and mountains; to the bright lights of our city locations.
4. Small class sizes mean that you have a more personal experience of university and receive all the support you need from our expert staff
5. The affordable option - if you already live in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland you don't have to leave home and incur huge debts to go to university; we're right here on your doorstep

Funding

Scholarships relevant to this course are displayed (where available) below. For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UHI, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/first-steps/how-much-will-it-cost/tuition-fees-postgraduate

How to apply

If you want to apply for this postgraduate programme click on the ‘visit website’ button below which will take you to the relevant course page on our website, from there select the Apply tab to complete our online application.
If you still have any questions please get in touch with our information line by email using the links beow or call on 0845 272 3600.

International Students

An exciting and diverse student life awaits our international students. Choose to study in one of the larger urban centres of the region, such as Perth, Inverness or Elgin, or in one of the smaller towns or island communities, including the Western and Northern Isles. http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/international

English Language Requirements

Our programmes are taught and examined in English. To make the most of your studies, you must be able to communicate fluently and accurately in spoken and written English and provide certified proof of your competence before starting your course. Please note that English language tests need to have been taken no more than two years prior to the start date of the course. The standard English Language criteria to study at the University of the Highlands and Islands are detailed on our English language requirements page http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/international/how-to-apply-to-uhi/english-language-requirements

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