Masters Degrees in Psychometrics, United Kingdom

The MSc and MRes Psychological Research Methods has been designed specifically to prepare graduates in Psychology or related disciplines for;

- a PhD degree
- research related careers in academic or applied psychological disciplines
- careers in which data handling and analytical skills are of relevance.
- Students also complete the course as a means of improving their research skills in preparation for further training as a professional psychologist (often as a clinical or educational psychologist).

Both awards are equivalent, although the MSc has a larger taught component whilst the MRes places greater emphasis on the conduct of independent research. You may wish to apply to the MSc in Psychological Research Methods in the first instance and then you can make a choice of award later, in conjunction with the Course Leader and teaching team.

What will you study?

In Term One, all full-time MRes and MSc students complete the same core modules which may include:

Advanced Experimentation and Statistics (One)
Psychometrics (One): Developing Psychometric Scales development in Research and Practice
Qualitative Research Design and Analysis (One)
Research and Professional Skills
Observational Methods

In Term Two, students pursuing the MSc award will complete five more taught modules. MRes students complete just two modules of their choice, allowing them to concentrate exclusively on quantitative / psychometric methods or qualitative methods. You also complete a larger empirical research project (worth 100 credits) under the supervision of a research active member of staff. Modules may include:

Advanced Experimentation and Statistics (Two)
Psychometrics (Two): Developing Psychometric Scales development in Research and Practice
Qualitative Research Design and Analysis (Two)
Testing Psychological Theories using SEM
Research and Professional Skills (Two)

You will also complete an extended essay on a methodological topic of your choice and an empirical research project (Worth 60 credits), both under the supervision of a research active member of staff.

- Specialist Psychological Research Methods Essay (MSc only)
- Psychology Research Project

For more information about the modules you may study on this course visit http://www.ntu.ac.uk/researchmethods

Facilities

The University has made significant financial investment in the Psychology Division over recent years upgrading accommodation, facilities and equipment used exclusively for the provision of our psychology courses and for research. We have a first class undergraduate teaching laboratory suite and a second teaching laboratory specifically catering for postgraduate students.

In addition there are specialist suites dedicated to particular areas of interest in psychology, including:

social interaction, group work and interviewing
computer gaming and cyberpsychology
eye-tracking
cognitive modelling and visual analysis
psychophysiology.

Alongside these are new flexible cubicles for student project work, a psychometric test bank library, and a technical workshop.

Delivery and assessments

You will be assessed in a variety of ways and on a modular basis through: examinations, coursework, essays, laboratory reports,
oral presentations, research project. The course adopts a pragmatic approach to research, arguing that all research methods and approaches, whether quantitative, psychometric, qualitative, or mixed, should be attuned to the subject-matter and the nature of the research hypothesis or question to be answered. Offering a balanced appreciation of all methodological approaches, their relative strengths and weaknesses, the course will leave you equipped to conduct research in any area of psychology.

Careers

On graduation, you will possess the methodological and practical knowledge required to realise your potential as an independent researcher in various fields of Psychology or in closely related disciplines.

Many of our graduates have gone on to pursue an academic and / or research career in various areas of psychology (by working as a research assistant or associate, for example, or by studying for a PhD). You may choose to use your research methods qualification as a stepping stone to undertaking further training as a professional psychologist (for example, in forensic, clinical, and educational psychology) or to secure careers in data handling and analysis outside psychology.

Your qualification is likely to be popular with many employers because you will have demonstrated an ability to write essays and reports, to master advanced methods of data analysis and to talk and present in front of other people.

Careers and job application advice is available to all our postgraduate students and is provided on a one-to-one basis by a subject specialist within the Division, supported by the University-wide careers service. We're very proud of the achievements of our many graduates and look forward to helping you achieve a successful career in psychology (for example, in industry or the civil service).

Scholarships

The School of Social Sciences offers a number of competitive scholarships for our full-time and part-time Masters courses. For more information please visit http://www.ntu.ac.uk/s3scholarships

Want to find out more? Come along to one of our postgraduate Open Evenings. For further details please visit: http://www.ntu.ac.uk/s3events

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Drawing from a vibrant and stimulating research culture, this programme provides you with comprehensive training and grounding in research methods and analysis across the broad field of psychology.

This programme will help you develop professional, critical and analytical skills. You will learn how to formulate research problems, and appreciate diverse approaches to research, including qualitative methods.

The programme is targeted at those with a special interest in research methods, but is also ideal for those wishing to take an empirical approach to areas of psychology that are not covered by our other taught programmes.

Programme structure

This programme comprises two semesters of taught courses, including six compulsory courses and option courses chosen from other areas within Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, followed by a dissertation.

Compulsory courses:

• Current Topics in Psychological Research
• Multivariate Statistics and Methodology using R
• Psychological Research Skills
• Specialist Techniques in Psychological Research
• Univariate Statistics and Methodology using R

Option courses:

• Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology
• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology
• Critical Social Psychology
• Disorders of Language Functions
• History of Unorthodox Psychology
• Mind, Body and Consciousness
• Psychometrics
• Working Memory in Healthy and the Damaged Brain
• Multisensory Integration

Learning outcomes

The programme lays emphasis on the following outcomes:

• comprehension of the basic principles of research strategy and design, including an understanding of how to formulate researchable problems and an appreciation of alternative approaches to research
• competency in understanding and applying a range of methods and research tools
• skills in research management
• understanding the significance of alternative epistemological positions that provide the context for theory construction

Career opportunities

This programme has been designed to help you progress your research career and offers a firm basis for further postgraduate study, or for related research in industry.

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Cognitive rehabilitation is a rapidly emerging field that integrates research and clinical practice within the field of cognitive neuropsychology and neuroscience and applies it to the development and evaluation of evidence-based assessment and intervention. This course has been carefully designed to provide graduates from psychology, the life sciences and allied health professions with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience to develop their clinical skills, academic rigor and research expertise. The interdisciplinary nature of the course will provide you with a strong background in brain anatomy and function, clinical neuroscience, cognitive neuropsychology and cognitive rehabilitation ensuring that you have training and practice in assessment, targeted rehabilitation and the ethical and professional aspects of working in a clinical setting.

The course team has extensive clinical expertise in Cognitive Rehabilitation, Cognitive Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology with excellent clinical and research links with teaching hospitals, charities and community organisations that support individuals with long term health conditions.

Course content

The focus on professional learning is supported with a work experience module that offers you the opportunity to gain valuable experience in a clinical setting. A range of innovative assessments have been designed to reflect the real world demands of clinical settings and to provide students with applied skills for professional life.

An independent research project provides you with a chance to develop your specific areas of interest with the supervision of a member of staff with relevant clinical, academic and research expertise.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

Core modules
-CLINICAL COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
-COGNITIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
-COGNITIVE REHABILITATION INTERVENTIONS
-DATA HANDLING FOR APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
-PRINCIPLES OF COGNITIVE REHABILITATION
-RESEARCH BASED PROJECT AND PORTFOLIO
-SPECIALIST TOPICS FOR APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

Option module
-WORK EXPERIENCE IN A PSYCHOLOGICAL SETTING

Associated careers

This course is particularly suited to pursuing a career in a clinical setting, preparation for further psychology training (eg clinical psychology) or clinical research or meeting the requirements for appointment or promotion with certain employers. The course also develops generic higher education and career management skills that would be of use in a wide range of careers.

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Why do we become attached to a particular person? How do relationship dynamics change over time? Does objectifying women lead to their mistreatment? When is gender made relevant in and for politics? What does it mean in practice to support someone with autism, and how can we assess support? Does self-modesty differ between cultures? How does economic inequality affect self-perception? What identities are invoked in interview interactions?

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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