STUDY

Postgraduate

MSc Psychology

EEG waves
Institution code: S82
UCAS code: N/A
Start date: September 2024
Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time
Location: Ipswich
Typical Offer: An Undergraduate degree with a minimum classification of 2:2
Institution code: S82
UCAS code: N/A
Start date: September 2024
Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time
Location: Ipswich
Typical Offer: An Undergraduate degree with a minimum classification of 2:2

Overview

Our MSc in Psychology is a conversion course for students with an undergraduate psychology degree that was not accredited by the British Psychological Society or an undergraduate degree in another discipline other than psychology.

Psychology enables you to study the workings of the human mind and how this is revealed in human behaviour, both consciously and unconsciously. As a psychology student, you will be introduced to psychological theories and will learn to critically evaluate them so that you can reach your own well-informed conclusions about the nature and origins of human and non-human behaviour. This is a conversion course specifically for those who already have an undergraduate degree but wish to change pathway to become a psychologist. 

You’ll have access to excellent facilities and equipment. We have recently invested £320k in new hardware and software for our psychology laboratories and we also have a laboratory in the new £13m state-of-the-art Health and Wellbeing Building officially opened in June 2023. 

Studying psychology enables you to develop a diverse range of transferable skills which are valued highly by employers. We are proud to be ranked 1st in the UK for graduates in career 15 months after graduation for Psychology (Guardian University Guide, 2023). 

On this course, you will be equipped with a thorough grounding in each of the major fields in psychology: social psychology; developmental psychology; biological psychology; and cognitive psychology. In addition, you will explore abnormal psychology, contemporary and historic issues in psychology and individual differences. This will be underpinned by thorough training in research methods, both qualitative and quantitative, and exploration of the scientific method. You will be encouraged to evaluate a range of theories and research evidence, helping you to become a critical thinker whilst encouraging you to reach your own informed conclusions. 

This programme is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) which means that on successful completion of your degree, eligibility for graduate based chartership (GBC) of the BPS will be conferred. GBC of the BPS is a mandatory requirement for access to most professional practitioner training programmes.

Further information about the University's relationship with the British Psychological Society (BPS) is available in the PSRB register.

The University of Suffolk is world-class and committed to our region. We are proudly modern and innovative and we believe in transformative education. We are on the rise with a focus on student satisfaction, graduate prospects, spending on academic services and student facilities.

1st

in the UK for graduates in career 15 months after graduation for Psychology

Guardian University Guide 2023

9th

in the UK for Graduate Prospects for Psychology

The Complete University Guide 2024

3rd

in the UK for Postgraduate Study

WhatUni Student Choice Awards 2023

Course Modules

Downloadable information regarding all University of Suffolk courses, including Key Facts, Course Aims, Course Structure and Assessment, is available in the Definitive Course Record.

Lecturer teaching in seminar

This module, for all full-time MSc psychology students, is designed to provide students with two essential aspects of psychological study. Firstly, an introduction to psychological research methods; including a consideration of methodology and data analysis for both quantitative and qualitative data. Research is a fundamental skill within psychology and requires a firm foundation in thinking about concepts, ethics and values. This module will introduce a range of studies and methodological issues to students. The conceptual issues and research design issues covered will provide the foundation for the research methods modules. Secondly, this module will also equip students with the essential academic study skills required for their degree. Academic study skills will be developed at the start of this module, alongside the foundations of research methodology. Therefore, this module will allow students to appreciate an awareness of research issues and examples of research, whilst also beginning to develop their own research and study skills.

All researchers require a basic understanding of qualitative research methodology.  This module provides students with the skills to carry out research of sufficient quality and rigour to complete their own independent studies. It also serves as a basis for undertaking qualitative research at level 7 if desired in the advanced psychology project. Should students not go on to undertake a qualitative psychology project, they will still acquire sufficient knowledge of qualitative research methodology, so they are able to critique the analysis in literature reviews and data presented through the public media. To support this, this module outlines the underlying ontological, epistemological, and methodological principles of qualitative research. These core assumptions are reiterated and illustrated in the application of qualitative data analysis.

The content of the module is based upon the standards set out by the QAA for Psychology (2019) and which are adopted by The British Psychological Society. This module provides students with the opportunity to develop and apply skills in managing, collecting, analysing, and reporting qualitative data. Ethical issues will also be considered.

All researchers require a basic understanding of quantitative research methodology. This module provides students with the skills to carry out quantitative research of sufficient quality and rigour to complete their own independent studies. Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis is a mandatory module for all students taking a psychology degree route. Together with the Advanced Qualitative Research Methods module, students will attain a holistic underpinning to the major research skills utilized within psychology. With psychology students potentially going on to roles including a research element it is essential for them to have sufficient knowledge of methods, methodology and data analysis associated with quantitative research methods so as to critique the literature and data presented through research articles and organisational reports around the practice of psychology.

The content of the module is based upon the standards set out by the QAA for Psychology (2019) and which are adopted by The British Psychological Society. The module will cover the ethical, methodological, and analytical issues in questionnaire and experimental designs. The module will provide practical experience in selecting and using tests appropriate for these methodologies; will further develop SPSS skills so that students can conduct a range of statistical analyses; interpreting output; considering issues of reliability and validity; and reporting findings.

Together with Advanced Social and Developmental Psychology I module, students will attain a holistic underpinning to the major approaches in psychology. The module will cover conceptual and historical issues of behavioural, biological and cognitive approaches to psychology. Additionally, it will also provide students with grounding in the methodological and ethical proceedings in psychology.

This module will look in greater detail at the approaches, debates, and recent advancements in biological and cognitive psychology. In this module, key debates will be explored from a biological and cognitive perspective, for example: emotion, perception, and language.

Social Psychology is concerned with the scientific study of human social behaviour, experience and thought. Developmental Psychology is concerned with the scientific study of systematic changes in human psychology across an individual’s lifespan, particularly cognitive, perceptual, social, and emotional development in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This module introduces key theories and approaches in Social and Developmental Psychology. This will serve to give students an awareness of the multiple perspectives from which social and developmental research emanates and the wider variety of settings in which it is applied.

This module builds on the broad introduction to Social and Developmental psychology provided by the Advanced Social and Developmental Psychology I module. Specifically, the module will provide research-based accounts of social and developmental psychology in key areas, such as people in groups, social influence, stereotyping and prejudice, aggression, emotional and social development, life-span adult development and developmental social psychology. A key focus will be the interplay of the two approaches and the synthesis of developmental and social psychology. With its distinctive themes, developmental social psychology will be explored to examine the contribution of social psychology to the study of individual development, from birth to senescence. Through adopting a topic-based approach, this module will explore the social contexts of development and the developmental aspects of social behaviour to provide an integrated and dynamic investigation into topical and contemporary psychology.

A critical analysis of knowledge will serve to give students an awareness of the multiple perspectives from which social and developmental research emanates, and the wider variety of settings in which it is applied.

This module builds on the central concepts, theories, current issues and research evidence introduced earlier in the course exploring the main approaches in psychology. It will complement other modules and seek to establish a range of theoretical paradigms which will foster critical evaluation.

This module seeks to primarily explore and touch upon individual differences in personality and intelligence. The module also aims to introduce students to other elements of differential psychology for example creativity, cognitive styles, motivation and leadership.

This module will invite students to participate in a process of discovery and critically consider a range of influences on psychological functioning, including an examination of a range of research paradigms, research methods and their application to the study of personality and intelligence. This will be achieved through the adoption of a topic based approach which will consider historical and scientific considerations in attempting to define personality, current paradigms in explaining personality and intelligence, issues in the assessment of personality and intelligence, the origins of intelligence testing, and theories of intelligence, including social, emotional and practical intelligences.

As part of the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) accreditation of the Psychology courses at the University of Suffolk, students wishing to attain a Graduate Basis of Chartership (GBC) with the BPS must carry out and pass an independent extended empirical project. As stated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Benchmarks for Psychology (2019; p.9), “A graduate of psychology will have successfully completed a series of practical reports throughout their course, culminating in an empirical project reporting on a substantial piece of research.”

It is expected that students will build on previous study, with the expectation that students will have a fundamental theoretical knowledge of the research process and ethics, as well as being skilled at critically evaluating published research.

The module seeks to move students from a theoretical knowledge of research towards a more informed level of skill and application. Students will demonstrate personal planning and project management skills by making decisions about how to formulate informed research questions or hypotheses, design studies for the identified research purposes, conduct the planned research, interpret the data and then evaluate the findings and the completed study, within a time restricted period.

Students will be required to communicate their Psychology Project in the traditional dissertation format, but also create a poster to provide them with an insight into the mechanism of communication used at conferences.

Course Modules 2024

Downloadable information regarding all University of Suffolk courses, including Key Facts, Course Aims, Course Structure and Assessment, is available in the Definitive Course Record.

Lecturer teaching in seminar

This module, for all full-time MSc psychology students, is designed to provide students with two essential aspects of psychological study. Firstly, an introduction to psychological research methods; including a consideration of methodology and data analysis for both quantitative and qualitative data. Research is a fundamental skill within psychology and requires a firm foundation in thinking about concepts, ethics and values. This module will introduce a range of studies and methodological issues to students. The conceptual issues and research design issues covered will provide the foundation for the research methods modules. Secondly, this module will also equip students with the essential academic study skills required for their degree. Academic study skills will be developed at the start of this module, alongside the foundations of research methodology. Therefore, this module will allow students to appreciate an awareness of research issues and examples of research, whilst also beginning to develop their own research and study skills.

All researchers require a basic understanding of qualitative research methodology.  This module provides students with the skills to carry out research of sufficient quality and rigour to complete their own independent studies. It also serves as a basis for undertaking qualitative research at level 7 if desired in the advanced psychology project. Should students not go on to undertake a qualitative psychology project, they will still acquire sufficient knowledge of qualitative research methodology, so they are able to critique the analysis in literature reviews and data presented through the public media. To support this, this module outlines the underlying ontological, epistemological, and methodological principles of qualitative research. These core assumptions are reiterated and illustrated in the application of qualitative data analysis.

The content of the module is based upon the standards set out by the QAA for Psychology (2019) and which are adopted by The British Psychological Society. This module provides students with the opportunity to develop and apply skills in managing, collecting, analysing, and reporting qualitative data. Ethical issues will also be considered.

All researchers require a basic understanding of quantitative research methodology. This module provides students with the skills to carry out quantitative research of sufficient quality and rigour to complete their own independent studies. Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis is a mandatory module for all students taking a psychology degree route. Together with the Advanced Qualitative Research Methods module, students will attain a holistic underpinning to the major research skills utilized within psychology. With psychology students potentially going on to roles including a research element it is essential for them to have sufficient knowledge of methods, methodology and data analysis associated with quantitative research methods so as to critique the literature and data presented through research articles and organisational reports around the practice of psychology.

The content of the module is based upon the standards set out by the QAA for Psychology (2019) and which are adopted by The British Psychological Society. The module will cover the ethical, methodological, and analytical issues in questionnaire and experimental designs. The module will provide practical experience in selecting and using tests appropriate for these methodologies; will further develop SPSS skills so that students can conduct a range of statistical analyses; interpreting output; considering issues of reliability and validity; and reporting findings.

Together with Advanced Social and Developmental Psychology I module, students will attain a holistic underpinning to the major approaches in psychology. The module will cover conceptual and historical issues of behavioural, biological and cognitive approaches to psychology. Additionally, it will also provide students with grounding in the methodological and ethical proceedings in psychology.

This module will look in greater detail at the approaches, debates, and recent advancements in biological and cognitive psychology. In this module, key debates will be explored from a biological and cognitive perspective, for example: emotion, perception, and language.

Social Psychology is concerned with the scientific study of human social behaviour, experience and thought. Developmental Psychology is concerned with the scientific study of systematic changes in human psychology across an individual’s lifespan, particularly cognitive, perceptual, social, and emotional development in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This module introduces key theories and approaches in Social and Developmental Psychology. This will serve to give students an awareness of the multiple perspectives from which social and developmental research emanates and the wider variety of settings in which it is applied.

This module builds on the broad introduction to Social and Developmental psychology provided by the Advanced Social and Developmental Psychology I module. Specifically, the module will provide research-based accounts of social and developmental psychology in key areas, such as people in groups, social influence, stereotyping and prejudice, aggression, emotional and social development, life-span adult development and developmental social psychology. A key focus will be the interplay of the two approaches and the synthesis of developmental and social psychology. With its distinctive themes, developmental social psychology will be explored to examine the contribution of social psychology to the study of individual development, from birth to senescence. Through adopting a topic-based approach, this module will explore the social contexts of development and the developmental aspects of social behaviour to provide an integrated and dynamic investigation into topical and contemporary psychology.

A critical analysis of knowledge will serve to give students an awareness of the multiple perspectives from which social and developmental research emanates, and the wider variety of settings in which it is applied.

This module builds on the central concepts, theories, current issues and research evidence introduced earlier in the course exploring the main approaches in psychology. It will complement other modules and seek to establish a range of theoretical paradigms which will foster critical evaluation.

This module seeks to primarily explore and touch upon individual differences in personality and intelligence. The module also aims to introduce students to other elements of differential psychology for example creativity, cognitive styles, motivation and leadership.

This module will invite students to participate in a process of discovery and critically consider a range of influences on psychological functioning, including an examination of a range of research paradigms, research methods and their application to the study of personality and intelligence. This will be achieved through the adoption of a topic based approach which will consider historical and scientific considerations in attempting to define personality, current paradigms in explaining personality and intelligence, issues in the assessment of personality and intelligence, the origins of intelligence testing, and theories of intelligence, including social, emotional and practical intelligences.

As part of the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) accreditation of the Psychology courses at the University of Suffolk, students wishing to attain a Graduate Basis of Chartership (GBC) with the BPS must carry out and pass an independent extended empirical project. As stated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Benchmarks for Psychology (2019; p.9), “A graduate of psychology will have successfully completed a series of practical reports throughout their course, culminating in an empirical project reporting on a substantial piece of research.”

It is expected that students will build on previous study, with the expectation that students will have a fundamental theoretical knowledge of the research process and ethics, as well as being skilled at critically evaluating published research.

The module seeks to move students from a theoretical knowledge of research towards a more informed level of skill and application. Students will demonstrate personal planning and project management skills by making decisions about how to formulate informed research questions or hypotheses, design studies for the identified research purposes, conduct the planned research, interpret the data and then evaluate the findings and the completed study, within a time restricted period.

Students will be required to communicate their Psychology Project in the traditional dissertation format, but also create a poster to provide them with an insight into the mechanism of communication used at conferences.

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Entry Requirements

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Career Opportunities

There are many opportunities open to psychology degree holders including and not limited to: 

  • Psychologist 

  • Psychotherapist 

  • Social Worker 

  • Counsellor 

  • Educational Psychologist 

  • Human Resource Manager 

  • Teacher 

  • Research roles 

  • Media roles 


Although some of these roles will be available to you with a psychology postgraduate degree, many require further study at postgraduate level. Some professional training e.g. Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology has a mandatory entry requirement for graduate based chartership of the British Psychological Society which your degree, when successfully completed, would confer. 

Your Course Team

Dr Rachael Martin

Rachael is Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Course Leader for the BSc (Hons) Psychology.

Rachael Martin staff profile photo

Dr Jennifer Coe

Dr Jennifer Coe is a Lecturer in Psychology and Deputy Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Psychology and associated degree routes at the University of Suffolk.

Jennifer Coe staff profile photo

Dr Rachel Grenfell-Essam

Rachel is a senior lecturer in Psychology and is the Executive editor for the Journal of Suffolk Student Research.

Rachel Grenfell-Essam staff profile photo

Dr Abbie Millett

Abbie is an experienced educator and is Lecturer in Psychology.

Abbie Millett staff profile photo

Dr Emmanouil Georgiadis

Manos is an internationally known expert in applying motivational constructs in Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Manos Georgiadis staff profile photo

Dr Kate McCulloch

Kate is a Lecturer in Psychology.

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Sarah Beane

Psychology Technical Learning Instructor Sarah joined the University of Suffolk in 2021.

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Lauren Charles

Lauren works in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities as an Academic Administrator for the Criminology, Sociology, Politics and Psychology courses.

Lauren Charles staff profile photo

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Tuition Fee

£9,090

per year
UK Part-time Tuition Fee

£1,010*

per 20 credit module
International Full-time Tuition Fee

£14,625

per year

*Please contact the Student Centre for further details

Further Information

Postgraduate Loans are available for this course, we also offer University of Suffolk Alumni a 25% reduction on fees, find out more below.

Postgraduate Funding Alumni Loyalty Scheme International Students

How to apply

Applying for a postgraduate programme is simple, you can apply using the link below. You can also find out more about what to include on your application and how to contact us for support during the process on the Postgraduate Study link.

Apply Now Postgraduate Study
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