Why study Psychology at Chester?
Becoming a practising psychologist requires a number of stages of training to be completed. The first of these is obtaining an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) that is recognised by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as conferring the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). Obtaining GBC means you can then go on to further postgraduate study in psychology with a view to becoming a chartered Clinical, Counselling, Forensic, Health or Occupational Psychologist.
Successful completion of our MSc programme will give you a recognised qualification that will allow you to apply for GBC**.
Our course is open to students who have the equivalent of 60 credits of Psychology at honours degree level. However, students without any background in psychology may also apply. Based on your previous degree area, we will decide whether we feel you would be suitable for this course immediately or whether you would need to first complete the postgraduate entry certificate that we also offer***. This will give you the background in theory and science that you will need to succeed on the conversion programme. Please contact us for more details on entry routes to this programme so that we can discuss your needs.
* Subject to validation
** Subject to accreditation
*** Available from September 2012
Time commitment:
We currently schedule our teaching for Wednesdays, which means that you only need to be in university one day per week – so if you are working you will not be too disadvantaged.
Features:
This programme will give you a thorough, and intensive, grounding in the areas of psychology that form the core of the BPS curriculum. These are biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, individual differences and social psychology. You will also study research methods and statistics and complete the programme with a supervised research dissertation.
As well as providing you with knowledge of psychology, our course will help you to develop the skills that many employers are looking for in graduates today. Through our use of innovative teaching and assessment methods you will develop skills in critical thinking and evaluation, data handling and analysis, and presentations and team working – to name just a few areas!
Many conversion programmes that are available in other universities simply place their conversion students in undergraduate lectures in these subjects. Our course is different in that you will receive dedicated teaching from our experts in lectures, seminars and workshops that are only delivered to students on this course. In this way we can give you the attention and focus that you deserve and deliver the material in ways that are appropriate for your level of study.
Programme structure
This programme is structured on a semester basis. You will complete three modules in each of the first two semesters and your research dissertation in the final semester.
Semester 1
In this semester you will start your journey with some training in research methods, and cover two of the core areas in Psychology.
- In the Researching Thought and Behaviourmodule you will learn about the research and analytical methods that you need to study Psychology. You will receive expert teaching and training in both quantitative statistics and qualitative research methods. This module includes an emphasis on practical as well as taught sessions to ensure you have a strong understanding of the use of statistical software packages. We will also develop your use of research methods and statistics through the assessment methods used in the other core content modules.
- In Cognitive Psychology you will learn about the fascinating processes that drive how we think and feel. We will teach you the fundamentals of cognitive psychology and will demonstrate the importance of cognitive processes when trying to understand human behaviour. Topics will include perception, attention, memory, problem solving, decision making and language.
- In Social Psychology you will develop a critical understanding of humans as social beings. Some of the questions we will cover include: Why do we conform? Why are we sometimes prejudiced? What causes aggression? Also, we will explore methodological and ethical issues related to the studies that informed the field of social psychology.
Semester 2
In the second semester you will cover the other three core areas of Psychology, developing your research and transferable skills along the way!
- Biological Psychology will see you cover the fundamentals of this discipline and the importance of biological systems in human behaviour. You will study the topics of biological systems (the brain, nervous and endocrine systems), communication between these systems via neurons and hormones, and individual differences in functioning.
- In Developmental Psychologyyou will learn about the historical foundations of child development and fundamental aspects of social and cognitive development in young children and adolescents. The areas you will cover include research methods and ethics, cognitive development, Piagetian and Vygotskian approaches, emotional development and attachment theories.
- Finally, in Individual Differences we will give you the knowledge and skills to critically evaluate theories and research into individual differences in intelligence, cognition and personality, and their measurement. You will have the chance to studythe historical development of the notion of intelligence, psychometric and cognitive approaches to intelligence, and theoretical and definitional approaches to personality (includinghow it is measured).
Semester 3
In the final semester you will work with one of our expert supervisors on your own research project. This allows you to develop your knowledge and expertise in an area that particularly interests you. Your supervisor will guide you in this process, providing advice in how to design your study, collect and analyse your date and effectively write up your thesis. You are likely to start preparing for this module in Semester 2, and then carry out your project in Semester 3.
There are no examinations on this course. You will be assessed via coursework and practical-type reports in all modules. We use a wide range of assessment methods, which are designed to develop your research and transferable skills.These may include quantitative/qualitative research reports or a case studies, individual and group presentations, paper reviews, or even a critical book review.
Our course provides (subject to approval) Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society, which is the first necessary step towards becoming a professional psychologist.
Having obtained GBC, you can then pursue a career in specialist areas that include Clinical, Forensic, Health, Occupational, Counselling or Educational and Child Psychology, with a view to becoming a Chartered Clinical, Forensic, Health, Occupational, or Counselling Psychologist. After completing our course you will be well qualified to enter a wide variety of professions that range from marketing and the caring professions, through to personnel or teaching (for which further training is required).
You may also wish to use your qualification to enter teaching and research in further or higher education.
Our programme is open to students with an undergraduate degree of 2.2 or above. Applicants should also have studied the equivalent of 60 credits of Psychology at honours degree level. However, you may also apply if you do not have a background in Psychology.
Based on your previous degree area we will decide whether we feel you would be suitable for this course immediately or whether you would need to first complete the postgraduate entry certificate that we also offer***. This three-month short-course will give you the background in theory and science that you will need to succeed on the conversion programme. Please contact us for more details on entry routes to this programme so that we can discuss your needs.
*** Available from September 2012
