Psychology (Conversion) MSc
Accreditations
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Course Summary
The MSc Psychology (Conversion) course is for people who have degrees in other subjects (or unaccredited psychology degrees) who wish to obtain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS). The course provides a comprehensive grounding in the areas of psychology that form the core BPS curriculum.
Teaching on this MSc is course-specific, with classes designed and delivered exclusively at postgraduate level, rather than shared with undergraduate courses. All classes are held on one day per week, maximising flexibility for working on assignments, and to help maintain your other commitments.
The School of Psychology at Chester has a well-established record of producing high-calibre students. It is equipped with a wide range of psychological equipment for your use. The School is recognised by both past and present students as a friendly place that has the interests of its students at its heart.
Our MSc Psychology (Conversion) course is accredited by The British Psychological Society.
What you’llStudy
Modules in trimesters one and two explore the role of biology in behaviour, mental processes in thinking and feeling, how humans develop, how people differ in personality and intelligence, how we function as social beings, and ways these phenomena can be investigated. The dissertation is completed in trimester three.
Module content:
The focus of this module is to enable students to further strengthen their knowledge of a specific research area in psychology and further develop their research methodology skills through conducting a research study and writing a dissertation. Individual student learning needs are addressed through supervision and there are Faculty support workshops available to all students to enhance research and study skills.
Module aims:
- To provide the student with an opportunity to investigate systematically and in depth a topic of direct relevance to his or her career aspirations.
- To further enhance and consolidate the student's skill and rigour in research, research methodology and evaluation in an applied environment.
- To enable the student to draw on and contribute to the development of the growing body of knowledge in psychology.
- To enable the student to develop skills in modern resource technologies to support his/her research project.
Module content:
This module introduces students to the essentials of psychological research, and includes an introduction to qualitative methods and quantitative methods, including questionnaire / survey and experimental research methods.
Overviews of qualitative methodologies are given covering both data acquisition (e.g interview, focus group, photo elicitation) and major analysis techniques (e.g. discourse analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis,
etc.). Thematic or content analysis is covered in more detail.
The module also introduces quantitative designs (e.g. surveys and experimental studies) and key analytical techniques. Laboratory exercises provide students with hands-on activities and include training in the use of statistical software packages (e.g. SPSS). The module introduces students to the nature and philosophy of the experimental method, the design and execution of psychological experiments, descriptive statistics, frequentist and Bayesian inferential parametric and non-parametric statistical procedures (e.g. chi-square, t-tests, (factorial) ANOVA, correlation, regression, and allied analyses). The module covers the replication crisis and potential remedies.
Students receive guidance on the production of qualitative and quantitative research reports.
Module aims:
To provide MSc level students, who may not have studied psychological methods and statistics in depth before, with advanced training in the methods of psychological research, including:
- An understanding of the principal concepts of psychological methods and statistics
- A thorough grounding in the selection and use of appropriate methodologies
- Knowledge of the major quantitative and qualitative methods used in psychological enquiry
- Clear understanding of the use of computer packages for statistics
Module content:
Biological psychology is a dynamic interdisciplinary subject in psychology. The module is designed to cover the key areas of biological psychology as laid out in the current BPS syllabus and benchmarking documents. The core content covers: basic neurochemistry and neurophysiology of nerve transmission; the structure and organisation of the CNS; sensation and transduction of physical stimuli into electrochemical signals; biological basis of psychological abnormalities; psychopharmacology, the brain and reward, drug action and behaviour; emotional functioning; human neuropsychology; recovery / rehabilitation; memory, localisation of function; behavioural genetics; hormones and behaviour; evolutionary / comparative psychology.
Module aims:
1. To provide students with a critical understanding of brain structure and function; background in neurocommunication and sensory systems. 2. To provide students with a critical awareness of key subject areas within biological psychology that are relevant to the most current understanding of human and animal behaviour. |
Module content:
The module content covers the historical and theoretical origins of cognitive psychology, attention, perception, learning, memory, thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, metacognition, language, consciousness, and cognitive neuropsychology. Theoretical, empirical and methodological content features in this module.
Module aims:
- To develop a critical understanding of the information processing approach to the study of mental activity.
- To develop a critical understanding of current controversies in cognitive psychology.
- To explain, and critically evaluate, the different methodologies used to investigate human mental activity.
- To engage with empirical data in cognitive psychology.
Module content:
1. Research methods and related ethical issues in developmental psychology across the lifespan
2. Observation, assessment and application of psychological theory
3. Major theories and models of lifespan development
4. Physical, cognitive, social and emotional development from conception to early adulthood, including the effects of teratogens, life-events and transitions
5. Developmental psychology in relation to mid-life stages and beyond
Module aims:
1. To develop a critical understanding of the nature and complexity of human development 2. To critically examine the major theoretical perspectives and related research in the field of developmental psychology 3. To critically evaluate a variety of ways (e.g., research methods; norm and criterion referenced assessment) of evaluating aspects of development 4. To critically understand the possible effects on the development of the individual of teratogens, social, emotional and cultural factors, including those related to disadvantage, gender, race, disability, divorce and death |
Module content:
Content includes definition and evaluation of personality and intelligence, the two key areas in this module; description, history and comparison of various methods of measuring personality and intelligence; issues involved in accuracy of assessment; description and evaluation of different theoretical approaches (historical and contemporary) to the understanding and explanation of personality (e.g. psychodynamic, trait, phenomenological, behaviourist, cognitive social) and intelligence (e.g. traditional/hereditarian, behavioural, emotional intelligence, multiple intelligences); understanding aspects of development and variation in personality and intelligence (e.g. nature/nurture, age/sex differences, temporal stability and situational consistency, emotion/motivation, the ‘self’, normality/abnormality); applications and implications – e.g. for mental and physical health, relationships, achievement/education/occupation, culture and social policy.
Module aims:
1. To explore and critically evaluate the major theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of individual differences
2. To examine and critically review the historical development of the concepts of personality and intelligence
3. To examine methods of measuring and scientifically investigating individual differences
Module content:
An exploration of social psychology including historical and contemporary perspectives. Qualitative research methods in social psychology. Social constructionism. Attribution. Attitudes and their formation. Social cognition. Self and social identity. Close relationships. Group processes and intergroup relations, including topics such as: leadership, conformity and compliance; prosocial behaviour; antisocial behaviour and prejudice and aggression. Culture.
Module aims:
1. To critically discuss and evaluate key social psychological theories and research relating to the societal context, including the use of qualitative methodology.
2. To provide practical experience in carrying out qualitative research.
3. To develop a critical understanding of the interaction of personal and social influences on behaviour.
4. To develop a critical awareness of the methods used by social psychologists.
Based in the School of Psychology you will, primarily, be taught in small group lectures with an interactive style of teaching, incorporating workshops and discussion groups where appropriate. For the full-time course, formal lecture contact is six hours per week (with an expected 18-24 hours’ independent study per week), with additional tutorial and support sessions as required. For the part-time course, formal lecture contact could be up to six hours per week (with expected four hours per module taken of independent study per week), with additional tutorial and support sessions as required.
Assessment is by coursework, including:
- essays
- research reports
- presentations
- posters
- a critique
- a dissertation
Entry Requirements
2:2 honours degree
Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in any subject.
2:2 honours degree
Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in any subject.
English Language Requirements
For more information on our English Language requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.
Fees and Funding
£8,505 per year (2024/25)
Guides to the fees for students who wish to commence postgraduate courses in the academic year 2024/25 are available to view on our Postgraduate Taught Programmes Fees page.
£14,750 per year (2024/25)
The tuition fees for international students studying Postgraduate programmes in 2024/25 are £14,750.
The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships for postgraduate study, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.
For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.
Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.
Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.
If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.
The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships.
Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees & Finance section of our website.
Your future Career
Job prospects
Successful completion of the MSc Psychology (Conversion) course confers eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with The British Psychological Society (BPS); students must achieve an overall pass mark of at least 50% and must pass the empirical psychology project. Attaining GBC enables you to pursue a career in specialist areas of psychology, including clinical, forensic, health, occupational, counselling, educational, or sport and exercise psychology, with a view to becoming a chartered psychologist in these areas.
Other students completing the MSc Psychology (Conversion) course go on to work in a wide variety of areas allied to psychology and beyond, utilising the transferable knowledge and skills that a psychology degree develops.
Careers service
The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.
Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.
We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs .