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Psychology Conversion MSc

Study a BPS accredited Psychology Conversion master's at Middlesex University and learn from our highly respected team
Code
PGC802
Start
September 2024
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Attendance
Full-time
Part-time
Fees
£10,500 (UK) *
£16,800 (INT) *
Course leader
Jean Waugh

This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) which means you'll gain Graduate Basis of Chartered Membership once you successfully complete this master's course.

Why choose a Psychology Conversion masters degree at Middlesex University?

If you want to start a career in psychology and/or acquire the Graduate basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society, this course is for you.

You may have a degree in another subject but wish to change career or pursue your interest in psychology in more depth. We will teach you a broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches and encourage you to develop a critical approach to studies, evaluating theory and evidence.

We have been teaching Psychology for over 50 years and are one of the largest providers of Psychology education in the UK.

What you will gain

By the end of this course, you will be able to perform quantitative and qualitative data analyses and use statistical software to analyse complex data. You will design, implement, analyse and communicate independent and group project work to an advanced level culminating in a dissertation on an agreed topic. You will also be able to design and run experiments to gather and interpret data. You will have gained knowledge in the core areas in psychology and be able to apply research skills across domains.

You will learn using cutting-edge facilities including fully equipped lecture theatres and tutorial spaces, a psychophysiology laboratory, social observation laboratories, an auditory cognition laboratory, and testing cubicles.

Accreditations

Our course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). This accreditation means that successfully completing the graduate course with an average of 50% or better confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered (GBC) Membership with the BPS.

The BPS is a professional body of graduates, many of whom work as psychologists and the main aim of the association is to maintain high standards in the discipline. Some of the benefits of being eligible to become a member of the BPS include being able to join special interest sections and divisions of the BPS (e.g. Developmental Section, Cognitive Section, etc.) receiving The Psychologist house journal and appointments memorandum, as well as being able to order books and journals at special reduced rates.

After completion of our course, many students go on to study in a more specialised area in psychology. A BPS-recognised degree is often a necessary first step for those who wish to pursue further training and careers in particular areas of psychology such as Clinical, Counselling, Educational, Forensic, Health & Occupational Psychology and for those wanting to obtain chartered status as a practicing psychologist.

3 great reasons to pick this course

  • Use specialist facilities and equipment
    Use our state-of-the-art facilities and specialist equipment include a psychophysiology laboratory, social observation laboratories, an auditory cognition laboratory, and testing cubicles
  • BPS accredited course
    This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), so you’ll gain Graduate Basis for Chartered (GBC) membership
  • International Research
    Our academics are regularly and widely published, and 95% of our research is internationally recognised.

Find out more

Sign up now to receive more information about studying at Middlesex University London.

You will learn cognitive skills through class discussion, guided independent study and lecturer feedback, as well as learning practical skills through presenting your ideas in written and oral form along with participation in practical exercises.

You will gain an in-depth understanding of your subject through participation in teaching sessions and independent research, with tutor support. Your learning will also be supported with online self-study materials.

By the end of this course, you will be able to perform quantitative and qualitative data analyses and use statistical software to analyse complex data. You will design, implement, analyse and communicate independent and group project work to an advanced level culminating in a dissertation on an agreed topic. You will also be able to design and run experiments to gather and interpret data. You will have gained knowledge in the core areas in psychology and be able to apply research skills across domains.

  • Modules - Compulsory

    • Social, Personality & Developmental (30 credits)

      This BPS core module aims to develop your expertise and mastery of primary and contemporary theory and research in three essential areas: social psychology, developmental psychology and individual differences. The subject matter is introduced and investigated through topic-focused lectures and augmented with advanced research workshops. A focus on developmental psychology will see you study the biological, social, emotional and cognitive processes and changes of infancy and childhood as these are the periods during an individual's lifespan when the most change occurs. In social psychology, interpersonal and intergroup processes will be studied with the objective of developing your understanding of the social dimension to human psychology. Throughout the module, several aspects of psychological approaches to understanding individual differences will be considered such as humanistic theories of development and social learning theory.

    • Research: Practice and Reporting (60 credits)

      This module aim to provide you with an opportunity for an in-depth, advanced study in a specific area of applied psychology, pertinent to the degree for which you are registered, guided by, but largely independent of, tutor support. You will apply appropriate principles of empirical research, and present your research study in the form of a written journal article, using appropriate styles and conventions.

    • Research Methods (30 credits)

      This module conforms with the statistics and methodology requirements of the British Psychological Society’s Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). The module enables you to understand & critically evaluate psychological research & to understand how research design relates to research questions. It provides you with advanced skills in a variety of statistical analyses and enables them to conduct ethical psychological research at masters level utilising quantitative and qualitative methods. It provides skills in interpretation & critical discussion of published psychological research. It prepares you for your dissertation and enables you to choose appropriate methodologies and analyses for research.

    • Research and Issues in Applied Psychology (30 credits)

      The aim of the module is to provide an intellectual setting within which you can both develop a fuller appreciation of substantive areas of applied psychology and improve their practical and analytical skills. The main aim is to direct you to develop an appreciation of the controversies and issues related to traditional and contemporary research, ethical issues, and up-to-date knowledge in the domain of applied psychology such as neuropsychology, infertility, sports and exercise and literacy acquisition.

    • Brain, Body and Mind (30 credits)

      The module will give you an overview of biological and cognitive psychology as well as an introduction to the biological basis of heritable traits. The anatomy and physiology of the nervous system is considered; attention is focused on aspects of behaviour that have a clear biological component, with an emphasis on individual differences in biology. Through a series of psychophysiology lab sessions you will investigate specific central and peripheral nervous system variables and their relation to behaviour and individual differences. The cognitivist approach to psychology will be outlined and key theories relating to major cognitive faculties explored. Understanding of these is enhanced through a series of interactive seminars, consisting of group problem-solving activities. Both cognitive and biological approaches will explore pathology and neuropsychological case studies.

To find out more about this course, please download the Psychology Conversion MSc specification (PDF).

How we'll teach you

You will participate in practical sessions, lectures, seminars and workshops, where you will take part in class discussions, and work on research projects, group assignments and critical analyses. Teaching is in person, on campus and supplemented with bespoke online resources. You will also be expected to engage in independent study and tutorial support is available for all modules.

The MSc can be studied over 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. Part-time students take 60 taught credits and start their dissertation in year 1 and 60 taught credits and complete their dissertation in year 2.

The course is assessed at 180 credit points. Each 30-credit module represents approximately 300 hours of student study time, with two-four hours of contact time per week. The postgraduate dissertation module is 60 credits and encourages students to work independently, develop expertise in a particular area of psychology and demonstrate advanced research skills.

For two of the taught modules, some lecture content will be taught along with our undergraduate students. All modules include small group teaching sessions which are specifically designed and exclusive for the MSc Psychology conversion students. Staff are also available for individual tutorials. You will supplement all this with your own independent study and will submit a dissertation. There is a specific module on research methods for conversion students and the course also aims to improve your analytical, statistical and IT skills.

You'll be taught by an experienced teaching team with a wide range of expertise and professional experience.

Where will I study?

You will be based at our north London campus.

Teaching vs independent study

In a typical year, you’ll spend about 1200 hours on your course.

Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework and presentations.

Timetable

Whether you are studying full or part-time – your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.

We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on campus sessions.

Typical weekly breakdown

A typical week looks like this:

Learning

Hours per week

On-campus

9-15

Independent study (includes online resources)

Around 25

Learning terms

On-campus: This includes tutor-led sessions such as seminars, lab sessions and demonstrations as well as student-led sessions for work in small groups.

Online learning: This is teaching that is delivered online using tools like Skype or Zoom, as well as work that you do yourself using online teaching resources.

Independent study: This is the work you do in your own time including reading and research.

Academic support

We have a strong support network online and on campus to help you develop your academic skills. We offer one-to-one and group sessions to develop your learning skills together with academic support from our library, IT teams and learning experts.

Coursework and assessments

A wide variety of assessment methods are employed on the course including laboratory reports, essays, poster presentations, other written assignments and practical tests.

A major part of your assessment will be your 7,000 to 10,000-word report in the style of a journal article. We will be looking, among other things, at your ability to look critically at both theory and empirical research, and material from different sources.

Feedback

You will receive regular feedback on your work.

Facilities

Our psychology teaching and research facilities are extensive. They include fully equipped lecture theatres and tutorial spaces, a psychophysiology laboratory, social observation laboratories, an auditory cognition laboratory, a virtual reality lab and testing cubicles.

The Sheppard Library

Our library is open 24 hours a day during the term and includes:

  • Over 1,000 study areas with rooms for group study and over 600 computer spaces
  • 350,000 books and e-books and more than 24,000 online journals
  • Free laptop loans, Wi-Fi and printing.

Student support

We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health and disability support.

Additional needs

We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.

Wellness

Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.

Work while you study

Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.

Financial support

You can apply for scholarships and bursaries and our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.

We have also reduced the costs of studying with free laptop loans, free learning resources and discounts to save money on everyday things. Check out our guide to student life on a budget.

How can the (subject award) support your career?

Our postgraduate courses have been recognised for their ability to support your career.

95% of our postgraduate students go on to work or further study Graduate Outcomes, 2022.

Career paths

There are excellent employment prospects for Psychology graduates. The range of professional skills that you will develop ensures that you are highly valued across the economy. You could progress into a successful career as a counsellor, social worker, teacher or academic, or pursue careers in areas such as law, business management or education.

Many of our graduates pursue further education in more specialised areas in psychology including clinical, forensic, health, educational and occupational psychology and our BPS-recognised degree facilitates this. Others have pursued careers in research and academia."

MDXWorks

MDXworks, our employability service, will help you make the most of your experience and connections to achieve your career goals. You'll have unlimited access to one-to-one advice and support from specialists in your sector plus 24/7 online support. You can also make the most of events and networking opportunities, on and off campus.

Global alumni network

You’ll be studying with students from 122 countries who’ll become part of your personal global network. You'll learn how to work with a global mindset and make invaluable connections on your course for your chosen industry.

  1. UK entry
  2. International entry
  3. How to apply

The fees below are for the 2024/25 academic year:

UK students1

Full-time students: £10,500Part-time students: £70 per credit
Part-time students: £35 per dissertation credit

International students2

Full-time students: £16,800Part-time students: £112 per credit
Part-time students: £56 per dissertation credit

Additional costs

We cover your costs for the day-to-day things that you need to do well in your studies.

  • Free – laptop loans, Wi-Fi and printing
  • Free specialist software for your course
  • Free online training with LinkedIn Learning.

The following course-related costs are not included in the fees, and you will need to budget for these:

  • The cost of course-related books you may wish to purchase.

Financial support

We offer lots of support to help you with fees and living costs. Check out our guide to student life on a budget and find out more about postgraduate funding.

Postgraduate scholarships

You may be eligible for one of our scholarships including:

  • The Alumni Postgraduate Award – for all UK/EU Middlesex alumni a 20% fee reduction
  • The Commonwealth Scholarship – full course fees, airfares and a living allowance
  • The Chevening Scholarship – full course fees
  • The European Academic Awards – £1000 to £7000 for students showing academic excellence
  • Regional or International Merit Award –up to £2,000 towards course fees

For international students, we also have a limited number of other awards specific to certain regions, and work in partnership with funding providers in your country to help support you financially with your study.

Find out more about our postgraduate scholarships.

Help from your employer

Your employer can contribute towards the cost of your postgraduate study as part of their staff development programme.

Fees disclaimers

1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase postgraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.


We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.

Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.

Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.

At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.

Other courses

Psychological Therapies and Interventions MSc / PGDip

Start: September 2024

Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Code: PGC845

Applied Psychology MSc

Start: September 2024

Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Code: PGL713

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