Psychology MSc

at Coventry University

Why you should study this course

Successful completion confers eligibility for students to apply for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the BPS1, which is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
 

• A global top 300 university for Psychology according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022.

• Some of the specialist modules allow us to look at how psychology is applied in specific contexts. For example, the ‘Applying Psychology’ module considers its impact within the modern-day world – in areas such as counselling, clinical, forensic, educational, work, and health psychology.

• We place a significant emphasis on professional research methods, providing you with the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in planning, carrying out, analysing, and writing about research in applied psychology. You should gain a sophisticated awareness of problems, issues, and ethics in applied research in psychology. You will also have the chance to conduct several practical research exercises and will produce an extensive piece of independent research that combines your interests and your supervisor’s expertise.

• Our innovative teaching and learning incorporate numerous active learning methods to encourage your participation and deepen your understanding of specific subjects. 91% of students found our Psychology courses intellectually stimulating in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2021.

• You will be taught by our highly respected and experienced course team, which includes Chartered Members and Associate Fellows of the BPS. Many are research active, and their teaching excellence has been recognised as Associate Fellows, Fellows or Senior Fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Recent staff projects have included expectancy and placebo effects in alcohol and other drugs, psychometric test development and validation, analysing personality traits and coping styles in UK police officers and the varieties of developmental dyslexia in Greek children. Please note staff may be subject to change.

• You will also have the opportunity to gain a Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice upon successful completion of the Leading and Creating Organisational Health and Wellbeing module and meeting the CMI learning outcomes.

What you'll study
 

As a one-year conversion course, the on-campus course is designed to give you the chance to have an intensive but rewarding journey through each semester as we cover the key approaches to psychology and explore practical research skills in your journey towards producing your own independent research project. Additionally, this course includes a CMI Professional Development module. Each of the participating postgraduate courses have an individually tailored version of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Professional Development module. Please see Accreditation and Professional Recognition section.

Modules
 

• Research Methods in Psychology 1 - 20 credits

  The focus of the module is designed to give you the chance to gain direct practical experience of how to design, conduct and report psychological research with specific focus on an experimental methodology. The module will progress from exploring the conceptual understanding that is necessary to develop research proposals, through the practical considerations involved in the design and implementation of research designs, to exploring the skills and knowledge required to summarise, analyse, and present research findings.

  Compulsory
   

• Biological Psychology - 10 credits

  This module aims to explore the inter-relationship between behaviour and biological processes. We review basic principles of nervous and endocrine system structure and function before considering specific areas of interest to the biological psychologist such as the role of sleep, the nature of addiction, behavioural genetics, and pain.

  Compulsory
   

• Developmental Psychology - 10 credits

  This module examines psychological development from the pre-natal period through to adolescence drawing on key theoretical concepts and research findings. You will be encouraged to develop your critical evaluation skills and to develop a critical understanding of modern developmental psychology. An emphasis will be placed on the application of developmental psychological theory to applied settings and real-world issues such as education and the identification of developmental problems and the development of interventions to help children with developmental problems.

  Compulsory
   

• Origins and Concepts of Psychology - 10 credits

  The aim of the module is to introduce you to the historical and philosophical issues which provide a context for the modern study of psychology. The module outlines the field of psychology from its origins in the philosophy and the natural sciences of the 18th century through to the perspectives and sub-disciplines of psychology as a modern, scientific, and applied discipline.

  Compulsory
   

• Project Planning and Ethics in Psychology - 10 credits

  The aim of the module is to enable you to conceive a topic for dissertation, conduct background literature reviews on this topic, and develop a complete and approved proposal including consideration of ethics for your research dissertation.

  Compulsory
   

• Research Methods in Psychology 2 - 20 credits

  The dual aim of this module is to provide you with a firm grounding in qualitative and non-experimental methods and techniques commonly used in applied psychology. The module will focus on encouraging you to develop a critical knowledge and understanding of different selected qualitative designs and analytical approaches used in applied psychology research. To this end, you should learn how to analyse, report, interpret and write-up qualitative research in line with the BPS code of ethical conduct. The second aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to gain a critical appreciation of correlational designs, psychometric scale development, reliability and validation processes, and regression-based techniques utilised in contemporary psychology research.

  Compulsory
   

• Cognitive Psychology - 10 credits

  This module aims to develop your understanding of key cognitive processes such as memory, language, attention, and problem-solving. Contemporary research and theory will be considered, and you will be encouraged to develop evaluative and critical thinking skills when considering this. An emphasis will be placed on exploring how cognitive psychological theory can be applied in everyday settings.

  Compulsory
   

• Social Psychology - 10 credits

  This module is designed to give an in-depth exploration of applied topics in social psychology. You will consider and explore both the traditional and critical philosophies underlying contemporary social psychological research and a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. You will be encouraged to develop your critical evaluation skills and to develop a critical understanding of modern social psychology.

  Compulsory
   

• Applying Psychology - 10 credits

  The main aims of this module are: to introduce you to a selection of applied areas in psychology; to include various psychological theories as they are applied to the area and examples of types of research that are appropriate to those areas; and to provide career information surrounding professional practice in those areas. Within each area, you will explore issues of current interest in the field and will have the opportunity to develop skills which would be useful to a psychologist practising in the field. Applied areas presented may vary from year to year according to the expertise available within the department but may include occupational psychology, forensic psychology, health psychology, educational psychology, clinical psychology, counselling psychology and developmental psychology.

  Compulsory
   

• Individual Differences in Psychology - 10 credits

  This module aims to focus attention on the role of the individual within the study and development of psychology. The module integrates your previous psychological knowledge by explaining the nature of the developed individual as seen from various perspectives. These perspectives include the psychoanalytic, behavioural, cognitive, biological, and humanistic. You will also summarise and attempt to measure human psychological characteristics and cover the main areas of theory, research and debate concerning individual differences. Finally, you will investigate the philosophical implication of these attempts by questioning the original scientific paradigm of psychologists involved in attempting such measurement and explanation.

  Compulsory
   

• Independent Psychology Project - 50 credits

  The aim of this project is to engage you in supervised, but independently undertaken, empirical research at an advanced level. You will be encouraged to integrate and practice the skills acquired during the course and to investigate in depth at master’s level an area of specific interest to you. Additionally, you will be expected to demonstrate a critical and evaluative understanding of the research process including the ethics, issues, and problems in conducting empirical research in psychology.

  Compulsory
   

• Global Professional Development - Leading and Creating Organisational Health and Wellbeing  - 10 credits

  The modules cultivate the development of practical skills and attributes expected of post-graduates and demanded by employers across all business sectors. They have been created to demonstrate a contemporary reflection of management challenges that postgraduate students are likely to face as they complete their studies to enter the world of work, enabling students to become “work ready” graduates with professional skills and behaviours for professional practice. The modules are contemporary in content and endeavour to create opportunities for students to focus on current issues and explore emerging themes.

  Compulsory

Applicants should hold theof a 2:2 undergraduate degree.

English language requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5

International Fees
£16,950 per year

International Pathways 2022 Scholarship
You could enjoy a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees.
Our high-quality foundation, international year one and pre-masters courses are for international students who do not meet the requirements for direct entry to their preferred Coventry University undergraduate or postgraduate course. We can support you to achieve the academic and/or English grades you need and help you gain the personal and professional skills required to study at university.

We want to encourage ambitious international students like you to study at Coventry University, so we’ve secured extra financial support for you worth £3,000, to help with the cost of tuition fees, living expenses and accommodation.
 

The scholarship application deadline is:
September 2022 intake: 31 July 2022

The course confers eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered (GBC) Membership with the British Psychological Society, which forms part of the first stage training requirements in becoming a Chartered Psychologist, upon successful completion of the course.
On successful completion of this course, you will have:
 

• A comprehensive and critical understanding of psychology as a discipline (i.e., the core areas and their inter-relatedness, diversity, historical origins, theories, debates and concepts, development, and limitations)
• A critical approach to the identification, analysis, and evaluation of psychological research evidence and theory (i.e., psychological literatures)
• A critical understanding of psychological research paradigms, research methods, data analyses, and the ability to work professionally and ethically, culminating in the successful execution of an independent psychology research project
• A critical understanding of how psychology can be applied to global, real-world questions, situations, and contexts for the benefit of wide-reaching communities
• A range of transferable skills including, but not necessarily limited to, working independently and within teams, numerical and reasoning skills, digital literacy, communicating effectively in a variety of media to different audiences with scientific argument and sensitivity, appropriate self-management strategies to organise time and workloads
• To critically evaluate the principles for leading and developing people and a culture of organisational health and wellbeing.
   

Psychology is used professionally in all areas of life, from education and health to the economy and crime. Psychologists help people of all ages – from young children to teenagers, adults, and the elderly. They support people facing a wide range of circumstances, from the bereaved to those made redundant, victims of crime to the mentally ill.

There are two stages to becoming a Chartered Member of the BPS, requiring a combination of professional education and practice, during which you will choose to specialise in a particular area such as clinical psychology or educational psychology.

In the first instance, you need the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), which is achieved by completing a conversion course like this if you do not already hold an accredited undergraduate degree. The next stage will involve professional practice and may require further master’s study, depending on the field of psychology you wish to follow. Detailed guidance is available on the BPS website.