Why this course?

This course is for those aiming to develop careers in research or enter subsequent training for a scientist practitioner-oriented career such as clinical or educational psychology.

It also provides a basis for further postgraduate study such as a PhD and applications for research assistant posts.

In addition to acquiring the skills and theory for conducting research, you'll have the opportunity to meet and discuss research with postgraduate students in the School of Psychological Sciences and Health. You'll also play a role in research with members of our academic staff.

You may also have the opportunity to be employed within the School as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.


What you'll study

This course is designed to maximise your research potential. It provides a thorough grounding in research methods for anyone wanting to apply for a research assistant post or for doctoral study, or enter training for a scientist practitioner-oriented career such as educational or clinical psychology.

You'll devote a signifcant amount of time to a substantial research project and focus on producing a thesis that it is potentially publishable in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. We provide the supoort of one-to-one supervision and access to the advanced research equipment in the School of Psychological Sciences and Health,

In addition, you'll complete training in the philosophy of social research methods, quantitative and qualitative research methods and research design over two semesters. These taught modules will provide the training essential for the completion of the research project and for your subsequent career in research.
Learning & teaching

Taught classes are a mixture of tutorials, lectures, demonstrations and hands-on practical sessions to facilitate your learning.
Assessment

Each taught class has its own set of assessments including essays, reports, class tests, presentations and research proposals. The dissertation will cumulate in a thesis.
Facilities

Specialist research equipment is available for use by our postgraduate students, including:

• motion capture via a suite of six infra-red cameras
• a driving simulator which can be programmed to display different scenarios and be used in conjunction with other equipment
• several types of eye tracker available which have been used to examine topics such as word reading and bias in attention to alcohol-related stimuli
• two psychophysiology labs to measure electrodermal activity, heart activity, electromyographic signals and EEG
• experiment generator package ‘E-Prime’
• a variety of questionnaires and ability measures including access to the online survey tool ‘Qualtrics’

Course content

You’ll complete five areas of training over two semesters:

• Perspectives on Social Research
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Research Design
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Dissertation

Careers

The course is primarily designed for graduates in psychology who wish to begin a career in research. It's ideally suited to someone who wishes to apply for a post as a research assistant or wishes to apply for doctoral study.

Previous students have been successful in receiving PhD funding from the University, as well as externally funded studentships from a variety of sources including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Welcome Trust, the Carnegie Trust, and places at other universities.

The course also provides research training to graduates who may wish to enter professional training for jobs which have a ‘scientist-practitioner’ underpinning such as clinical psychology.


* Scholarships available for international students