Our Psychology MA is a new course designed to offer advanced study in psychology with an emphasis on both research excellence and critical writing skills. Following two semesters of academic study, students write a stand-alone literature review in an area of psychology that particularly appeals to them. This may be an idea or theory that the graduate is already developing, or may be in an area that they become interested in during the course. An academic supervisor will help students to develop their ideas and hone their writing skills, providing support for the literature review. Students can choose to follow a general programme or specialise by choosing particular options in semesters one and two.

Students wishing to can exit the programme after achieving either a PG Certificate or PG Diploma if they don’t wish to undertake the full MA.

Golden Opportunity

The MA Psychology offers a golden opportunity to conduct a thorough and exhaustive review of any psychological phenomenon, because psychology concerns itself with the true nature of anything and everything. Students arrive with an abiding interest in a particular subject area or they develop an interest in a subject area from studying other modules. They embark on a search of existing literature in order to describe and explain a phenomenon and by evaluating the available evidence are in a position to draw strong conclusions and make cogent recommendations for future research.

The course is especially recommended to graduates who want to:

• pursue a career in psychology-related humanities, the health-care professions and social-sciences such as scientific journalism, business management, occupational psychology, marketing and medical care;
• give their CV an additional boost
• explore a particular area of psychology in detail through researching and writing a literature review.

It should be noted that the course does not qualify a student for PhD study at Bangor Psychology, but that should not deter students from applying to psychology departments in other universities and for PhD study in other disciplines. For example, our MA graduates have pursued PhD study in Sociology, Business and Marketing, and Medical History and Humanities.

Programme Aims

• To provide post-graduate foundation in psychology and psychological research;
• To evaluative psychological research methodology, experimental design and analysis;
• To provide the conceptual tools necessary for insight into psychological processes and meanings within several key domains of psychology that the student selects;
• To enable students to develop a critical and evaluative understanding of different approaches to psychological study;
• To develop key skills in psychological research such as scientific writing, critical analysis of research and communicating research in psychology;
• To enable students to produce a substantial written dissertation demonstrating their ability to understand, evaluate and integrate psychological research into a coherent body

What will you study on this course?

During the first two Semesters of this course, content modules are split between core research foundation courses providing an in depth knowledge of how psychological experiments are designed, carried out, analysed and written up, as well as a focus on evaluating scientific research and writing with an appropriate scientific style, and courses offering a variety of subject matters that students can choose from. Courses are taught by the highest calibre research academics and we provide an excellent teaching and learning environment through the use of innovative teaching tools, media and environments. Some courses integrate both undergraduate and graduate classes and so provide a rich and vibrant atmosphere for learning and social interactions.

This course consists of taught components along with a systematic literature review. Semesters one and two involve both core modules and a selection of content modules. During the second semester, students work, with the support of an academic supervisor, to identify a theory, model or research question that they wish to explore through their review. They then carry out a repetitive search of databases and other sources of data to identify the subject of the review. Once identified, the data is gathered and evaluated. The systematic review is then completed during the third semester.

Teaching and Learning Assessment

Teaching occurs via lectures, seminars and tutorials given by research experts in the School. All teachers are actively engaged in research programmes. Assessment methods include written exams, essays, oral presentations, and a research dissertation.

Literature Review

The dissertation is the key component of this course allowing the student to demonstrate their learning, knowledge and understanding. Each student focuses on a specific research question or theory and, along with their supervisor, they will develop their ideas, review the relevant literature and write a dissertation.

The course is especially recommended to graduates who want to pursue a career in psychology-related humanities, the health-care professions and social-sciences such as scientific journalism, business management, occupational psychology, marketing and medical care. Whatever are the individual’s career aspirations, students receive training and practice during the course of their studies to increase their employment prospects. For example, students attend a mock, filmed interview in application for a PhD studentship, and their performance is reviewed and assessed and discussed with their tutor. Recent graduates have secured a variety of posts, including Programme Coordinator at a prestigious Medical College in USA, Commercial Management Graduate with Coca-Cola, and Marketing Coordinator at Brother Industries.

Research / Links with Industry

The academics involved with this course have extensive research links with external bodies and companies, which are fully utilised in ensuring that the modules are relevant to the modern work and research environment graduates will enter.

Psychology as a science and as a profession makes a difference to real people in the real world, by improving quality of life across a wide range of areas. We are proud of our strengths in both the teaching and learning and research domains, ensuring that you’ll be learning the science and application of psychology from world class researchers and lecturers.