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Psychology MSc

Start date
September/October
Duration
1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Taught
Fees

£10,530 FT (UK students)
£26,280 FT (International Students)
More detail

 

One of our students, Tahani Baldwin, talks about why she chose to study MSc Psychology at Birmingham, and what she loves most about it. (Video transcript)

The Psychology MSc offers excellent opportunities for advanced learning in psychology, allowing you to engage with research-active staff and be part of the latest psychological science using leading technologies and methods.

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

 

As psychology reaches out to tackle the big questions facing society today, skills and experience in psychological research are becoming more and more in demand across wide domains of different industries. Our MSc in Psychology is aimed at students who wish to engage with research and want to further their knowledge and expertise of psychological science.

Note: the MSc Psychology is not a Psychology conversion course and is therefore not suitable for students who seek to acquire UK GBC (Graduate Charter Membership of the BPS).

Linked to current research within the School of Psychology, the course provides the opportunity to build knowledge in areas of contemporary psychology. The course teaches practical research skills, data science approaches in psychology, critical thinking, and presentation and scientific writing skills. The course provides opportunities to be part of forefront psychological science and research.

I'd like to call it one of the most memorable years of my life, thanks to the encouragement and support of my supervisor and friends. The programming and data analysis in the psychology experiments made me feel like a great scientist exploring into humanity's deepest secrets - the brain - for the psychology courses. Now I have a first-author publication as well as a satisfying career as a university mental health instructor in China. Choosing to study MSc Psychology at the University of Birmingham was the best decision I've ever made!

Zhifan Lu, MSc Psychology alumna

Why study this course?

This course offers an excellent opportunity for advanced learning in Psychology. For many students this course helps them to develop a more focused set of interests and skills within Psychology so that they can choose the next career step that is best for them. For others, who have already identified the sub-specialty that fires their career aspirations, the course allows them to delve more deeply into their subject and to gain more specific skills and knowledge needed to build their chosen career.

An aim of the course is to give students a boost in securing an interesting and exciting job in the workplace or a place on a high quality PhD course after graduation.

Modules

The course comprises of a series of taught core and optional modules. The core modules are designed to promote development of skills in experimental design, analysis, and scientific writing.

Taught modules currently include:

  • Research Methods & Skills in Psychology
  • Data Science for behaviour and brain I
  • Research review in Psychology
  • Proposing Research

Optional modules are shared across MSc programmes in the School of Psychology. Examples of optional modules available at this moment are:

  • Translational Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Application of Electrophysiological Approaches in Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Modelling Development and Diversity
  • Youth Mental Health

Students undertake a supervised research project, leading to a 6,000-word research thesis. See some of the recent projects undertaken by students on the course.

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. Unless indicated otherwise, the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2024. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to compulsory modules after that date; in this event we will contact offer holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

Fees

Fees for 2024/25

  • Code 7872: UK students £10,530 FT
  • Code 7873: UK students £5,265 PT
  • Code 7872: International students £26,280 FT only

Birmingham Masters Scholarship

We are offering over 200 awards of £2,000 to support the brightest and best applicants wishing to undertake Masters study at the University during 2024-2025.

Find out more and apply now  

Postgraduate Progression Award

Our Postgraduate Progression Awards offer final year undergraduates at the University of Birmingham a fee discount of £1,500 for postgraduate taught study.

Find out more and apply now  

Learn more about fees and funding.


Are you an international applicant?

All international applicants to this course will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of £2,000 on receipt of an offer, to secure their place.

Find out more about the deposit >>.

Global Masters Scholarship

This £2,000 award is available to all international students from a selection of countries who are seeking to study a taught Masters degree at Birmingham in the 2024-25 academic year.

Apply now

For further information contact the School directly or get in touch with the Funding, Graduation & Awards via the online enquiries system.

How To Apply

Please apply as soon as possible, as places are limited, and the programme may close when full. Please ensure that your personal statement meets our requirements as failure to do so will result in delays to processing the decision on your application.

International students requiring visas

1 July 2024 is the application deadline for international students who require a visa to study in the United Kingdom. We are not able to consider applications for 2024 made after this date; a new application will need to be made for September 2025.

UK students

31 August 2024 is the application deadline for UK students. We are not able to consider applications for 2024 made after this date; a new application will need to be made for September 2025.

Applications for 2024 entry are now open.

Making your application


Personal statement template

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

Applicants should have obtained a good Honours degree (at least 2:1 or equivalent) in Psychology or a related discipline and have gained at least a 2:1 (or equivalent) in the research dissertation (i.e., experience of planning and conducting research and analysing data).

Applicants who do not meet our requirement for a 2(i) in their final-year research project, but who have gained significant research experience in a psychology research lab(s) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Guidance for Personal statement

A personal statement template is available to help you ensure your personal statement  meets our requirements. Failure to include the requested information in the personal statement will result in delays to processing the decision on your application.

Examples of research interests in the School can be found on the following webpages:

Learn more about entry requirements.

International Requirements



International Students

English language requirements

Standard English language requirements apply (IELTS: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any band)


  • IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band
  • TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) including online: PTE Academic 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills
  • Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced – minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

The course includes a variety of learning and teaching activities, including lectures, seminars, journal clubs, and workshops. For research-based modules, students will have regular supervision and directed research work. Activities include both individual and group work.

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed by a variety of methods including essays and reports, oral and poster presentations, and peer assessments. 

A surprising range of careers are open to students graduating with an MSc in Psychology. Potential positions might involve health or education programme development or evaluation positions or consumer product (or services) research and testing. Our students are excellent candidates for research-related employment in both private and public sector organisations because this MSc develops key skills that are highly attractive to employers, namely analytical and statistical skills, as well as presentation and report writing skills.

This MSc is also excellent preparation for PhD or other advanced degree positions.