PSYC7008
20 credits
You will look at key theories and research paradigms in the field of developmental psychology, including social and cognitive development and you will also...
Accredited by British Psychological Society (BPS)
Psychology
MSc, PGDip, PGCert
Deepen your understanding of psychology and research methods, exploring how evidence can inform the study of behaviour.
Key facts
- Duration
- Full time: MSc: 12 months; for PGDip/PGCert: please contact us
- Part time: MSc: 24 months; for PGDip/PGCert, please contact us
- Starts
- September 2027
- Level
- Master's and postgraduate
- UCAS code
- P045760
- Location
- Headington
- School
- School of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health
About this course
What makes us who we are? How do children learn? And how can we support people with mental health issues? Explore these topics and more on a course that sets you up for a career as a professional psychologist.
Whether or not you have prior knowledge of psychology, our MSc Psychology is the ideal conversion course. You’ll study alongside people looking to make a career change, those interested in the psychology of their industry and psychology students looking for an accredited degree by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
You’ll study core content set by the BPS and put your knowledge into practice in a piece of hands-on, independent research. You’ll learn more about your career possibilities and have opportunities to develop your experiences and skills. All on-site learning takes place across 1 or 2 fixed days per week depending on full or part-time studies.
Completing our BPS accredited MSc establishes the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the BPS giving you a strong foundation and gives you access for your next steps.
Accreditations
- Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), with eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership subject to meeting the required conditions.
Teaching and facilities
Learn from active researchers in purpose-built facilities, including the Baby Lab. You’ll have opportunities to get hands-on experience during the course.
Affordability
We understand the cost of living is a factor so we made competitive pricing a priority.
Employability
Enhance your CV with graduate membership of the British Psychological Society and practical experience.
Location and facilities
We are close to transport links and lie within an hour’s drive of many major cities across the southern counties and midlands.
Research expertise
The quality and impact of our research has been reflected in the UK government’s latest Research Excellence Framework, where the majority of our research was judged to be world leading or of international standing.
We work with health and education professionals as well as partners in industry to develop knowledge and understanding that informs policy and improves people’s lives. For example, our research has led to improved practice guidelines in both health and education, the development of valuable assessment tools and the adoption of new policies.
We continue to attract funding awards from bodies including:
- ESRC
- MRC
- UKRI
- Cancer Research
- Technology Strategy Board
- Ministry of Defence
- National Institute for Health Research
- Leverhulme Trust.
Working within the Centre for Psychological Research, Oxford Brookes Psychology staff are actively involved in their own research programmes, as members of our four key research groups: Developmental Psychology; Applied Social and Cultural Psychology; Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience; and Health Behaviour and Wellbeing.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| IELTS | IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills. For more information, please see our English language requirements. |
You should normally hold a minimum of a second class honours degree (2:2), or equivalent.
Fees and funding
Fees
| Fee types | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
|---|---|---|
| Home full-time | £10,450 | £10,750 |
| Home part-time | £5,225 | £5,375 |
| International full-time | £18,250 | £19,300 |
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page.
Questions about fees?
Learning and assessment
MSc Psychology is a conversion course ideal for students with little prior knowledge of psychology. We follow BPS subject guidelines, so you study the fundamental theories, methods and practice of psychology needed for graduate membership of the Society. These include core areas like development psychology, cognitive psychology, historical and conceptual issues, and psychological health and disorders.
You will also develop the practical skills needed for a professional career, including research paradigms, methods and measurement techniques, and statistical and qualitative analysis.
We integrate theory, research and practice throughout the course enabling you to gain the knowledge you need for the next stage of your career. Additionally, our teaching staff includes developmental, social, health, biological and cognitive psychology experts so you can find the right advisor for your dissertation.
You will be taught through the following methods:
- Lectures
- Interactive sessions, including debates and oral/poster presentations
- Research seminars
- Tutorials
- Supervised seminar presentations
- Collaborative learning
- Problem based learning
- Laboratory classes, seminars/workshops, computer-based exercises
- Research projects
- Use of online resources (Moodle)
- Reflecting on learning and application of learning
- Independent reading and research.
Diverse teaching methods are employed to aid the quality of learning opportunities for your understanding of psychology.
You will also gain a number of transferable intellectual and practical skills valued by employers, such as:
- critical analysis and thinking
- reflective thinking and writing
- reasoning and problem solving
- refined writing abilities
- numeracy and data analysis
- scientific method
- presentation and public speaking skills
- team working and networking abilities
Assessment
A range of formative and summative assessment methods are used including
- unseen written exams
- coursework essays
- individual and group presentations
- critical reviews
- statistical analysis
- qualitative reports
- reflective writing.
You will also complete a research-based dissertation, an extended and supervised piece of work reporting on new empirical data.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
PSYC7002
20 credits
This module is your introduction to some conceptual aspects of psychology: - ontology - epistemology - methodology - and ethics. Also you will take an overview...
PSYC7001
20 credits
On this module you will explore the fundamental organisation and functioning of the brain, along with its related sensory and motor systems. It examines...
PSYC7005
20 credits
The primary objective of this module is to enhance your proficiency with fundamental statistical concepts as applied in psychological science. It seeks to...
PSYC7006
20 credits
This module will enhance your understanding of theories and research methods related to intelligence, personality, and individual differences. It offers...
PSYC7003
20 credits
This module aims to deepen your understanding of theories and research methods in the realm of psychological health and mental health conditions. Topics will...
PSYC7004
10 credits
This module will enhance your knowledge of qualitative methods and research skills in psychology. Through a structured framework for developing essential...
PSYC7007
50 credits
The objective of the dissertation is to enable you to explore and develop your own ideas within a specific area of psychology while you gain hands-on experience...
Careers
Graduate from MSc Psychology with a recognised qualification in psychology and open doors to:
- Professional training including educational, psychological or clinical psychology.
- Higher academic study with a research PhD or specialised master’s.
- Broad workplace opportunities, with alumni using their MSc Psychology skills in hospitality, the charitable sector and the publishing industries.
Your career is important to us, so we offer volunteer opportunities with charities and organisations. You can also attend career talks, an alumni conference and lively research seminars.
One of our strengths at Oxford Brookes is our in-house research which offers hands-on experience for your CV.
Our teaching staff includes many active researchers who need research assistants on a diverse range of projects where you can also learn about the equipment in our labs.
Your academic adviser will meet with you regularly to talk about ways to progress and offer practical help with applications for future training and employment.
How to apply
Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)