Psychology, MSc, PGDip

Our British Psychological Society (BPS) conversion courses are designed for graduates of other disciplines who wish to pursue a career in psychology but whose first degree is not recognised by the BPS. Entry on to the MSc Psychology does not require you to have studied any psychology previously.

The MSc Psychology and PGDip Psychology are British Psychological Society (BPS) approved conversion courses. They are designed for graduates of any discipline whose first (i.e. undergraduate) degree is not recognised by the BPS.

• MSc Psychology is a 180-credit qualification which requires no previous experience or study of psychology.
• PGDip is a 120-credit qualification which requires that you have already completed 60 credits of study in psychology.

Successful completion of either qualification confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the BPS.

The PG Dip and MSc students are taught together, with the MSc students taking their additional modules from term two onwards. This means that, assuming you meet the entry criteria for both courses, it's easy to transfer from one to the other at any point in the first term.

This course attracts a range of students including those who have recently completed an undergraduate degree in a subject other than psychology or a non-accredited degree and also applicants who have come from jobs in the public and private sector, who are looking for a career change.

Accreditation by the British Psychological Society (BPS)
This course is accredited by the BPS as a psychology conversion course conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Registration. This is the first step towards becoming a chartered Psychologist and provides the basis for further professional training in psychology.

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Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 4460
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MSc / PG Dip Psychology course content

Psychology is the systematic study of behaviour and experience. As a discipline it is wide-ranging and overlaps with both biological sciences, such as neurology, physiology and genetics, and with social sciences such as sociology and anthropology.

The course is designed to provide dedicated supportive teaching tailored to the particular needs of postgraduate conversion students and to facilitate the development of a strong course identity among students.

• Further support is provided through small group individualised teaching in tutorials and individual supervision of the Research Project and Specialist Essay.
• The Psychology Division is large, with around 50 academic staff covering all areas of the discipline, and thus students on the MSc/PG Dip are able to take options from, and do research projects in areas of particular interest to them. This can be very helpful in preparation for related work or further study after graduation.

MSc Psychology and PG Diploma students complete core modules in:

• Biological Psychology
  This module introduces the major structures and functions of the nervous system, with particular emphasis on psychopharmacology. This basic knowledge is then used to explore the role of biology in behaviour, in particular biological accounts of psychiatric disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, drug addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
  
  
• Social Psychology
  The module introduces a range of key topics within social psychology (e.g. the social self, social cognition, obedience and conformity, and prosocial behaviour). Throughout the module there is a strong emphasis on how social psychology can be applied to the real world and also the value of social psychology.
  
  
• Developmental Psychology
  This module is concerned with the social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of humans across the life span. Throughout this module we will consider the way in which innate mechanism (nature) and life experience (nurture) interact and how they impact on our development.
  
  
• Cognitive Psychology
  This module approaches the study of cognition (i.e. mental processes such as memory, attention, language, problem solving and perception) from the viewpoint that we need to examine both normal, abnormal, and the applications of cognition within the real world. Lectures will be based around background materials on each subject area and you will be encouraged to find journal articles to support the lectures.
  
  
• Individual Differences
  This module is concerned with the individual development of people's personality, intelligence, health and emotional wellbeing. You will be encouraged to debate and reflect on the application of individual differences psychology to fields as diverse as occupational, health and educational psychology.
  
  
• Historical and Conceptual Issues
  This module provides a guide to the main ideas, people and approaches that have shaped the discipline of psychology throughout its history. Teaching will lead from the earliest attempts to establish a modern science of the mind (covering the work of Von Helmholtz, Fechner, and Wundt) through psychoanalysis (Freud), American functionalism (James), behaviourism (Watson; Skinner), humanism (Maslow; Rogers) and on towards the modern discipline and cognitive science.
  
  
• Research Methods
  Divided into three areas; experimental research, qualitative research and survey methods / psychometrics, you will be guided through the process of research design, data collection, analysis and report writing. You will be taught important theoretical issues such as ethics, sampling, randomisation and other aspects of research design, but the module is primarily focussed on giving you the opportunity to learn by actually doing research.
  
  
• Statistics
  The module will provide theoretical and practical knowledge of a range of statistical techniques and the skills that are taught will support the Research Methods module. While some mathematical competence is beneficial, we attempt to minimise the mathematical content of the module by teaching you the underlying assumptions and rationale behind the statistical techniques rather than their complex mathematics.
  
  
• Psychology Research Project
  Your project is an independent piece of work that is supervised by a research active member of staff who will guide and support you as you work towards producing a final report for assessment. This will be the main opportunity for you to carry out an extensive piece of independent research of your own choosing and for you to demonstrate that you have the skills to devise, conduct, analyse, present and report an empirical study to postgraduate level.

In addition, MSc Psychology students complete and extended essay, again under supervision and focused on a topic of their choosing, as well as 20 credits of 'Contemporary Psychology' selected from a list of available option choices.

• Specialist Psychological Essay (MSc only)
  This module provides you with the opportunity to comprehensively explore the application of psychology within different occupational, cultural or social settings. The specific topic and setting explored by the essay will be determined by your own interests and can be drawn from any area of psychology.
  
  
• Contemporary Psychology (MSc only)
  MSc Psychology students will also chose an option module during the second term. These modules are sourced from the BSc (H) Psychology final year options and generally focus on more applied fields of psychology and will reflect the research interests of staff within the Division.

MSc Psychology students often focus their option choices, essay and project in the same area of psychology with a view to future employment possibilities. It's a good way to target your CV!

All of the core modules on these courses are taught exclusively to MSc and PGDip Psychology students by experienced staff used to working with students from a wide variety of backgrounds and with varying skills and experiences. Further support is provided through a dedicated tutorial system. Tutorials provide an opportunity to discuss the course content, studying methods, careers and assessments in small groups.

The course:

• provides graduates in other disciplines with a route to becoming a professional psychologist
• covers all of the core knowledge areas within psychology
• deepens students' range of quantitative and qualitative research skills and methods, culminating in an independent research project
• gives students access to, and requires them to make use of, recently developed and well-equipped laboratories
• provides lectures, seminars, tutorials and lab classes that facilitate the development of a course identity among students
• makes full use of the facilities provided by the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Research opportunities
Students carry out both an empirical research project with a research active member of staff and an in-depth literature based dissertation. The Division of Psychology has links with several external organisations and some students will be able to make use of these links in carrying out their research project.

Assessment
You will be assessed thin a variety of ways and on a modular basis; through examination (both seen and unseen exams are used), coursework (including essays, laboratory reports and literature reviews), oral presentation and via your research project.

Psychology resources and facilities
The BPS-accredited psychology conversion courses at Nottingham Trent University are supported by nearly 50 academic staff and an appropriate level of other support staff (secretarial, clerical, admin and technical).

The University has made significant financial investment in the Psychology Division over recent years upgrading accommodation, facilities and equipment used exclusively for the provision of our psychology courses and for research. We have a state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching laboratory suite opened in 2006, and a further phase of development, opened in 2007, includes a second teaching laboratory specifically catering for postgraduate students.

In addition there are specialist suites dedicated to particular areas of interest in psychology, including:

• social interaction, group work and interviewing
• computer gaming and cyberpsychology
• eye-tracking
• cognitive modelling and visual analysis
• psychophysiology.

Alongside these are new flexible cubicles for student project work, a psychometric test bank library, and a technical workshop.