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Psychology MSc

2025-26

How to apply Order a prospectusPostgraduate Open Days
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This course is eligible for Master's loan funding. Find out more.

Start date

22 September 2025

Duration

1 year full-time

Places available (subject to change)

20

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About the course

Reasons to study

  1. The course allows you to lead a research project in psychology, under the supervision of a lecturer who is an expert in the area.
  2. Upon successful completion of the course you are eligible to register for Graduate Basis Chartered membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society.
  3. You’ll gain hands-on experience using our state-of-the-art equipment to ensure you’re well prepared to put your research into practice.

This course provides a high quality, broad based education in psychology. This conversion course was specifically designed for graduates of any discipline, as well as those who have previously studied psychology in their undergraduate degree and was not accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

  • You will be taught by a team with research interests in applied psychology across seven major content areas; Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Biological Psychology, Individual Differences, Research Methods and Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology.
  • You will explore quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as data analysis. This will help to prepare you to conduct your own research project, supported by a subject matter expert.
  • Ethics is an integral part of psychology; therefore, you will be taught research ethics and the wider application of ethics to the workplace and society.
  • The optional modules provide an insight into professional careers such as forensic, educational and health psychology.
  • Successful completion of the course currently leads to eligibility to register for Graduate Basis Chartered membership (GBC) with the BPS. Once registered, the GBC status allows you to apply for further postgraduate BPS accredited courses.

Course detail

Brain-Behaviour and Cognition

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop a critical understanding of cognitive and biological explanations of human behaviour. You will explore a diverse range of topics including psychopharmacology, behavioural genetics, memory and human perception.

Developmental Psychology and Professional Development

In the developmental psychology part of the module you will be supported to build on your knowledge of human development across the lifespan in a variety of contexts. You will learn about different methodological approaches to studying human development and how to critique them. In the professional development part of the module, you will reflect on your personal and professional skills development and how psychology-related skills can be used beyond university.

Individual Differences

You will study a range of approaches to understanding individual differences and how these have been applied in education, clinical practise and the workplace. Critically examining different psychological explanations of motivation, emotion and the self; you will consider the application of theory in applied contexts.

Research and Analysis Skills in Psychology

This module provides the opportunity for you to acquire a critical understanding of the range of quantitative approaches to research in Psychology, including experimental, quasi-experimental, non-experimental and qualitative methods. You will also have the chance to develop the ability to define appropriate participant samples and groups, understanding of the purposes and limitations of specific research techniques, the application of appropriate statistical methods or qualitative analysis to data from various designs and interpret the results, use appropriate methods of data collection and statistical tests or qualitative analysis.

Research Proposal in Psychology

This module helps to support you in the development of your ideas for your research proposal, in readiness for the project module. In addition you will explore how to complete a submission of the proposal for ethical approval for research involving human participants or data derived from them. You will learn about ethics beyond research and professional conduct.

Research Project in Psychology

In this module you will carry out an independent piece of research under the supervision of a member of Psychology staff who has Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS). You will submit a proposal for ethical approval for research involving human participants or data derived from them. You will have the opportunity to develop the ability to manage the process of constructing and carrying out a piece of research, analysing and interpreting the empirical data derived from it and communicating your findings in an appropriate report format.

Entry requirements

You must satisfy the following requirements as defined by the BPS and have either:

  • An Honours degree (2:2 or above) in Psychology (or a similar subject) that has not been accredited by the BPS as leading to the GBC.
  • Or an Honours degree (2:2 minimum) in a subject other than Psychology and GCSE Maths (or the equivalent at grade C or above).

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Due to the BPS requirements, it is not possible for you to gain accreditation for your prior learning.

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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