MSc in Psychological Research Methods

The course is suitable for students who:

• wish to progress to a PhD in Psychology
• wish to supplement their undergraduate qualifications before applying for training in clinical, educational, forensic or other areas of applied psychology.

• Small classes combined with an emphasis on individual tuition
• Emphasis on 'hands-on' experience backed by appropriate theoretical knowledge
• Advanced training in research design, methodology and statistics
• Availability of a wide range of options in areas of psychology in which the Lancaster Department excels
• Excellent equipment and research facilities, including a Macintosh Laboratory with the latest software and several specialist laboratories for investigating, for example, social interaction, spatial cognition, motor behaviour, and child development.

Compulsory (students complete each of the these)

• Analysing and interpreting data 1.
• Analysing and interpreting data 2.
• Analysing talk and text.
• Conducting and presenting psychological research.

Options (students take one)

The specific options available in any academic year may be subject to some variation, but normally include:

• Theory and method in memory research.
• Research methods in human motor control.
• The information-processing approach to perception and cognition.
• Variation in working memory.
• Fundamentals of language speech and hearing.
• Social psychology: approaches and applications.
• Social psychology of conflict and solidarity.
• Developmental psychology.
• Experimental research methods in the study of infant development.
• Developmental disorders.
• Philosophy of mind and psychology.

Research Dissertation

During the second half of the academic year students complete a dissertation based upon an independent research project supervised by a member of staff. The dissertation provides an opportunity to work in an area of specialist interest of a member of academic staff.

Recent Psychological Research Methods dissertations include:

• False Memories and Social Influence.
• Healthy Women's Perceptions of Breast Cancer.
• Mapping the social competence of a teenager with Asperger's syndrome in a mainstream school environment.
• The Effect of aversive Racism in the Employment of Afrocentric Individuals.
• The relationship between Perceived Parenting and Preadolescents' Self-esteem and Problem Behaviour.
• The effects of attention and hyperactivity on inference control in children.
• An investigation into the effects of controllability and self-esteem on counterfactual thinking.
• How do Crime, Sentence and Previous Convictions Affect how Juveniles Cope with Prison Life?
• The efficacy of training senior oncology doctors to break bad news and to elicit patient concerns.

Stephen Gibson

Stephen completed the MSc and then progressed onto his doctoral studies:

"I came to Lancaster in 1998 as an undergraduate. I lived in County College for my first year before moving into town for second and third year. The colleges allow you to belong to something more specific than the university as a whole, while providing a base on campus after you've moved out. Lancaster itself is also a great city: a very lively and enjoyable place to live.

"The Psychology Department provided a supportive and stimulating environment during my undergraduate degree, so I decided to stay on to do an MSc. The course was challenging, providing in depth coverage of both qualitative and quantitative methods, but it was also a rewarding experience. In fact, I am now doing a PhD in social psychology as part of a larger departmental project about national identity. Whilst completing my studies, I am also picking up some valuable teaching and research experience in the department."

Candidates should have an honours degree in Psychology or in any related discipline (normally a 2:1 degree classification or above). Please note that a BPS accredited psychology degree is not essential.

Candidates who do not have a first degree in Psychology, or with lower qualifications may be considered if they can demonstrate that they have a satisfactory grounding in research methods and statistics.

Overseas students also need to demonstrate their competence in English Language, by achieving, for example, an IELTS score of at least 6.5 or TOEFL score of 580.

October-Easter

Students take five taught modules, of which four are compulsory and one optional.

Easter-September

Students complete an independent research project under the supervision of a member of staff, and prepare a dissertation for submission in September.

Assessment:

There are no formal examinations. Some of the assessment for the analysis modules is by class test. Otherwise all assessment is through coursework and dissertation.

Course length:

12 months full-time

24 months part-time

Information about course fees is available from the Student Registry pages on the university website.

Please look at our postgraduate funding page for more information

Applicants may use the online system here. Documents can be uploaded directly, or emailed to the Faculty Admissions Office fst-pg-admissions@lancaster.ac.uk. Questions about the courses can be directed to the Department’s Postgraduate Coordinator: