MSc Research Methods in Psychology

Do you have an undergraduate degree in psychology and want to expand your knowledge of psychological theories and methods?

Our MSc Research Methods in Psychology provides you with advanced training to develop your awareness of psychological science in relation to its philosophical and biological contexts, and to conduct research in the natural and social sciences. In addition to this research-focused training, you also study advanced topics in psychology that will extend your theoretical knowledge. In doing so, you examine some of today's most pressing societal challenges by investigating how people think about, interact with, and experience the world around them.

Explore topics including:

• methods in cognitive neuroscience
• advanced statistical techniques
• research management
• interview analysis

If you intend to pursue a career as a research psychologist or undertake a research degree, our MSc Research Methods in Psychology gives you the advanced research training needed to prepare for a PhD and enhances your chances of obtaining funding. Our Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) offer you skills training and funding for your postgraduate research. We are supported by some of the most prestigious funding bodies, including the European Commission and the Leverhulme Trust.

We are a warm and friendly Department of Psychology, and we wish to welcome recent graduates of psychology or a closely related subject such as cognitive science. This course is popular with international students, particularly those from North America. Our students receive a high-quality Masters degree within one year and benefit from small class sizes and strong research training.

Our expert staff

The Department of Psychology at Essex supports world-leading, interdisciplinary research that promotes a better Understanding of Our Place in the World. This organisation of our research mission allows us to unite and synthesise knowledge across core psychology disciplines and beyond. To contribute to our mission, staff often dismantle conventional, disciplinary boundaries. This unique approach benefits from the use of multi-methodological approaches, while nurturing the translation of our research findings into practical tools that benefit society.

Our academic staff include award-winning teachers and prize-winning researchers who are international experts in their own research areas. We are 17th in the UK for research power in psychology (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Our department is also expanding, and has recently appointed a number of excellent researchers whose expertise increases the diversity and depth of our skills base.

• We have a strong expertise of researchers who focus on the psychological underpinnings of individual and group-motivated behaviour and reasoning. Our work in this area brings together researchers applying different methodologies to study how people make decisions, remember, and feel and act, e.g. in the political arena and in health and disease. Staff have strong skills in experimental behavioural, electrophysiological, and neuromodulatory techniques.
• We also actively contribute to our understanding of how we perceive and present ourselves in relation to others, and how this affects our behaviour and well-being. Staff study individual and group processes that are fundamental to social relations and that address questions around social wellness, sexual and interpersonal relationships, and their links to identity and meaning of life, justice, and trust. They also focus on education, language, and cross-cultural processes and their interaction. Theme members use multiple methodologies, including self-report, behavioural observations, and (electro-)physiological measures to provide a wide-ranging look into the psychological processes underlying society's pressing issues and that guide our most important social interactions.
• Many of our staff and research students help to unravel the physiological and neural underpinnings of how we experience and perceive our body states, how we see, and how we control our actions. They further answer questions on how our perceptions and experiences change as we age. Infant and children work is conducted in our Essex Babylab, the leading infant lab in the East of England. Staff use a variety of techniques, including EEG, fNIRS, fMRI, TMS/tDCS, physiological and behavioural measures.

Specialist facilities

We are committed to giving you access to state-of-the-art facilities in higher education, housed entirely within our purpose-built psychology building on our Colchester Campus:

• dedicated laboratories to employ a range of cutting-edge methodologies when carrying out your research projects
• specialist areas to study visual and auditory perception, developmental psychology, and social psychology
• a virtual reality suite and an observation suite
• our Babylab, the leading infant lab in the East of England that explores perceptual, emotional, and cognitive processes in infants
• our multimillion-pound Centre for Brain Science (CBS), which allows staff and students to investigate brain activity (including electrophysiology (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)) and houses a range of facilities to measure eye movements and physiological responses (such as heart rate and skin conductance)
• a first-of-its-kind dedicated Minecraft Lab, which uses the popular game to study human behaviour in situations that might be impractical or unethical to recreate in the real world

Your future

With the skills and knowledge you acquire from studying within our Department of Psychology, you will find yourself in demand from a wide range of employers.

Graduates from this course go on to work in a diverse range of careers and industries. Recent graduates are working as survey officers, research assistants, and data analysts at organisations such as the Institute for Social and Economics Research, Vita Health group, and the Office of National Statistics.

Others continue their education in counselling and clinical psychology and hold positions such as senior psychological wellbeing practitioner and assistant psychologist at organisations such as the NHS. We also have excellent links with the research community for those interested in careers in research and teaching in a higher-education context. We are recognised by the ESRC as providing excellent postgraduate training, and are an accredited Doctoral Training Centre, offering competitive studentships. Our PhD students have taken up postdoctoral positions in other top UK and international universities (e.g. US, Italy, Australia), as well as being appointed to lectureships across the UK.

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 degree or international equivalent in one of the following subjects:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science (or a related subject)
• Psychology

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum score of 5.5 in all components.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Teaching

• Your modules are taught through lectures, laboratory practicals, tutorials, seminars, fieldwork, independent reading, and research projects.
• A typical timetable for postgraduate taught students in the Department of Psychology involves a two-hour lecture for each module per week. Some modules involve additional computer labs (normally 1 hour per week) or seminars (normally two or three per term).
• We host a very active programme of research seminars.

Assessment

• Full-year modules are most often examined using a three-hour examination, and half-year modules by a two-hour examination.

Dissertation

• An original psychological study carried out under the supervision of a staff member.
• Maximum of 10,000 words, written up as a research report.