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University of Essex homepage Departments Psychology Masters
Department of Psychology

Masters study

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Explore your intellectual passion

Take a deep dive into the science of human thought, feelings, and behaviour by embarking on a Masters degree in the Department of Psychology.

You’ll be part of a truly diverse scientific community, where different levels of experience and expertise are brought together by shared passions to inform real-word change and impact.

Our research spans three overlapping areas - Thinking about the world, Interacting with the world, and Experiencing the world (T-I-E) - that feed into our overarching mission of tie-ing it all together to better Understand our Place in the World.

We take a research-led approach to teaching, giving students insight into cutting-edge advances in psychological research with these three themes feeding in to our modules. Throughout your degree, you will be able to study wide ranging topics including: memory and attention, emotional behaviour, human development across the lifespan, the social influences on our actions and the impact of culture on individual and group behaviour.

A Masters degree is an excellent way to enhance the skills and knowledge you developed during your undergraduate studies and prepare you for diverse career paths. We have Masters degrees suitable for students with BPS-accredited undergraduate degrees in psychology, and those with little to no background in the subject. Whichever degree you choose, you’ll receive research-led teaching from internationally renowned experts with access to our state-of-the-art facilities.

If you’re planning on working towards Chartered Psychologist status then our BPS-accredited postgraduate degree will be the ideal next step for you, giving you the grounding in research methods and statistics often needed for vocational psychology roles.

However, a professional psychology career is just one of many paths that postgraduate psychology can equip you for. Many of our graduates go on to careers in management, human resources, education, policy, data analytics, and research degrees. Our specialist postgraduate degrees will help prepare you for a vibrant future in these fields and more.

 

Explore our Masters courses
Why choose us?
  • You will develop the skills and knowledge needed to excel in many different exciting career paths. We offer three different programmes tailored to support everyone from those who have no background in psychology to those looking to become specialist experts.
  • You will be at the forefront of cutting-edge advances in psychological science. Our teaching is research-led so you’ll be learning from internationally renowned experts about the latest advances in psychology and the impact their research has on theory, practice and real-world change.
  • You will get hands-on practical experience that will bring lectures to life. We have an outstanding range of specialist labs and facilities including online experiments and cutting-edge equipment housed in our Centre for Brain Sciences, as well as a research experience scheme that gives you a front-row seat to what goes on behind the research scene.
Essex graduate Carolyn White, with pink hair and glasses, standing outside with a window, blue sky and clouds in the background.
"I really loved the neuropsychology and cognitive psychology modules because they show how the brains processing directly affects our behaviour in ways you really don't even think of. After graduating I used the alumni benefits of the Employability and Careers Centre to help hone my CV skills for applying to PhD studentships. I was ultimately awarded a PhD ICASE studentship at University of Salford, funded by the BBC. I am researching practical ways to help the employability and work lives of the neurodiverse (those with Autism ADHD, Dyslexia and other related conditions)."
Carolyn White MSc Psychology
Research experience scheme and internships
Engage in real-world research! RES gives you the opportunity to work alongside our academics on an ongoing research project.
Research degrees in the Department of Psychology
Find out more about the postgraduate research degree types in our department, and how to apply.
Our psychology research
Our research explores three key themes: thinking about the world; interacting with the world; and experiencing the world.

What can we offer you?

Dr Veronica Lamarche
"By mastering how people think about, interact with, and experience the world around them, the study of human psychology lies at the foundation of nearly all successful careers. Our MSc programmes prepare students for the global marketplace by 'tie'-ing together cutting-edge research underlying human thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and arming them with unique and competitive skills to better understand the world and the people who shape it."
Dr Veronica Lamarche Senior Lecturer and Postgraduate (Taught) Director

Our research

Thinking about the world
Interacting with the world
Experiencing the world
A close up of a microphone with a blurred crowded room in the background.
Understanding Our Place In The World: The Essex Psychology Podcast Series

This podcast series from the Department of Psychology brings together experts in the department to discuss how psychology research gives insight into a range of issues, from maintaining relationships in lockdown, to the thought processes that are linked to conspiracy theory beliefs.

View our podcast episodes
Your career after Essex
From the Probations Service to Clinical Psychology, and SEN support to human resources, find out what you can do with your psychology degree.
Fees and funding
There are many funding options available to help you study a Masters at Essex. We want talented students from all backgrounds and have a range of scholarships and bursaries to invest in your future.
How to apply
We make applying to Essex as simple as possible. Our online application takes about 20 minutes and our Admissions team offer advice on what you'll need and what happens after you apply.
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