Applied Social and Political Psychology

Course Overview

About the course

Application closing date: 31st July

This programme has been carefully developed for students who are interested in gaining advanced knowledge of psychological theory as this relates to social and political issues and the potential for such knowledge to generate progressive social change. The degree programme will equip you to engage critically and analytically with these issues and help you to develop novel ways of thinking about yourself, those around you and society at large. The theoretical and applied nature of this programme will offer you the opportunity to study how psychology helps interpret some of the most pressing social and political issues facing human society inPG Psychology the 21st Century and how it can contribute to tackling some of them.

In addition to your taught components, you will have the opportunity to undertake a dissertation project on a topic of your choice under the direct supervision of a member of staff. You will be able to use quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches.

A further unique feature of this degree programme is that it involves you in the design and implementation of an Action Research Project that is aimed at bringing a tangible, positive change on or off campus in collaboration with your fellow students and under the supervision of your Module Leader.

The programme is aimed primarily at students with a degree in Psychology but will also be valuable and relevant to students with an interest or background in Criminology, International Relations, Politics, Sociology, History, and other relevant Social Sciences degrees. Applicants without a degree will be considered on a case by case basis, where they can provide evidence of relevant professional experience or other experiential prior learning.

Key features of your MSc programme in psychology will include:

Strong focus on your personal skills development throughout the course to help you pursue your career goals
Opportunities to pursue your personal interests with expert support
A broad range of research methods training to maximise your employability skills
Small group specialist teaching in your chosen field from research-active tutors
A large cohort of MSc students sharing the core modules provides a lively and supportive peer community

Applied Social and Political Psychology (MSc) leaflet

Other related courses you may be interested in:

Aims of the course

Above all, we aim for this programme to have a positive professional and personal impact on you.
An important aim of this programme is to develop your knowledge of research evidence and theory as this relates to a range of social and political issues.
The programme is aimed to provide you with opportunities to experience hands-on how research and theory (e.g., through the Action Research Project and your own dissertation project of choice) can be used to bring about social change in local communities and society at large.
To develop a range of advanced research skills.
Empower writing and presentations skills necessary to articulate your arguments and disseminate psychological theory and research.
To assist you to develop as a competent, empowered, and employable psychologist.

The overall aims of all our MSc Psychology programmes are as follows:

To equip you to formulate and conduct psychological research projects;
To develop your knowledge of different theoretical perspectives, philosophical traditions and methodological approaches to psychology;
To enable you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different research methods and different forms of data, and to evaluate their appropriateness for different research problems;
To enable you to define and formulate research questions and testable hypotheses, and to design appropriate research to answer these questions using relevant methods of data collection, consistent with British Psychological Society principles of ethics and research governance;
To provide you with knowledge of quantitative and qualitative approaches to research and data analysis techniques;
To provide you with a range of opportunities to engage with advanced research in substantive areas relevant to their own research topic and to the discipline of psychology;
To provide you with opportunities to enhance and develop your written and communication skills, independent learning skills, and critical reflection and evaluation skills.

Course content

Our MSc Psychology programmes are designed to foster a vibrant and collaborative peer culture amongst our MSc students. Several of our modules are shared by all four of our MSc psychology programmes. We also know it’s vital that you develop the advanced specialised skills you will need to pursue careers in your chosen fields. Throughout your MSc degree you are supported and encouraged to focus your work to help you conduct in-depth explorations of your specialist subjects and personal interests.

All MSc Psychology students undertake the following core modules designed to help you engage with the pluralistic nature of psychology and understand the broader field within which your specialised interest sits:

Contemporary Research in Psychology (15 credits)
Advanced Research Skills and Design (15 credits)
Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis (15 credits)
Research Apprenticeship in Psychology (15 credits)

In addition to the core modules all students can tailor their research methods training to suit their needs and interests by choosing one of the following option modules:

Qualitative Research Methods (15 credits)
Advanced Cognitive Neuroscience Research Methods (15 credits)

Research is a key emphasis in our programmes and you will be supported by a specialist tutor in your chosen field to undertake original research as part of the Research Preparation (15 credits) and Dissertation (60 credits) modules. In addition to your Dissertation, you will participate in designing and implementing an Action Research Project with the aim to bring about a tangible, positive change on or off campus in collaboration with your fellow students and under the supervision of your Module Leader. This unique feature will provide you hands-on experience in understanding the psychology of organising social change.

You will be taught by staff who are research active, some of whom are globally recognised for their research and impact, but also who genuinely care about using psychology to address major social issues and challenges in contemporary society. Our research activities, applied networks outside academia, and importantly our belief in your potential to develop as a powerful and yet thoughtful agent of social change will keep you engaged with this programme and ensure it equips you to undertake a wide range of professions. Our staff offer expertise in various research areas, including (but not limited to): Crowds, riot, hooliganism and policing, protection of young people, cyber psychology and bullying, inter-group and inter-ethnic conflict and relations, wellbeing and inclusion, social justice for marginalised communities, critical and creative methodologies, gender inequality and cultural definitions of motherhood, the social construction of reality, the negotiation of power and authority in interaction, persuasive communication, victimhood, reconciliation and intergroup forgiveness, trust, prejudice reduction, social identity, collective action, the social and psychological dimensions of health and well-being, self-harm and suicide, terrorism and radicalisation, refugee integration, social influences on learning and effectiveness in the classroom – including the study of the relationship between gender and subject choice.