Applied Social and Political Psychology - MSc
By improving our understanding of how different individuals think, feel, behave and interact, psychology addresses some of society’s biggest issues – from conflict and social injustice to ableism, inequality and discrimination. Taught by award-winning staff, you'll put your research knowledge into practice on real-life projects. You’ll also engage in debate and discussion with a diverse international student cohort, helping you appreciate how environment, experience and social context shapes individual values and perspectives.
Month of entry
- September
Mode of study
- Full time, Part time
Fees for 2023/24 academic year
- UK - Full time £10,000 per year. Part time £5,500 per year.
International - £18,800 per year.
Duration of study
- 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time
Please note: this course is no longer accepting applications from international students for September 2023 entry
Why study Applied Social and Political Psychology at Keele University?
Course summary
Finding solutions to the challenges facing our society begins with a better understanding of human behaviour, the many different factors and forces that influence it - from personal moral norms to the shared values held by society at large - and the most effective ways to change it.
Whether you’re motivated by a desire to improve poverty, health, climate change, gender equality, immigration, integration or any other social injustice, our MSc Applied Social and Political Psychology has been specifically designed to help you understand the root causes of societal issues.
It will prepare you to successfully apply social psychological theories, research findings based on multi-method approaches (quantitative, qualitative or a combination of both) and intervention techniques to solve real-life problems affecting individuals and communities around the world.
With up to 95 per cent of the world’s population estimated to be excluded from current Western-dominated psychological research, there is a growing demand for accurate insight into the experiences and lives of human beings in different cultures, countries and contexts. That’s why, on this course, you will learn to design, analyse, and evaluate applied social and political psychological research that is ethical, inclusive and captures human diversity. What's more, you will be studying at a University committed to decolonising its teaching and research.
Teaching is very much linked to practice, with an optional Psychology Placement and multiple opportunities to work on research with other students and staff over and above the compulsory dissertation, capitalising on our expertise and experience of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches to research design. Placements, which support and extend your research skills, are offered across a range of subjects, fields, and activities and represent the diverse expertise of our academic staff. Current staff research includes global climate change, morality, forgiveness, cyberpsychology, public disorder (crowds, riots, hooliganism), terrorism, security, policing, forensic interviewing and courtroom questioning of vulnerable witnesses.
The Action Research project provides an exciting opportunity to conduct a collaborative piece of action-oriented research to bring about tangible, positive change, for example, to improve the quality of life for a disadvantaged group, or address a silent injustice. Developing your research skills, you will learn how to dissect different problems, open up dialogue with participants and facilitate difficult conversations between stakeholders who may not otherwise talk to each other. And, since many of our staff projects involve national and international collaborations, you will likely broaden your professional networks and start to build the contacts that will enhance your career.
The Research Apprenticeship and Dissertation provide a further two opportunities to broaden your research experience working closely with relevant specialists. For example, one student focused on the topic of conflict between opposing factions by joining a research project which systematically examined the presence of bias in original research against the disadvantaged side of the conflict. Dissertation topics chosen by past students have ranged from the politics of loneliness in the context of access to community spaces, to gender preconceptions in staff recruitment and attitudes, lay beliefs of the ideal politicians in Brazil during an election year, to transwomen and the LGBTQ+ communities.
While aimed primarily at students with a degree in Psychology, this MSc will also be valuable and relevant if you have an interest or background in Criminology, International Relations, Politics, Sociology, History, and other relevant Social Sciences degrees.
Next Steps
Course structure
Understanding the psychological aspects of national and international political developments is increasingly important in a world where there is frequent political upheaval and tension, not to mention big issues within societies like gender inequality, racism, climate change, alienation and structural inequalities that need to be addressed head on.
Studying psychological theory as it relates to social and political issues, you will develop the advanced research skills needed to investigate social behaviour and its influences, considering the effect of bias, prejudice, cultural identity, morals, values and attitudes on human decision-making, emotions and interactions.
Better still, you will gain substantial first hand experience conducting multiple psychological research projects and experiencing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research methods. In doing so, you will develop new ways of thinking about yourself and those around you, as well as society at large. For example, one student looked at how research could be used to bridge the gap between ordinary people and people in power, by interviewing prospective voters in Brazil during an election year to discover what they looked for in a 'role model' politician.
The MSc Applied Social and Political Psychology can be studied as either a one-year full-time or two-year part-time course, with a September start date. It also possible to study more flexibly part-time on a modular basis, accumulating degree credits by taking individual modules over a period of maximum of five years.
You will complete 180 credits to obtain the master’s qualification, comprising eight modules. For full-time students, six core and two optional modules are spread over two semesters (120 credits in total), while the Dissertation is worked on throughout the duration of the course (60 credits). You will agree the topic for your Dissertation with your supervisor during Semester 1. You can choose optional modules from within Psychology or other relevant Schools across the University. For example, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences offers modules relating to human rights, global security and international relations. Part-time students take 90 credits per year for two years with the dissertation taken in the second year.
There are two interim awards available, depending on how many modules have been successfully completed: a Postgraduate Certificate for any two modules (60 credits); and a Postgraduate Diploma for all four taught modules (120 credits).
Semester one core modules
PSY-40099 Rethinking Research: Knowledge, Power and Diversity (15 credits, Semester 1)
Developing inclusive research practices, and being able to represent the voices of marginalised groups, is critical to changing society and politics. This module aims to develop a critical awareness of how research knowledge is generated, and how structural inequalities are created and reinforced by research norms and practices. At an advanced level, you will learn key skills in how to design, analyse, and evaluate applied social and political psychological research that is both inclusive and captures human diversity.
PSY-40085 Critical Approaches to Health, Social and Political psychology (15 credits, Semester 1)
Challenging your understanding of what psychology is, you will consider the role of the environment and social context in shaping individual psyche, and how we can break down barriers that may exclude individuals and groups from full participation in society. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own assumptions and moral values, and those of organisations and social influencers, through perspectives offered by, for example, discourse analysis, social representation theory, social dominance theory, social ecology, and moral philosophy, around topics such as gender inequalities, climate change, social hierarchies, LGBTQ+, loneliness, and parenting.
PSY-40095 Advanced Research Skills, Design, and Analysis (15 credits, Semester 1)
Through taught and interactive sessions, we prepare you to plan, conduct and analyse your own psychological research. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, you will learn to generate research questions, translate these into the design of your research, appropriately analyse data, and report your findings by writing a structured psychology lab report, using standard (APA) formatting. You can tailor your studies by focusing on the methods, design and analysis most useful to you.
Semester two core modules
PSY-40105 Global Issues: How to Organise for Social Change (15 credits, Semester 2)
You will consider how social and political psychological theory, as well as a host of theories from other fields (e.g., moral philosophy, social ecology), and research can be applied to both understand and tackle contemporary global issues. Exploring topics such as social injustice, environmental injustice, protests and activism, policing, radicalisation and de-radicalisation, stigma and inequalities, you will engage with 'big questions'. This touches on some of the biggest challenges facing individuals and communities, and the ways in which social change can contribute to positive solutions.
PSY-40087 Action Research: Co-Creating Research to make a Difference (15 credits, Semester 2)
This module develops your understanding of how research can be carried out to bring about social change within diverse communities and community organisations. After learning about the core principles of what defines action research, you will gain 'hands-on' experience. You will co-create a group action research project taking it from initial design stage through to data collection, analysis, and dissemination. You will then write a 2,000-word advocacy policy brief targeted at decision and policy makers.
PSY-40038 Research Apprenticeship in Psychology (15 credits, Semester 2)
You will work with staff as part of their research teams, gaining valuable experience of working on an active research project alongside an experienced research mentor. Apprenticeships are offered across a range of subjects, fields, and activities and represent the diverse expertise of our academic staff. These will support and extend your research skills. Projects could involve designing and preparing full or partial research reports, systematic literature reviews, grant proposals and ethics applications, with the real possibility that research findings may eventually be published.
Dissertation
PSY-40045 Dissertation (60 credits, preparation in Semester 1 & 2, writing up over summer)
You will undertake an independent project in your chosen field of interest under the supervision of an experienced member of staff, developing in-depth experience of research methods in your specific research area. It is your chance to apply the skills and knowledge gained throughout the course to design, conduct, analyse and report an appropriate piece of empirical research, demonstrating a level of knowledge and understanding far beyond what you have learned in class. By way of example, previous topics have included a study of how marginalised groups engage in competitive victimhood and undermine the prospects of building collective solidarity and collective action. Another focused on the impact of a particular victim group’s forgiveness messages following terror attacks.
Optional modules
You will study two additional 15-credit modules, one in the first semester, and another in the second semester, chosen from a wide range of modules available across the University. This includes the Psychology Placement listed below.
The list of optional modules is selected at the beginning of the academic year, giving you greater flexibility to tailor your course. You can advance your knowledge of closely linked subjects, choosing psychology modules such as Using Research to Influence Policy and Practice. Those keen to pursue research or PhD study may prefer additional research options, including Enhancing Reproducibility in Research, which covers one of the most pressing issues facing scientists today. You will learn best practice approaches to combat the ‘replication crisis’ which has found the results of many scientific studies are difficult or impossible to reproduce.
Semester 1 (in brackets is the School if the module is not taught by Psychology)
- PSY-40089 Psychology Placement (Semester 1 or 2). You will be encouraged to participate in the optional placement module as a valuable personal and career development opportunity. This module allows you to relate your learning to actual research or practice in your chosen professional setting, and it will place you in a strong position post-graduation. We will draw on our existing collaborations with external organisations to help you find meaningful placement opportunities. Alternatively, we can support you to find a placement with an organisation that you identify yourself. You will gain authentic work experience in a relevant social and political psychology environment. As an example, and depending on availability, this could include a different academic setting, a government organisation or a charity. The placement can be either based at the organisation's facilities or be digitally based; therefore, you could take a placement in an organisation which you might not be able to commute to.
- PSY-40109 Approaches and Methods in Health Inequalities (15 credits, Semester 1) You will focus on some of the common research methods used in health research, including quantitative methods like randomised clinical trials and epidemiological approaches, qualitative methods such as discourse analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis, as well as mixed-methods approaches.
Semester 2 (in brackets is the School if the module is not taught by Psychology)
- PSY-40089 Psychology Placement (Semester 1 or 2). See description above.
- PSY-40107 Enhancing Reproducibility in Research A 2016 survey of over 1500 researchers by the prominent journal Nature found that 90% believed there is a "replication crisis" in research. The factors leading to a lack of reproducibility are complex and many, ranging from the behaviour of individual researchers through to the incentive structures within academic publishing and funding. This module will provide an in-depth exploration of the main threats to reproducible research together with concrete solutions to counter these. The module will also provide hands-on experience of coding with an open-source statistical programming language and how to create a fully reproducible report of quantitative data analysis. Note that no prior programming experience is required. The module will leave you well-positioned to enhance the trustworthiness and quality of the research you conduct.
- PSY-40083 Using Research to Influence Policy and Practice You will explore how research can be used to influence policy and practice, across a range of settings, such as government, charity sector, and education. Gaining hands-on experience of writing for a policy setting, you will be tasked with writing a policy brief on a policy related to an issue of your choice in one of the domains covered in class in a similar style as the POST notes produced by the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology.
- PSY-40081 Advanced Studies in Health Inequalities (15 credits, Semester 2) Drawing on published research from psychology and related disciplines, you will engage in lively ‘journal club’ discussion sessions to familiarise yourself with cutting-edge, contemporary issues. You will be able to focus on health inequalities of particular interest to you, for example, past students have considered bisexual women's health, infant feeding, social representations in old age, ageing, sleep, and the impact of homelessness on health.
- PSY-40103 Advanced Computational and Statistical Approaches to Behaviour (15 credits, Semester 2) Understanding behaviour is challenging because of the complexity of the mind, sheer volume of different situational and social influences, and individual differences amongst people. You will be introduced to and gain hands-on use of various advanced computational and statistical approaches used to predict behaviour and test scientific theories. These include, for example, multivariate methods, machine learning, cognitive modelling, Bayesian analysis, and agent-based modelling.
Next Steps
Psychology at Keele
MSc in Applied Social and Political Psychology
Entry requirements
Academic Entry Requirements
This course is open to graduates with a first or upper second-class degree in psychology, political science, international relations, peace studies, philosophy, gender studies, history, sociology, anthropology or overseas equivalent.
English Language Entry Requirements For International Students
IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component.
The University also accepts a range of internationally recognised English tests.
If you do not meet the English language requirements, the University offers a range of English language preparation programmes.
During your degree programme you can study additional english language courses. This means you can continue to improve your English language skills and gain a higher level of English.
Next Steps
Funding
Some travel costs may be incurred if an external project or placement is undertaken; any such costs will be discussed with the student before the project is confirmed. It will be possible for the student to select an internal project and that would not incur any additional travel costs. There may be additional costs for textbooks and inter-library loans.
Living Costs
Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.
Please note, if your course offers a January start date, the January 2023 start date falls in the 2022/23 academic year. Please see the 2022/23 academic year fees for the relevant fees for starting this course in January 2023.
Planning your funding
It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses and not all students are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in some cases, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.
Scholarships
We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our scholarships and bursaries webpage for more information.
Next Steps
Your career
The advanced Social and Political Psychology research training and active experience you will gain on this MSc will open up careers across the public, private and third sector in areas such as criminal justice, policy development, political consultancy, political commentary, public relations, market research, conflict management and much more.
You will possess a wide range of transferable research skills, as well as an understanding of social behaviour and the causes of large-scale social problems, useful to inform social and media analysis, human resources recruitment and retention, and educational development. You could provide research and guidance for local or national governments, non-profit organisations, or community and mental health organisations.
There is always the option of starting up your own social enterprise company or pursuing consultancy and policy development for the public, private and third sector. Should you wish to continue your studies, you will also be well placed to pursue PhD study in psychology.
Roles you may find interesting include:
- Civil servant
- Communications advisor
- Consultant
- Development officer
- Information officer
- Market researcher
- Media analyst
- Political analyst
- Psychologist
- Researcher
- Social analyst
- Social entrepreneur
Next Steps
"The MSc programme encourages you to challenge your own assumptions, values and beliefs about the world out there. I felt like there was always room to ask critical questions and to engage with the topics of interest not only from a psychological perspective but for example, also from an ethical perspective. "
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching
Our teaching and learning strategy is wide-ranging and innovative, seeking to give you a rich learning environment that draws actively upon leading edge research, as well as current professional practice. It includes traditional lectures, workshops and small group tutorials.
You will learn from leading researchers and external practitioners, who will often share enlightening insight into different perspectives and mindsets around the world. For example, one recent guest lecture by representatives from Leonard Cheshire, which works with millions of people around world with disability, challenged students’ preconceptions about sexual violence and motherhood. In Sierra Leone, with no welfare or community support, one way for women with a disability to survive is to accept sexual violence in the hope that they fall pregnant, then have a child who will look after them.
Other talks have covered working with women in conflict, protestors, environmentalists and the founder of Forgiveness Project, which shares stories of forgiveness in order to build hope, empathy and understanding.
Senior Lecturer Dr Masi Noor was awarded the prestigious 2020 Innovative Teaching Award from the Washington-based Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPPSI) in recognition of his innovative teaching and efforts to generate progressive social change through the creation of this specialist MSc.
All our psychology MSc programmes are designed to prepare you for careers in practice, research or academia, including PhD study. The research apprenticeship, dissertation and optional placement provide ample opportunity to tailor your knowledge and skills development, and gain relevant research and work experience before you graduate.
You will learn to apply a number of central contemporary theories in social psychology to real-world societal issues and political challenges. In doing so, you'll gain valuable transferable skills learning how to design research experiments, conduct interviews, collect and analyse data using appropriate statistical methods.
Taking advantage of several modules being shared across MSc Psychology programmes, we deliberately strive to create a vibrant and collaborative peer culture among our students, promoting transformative debate and discussion, and introducing you to different ideological beliefs. Previous cohorts have included students from different countries, regions and careers; some straight from undergraduate degrees in Psychology and subjects ranging from Philosophy to Law, and others who have already spent time in professional life in areas as diverse as the government or military. Experiencing different ideological beliefs
Teaching schedule
The taught modules run during the first two semesters. The Dissertation module runs across all three semesters: the supervisor and topic are agreed during Semester 1 and the dissertation is completed during the summer.
Semester 1 runs from the end of September to the end of January, with an assessment period in January.
Semester 2 runs from the last week of January to the middle of June, with the assessment period in June.
Semester 3 runs from June to the end of September.
Assessment
Assessment is varied and includes the use of reports, essays, presentations and practical projects, some of which you will complete individually and others in groups. Most modules combine multiple forms of assessment.
Where possible, assessment is designed to reflect the workplace, including specialist and transferable general skills, such as team working, idea generation, critical thinking, problem solving, meeting deadlines and so on.
As part of the Action Research project, you will be tasked with drafting a 2,000-word advocacy policy brief based on the group action and aimed at stakeholder/s in positions of power or influence. Other innovative assessment methods include a simulated job interview to reflect on the skills you have gained, and a case study report. For the latter, you will analyse a specific global issue, such as environmental sustainability, social justice, access to education and healthcare, peacekeeping, or immigration, and recommend solutions.
Next Steps
Keele Postgraduate Association
Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.
Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.
Our expertise
Teaching
You will be taught by staff, some of whom are internationally recognised for their research, impact and teaching innovation, who not only believe in the power of psychology to address major social issues and challenges in contemporary society, but want to develop your potential as a thoughtful agent of social change.
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, gender inequality and cultural definitions of motherhood, 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, and refugee integration.
Teaching team:
- Dr Kathryn Francis, Lecturer (Programme Lead) – Kathryn has a particular interest in moral psychology and social cognition research having published several papers looking at judgment-behaviour discrepancy (saying one thing and doing another) in moral contexts. She is committed to interdisciplinary research and collaboration having worked closely with academics from philosophy, art and design, and computer science.
- Dr Jais Adam-Troian, Lecturer - Jais' research investigates how intergroup relations and threat contexts foster radicalization, violent extremism and conspiracy beliefs. He also does research at the interface between political and health psychology, regarding for instance the effects of political violence on protester mental health.
- Dr Sam Andrews, Lecturer – Her research interests centre on the application of developmental, cognitive, and social psychology to inform and improve practice and public policy, in particular, the interface between psychology, criminal law, and/or the family. Her research has primarily involved the evaluation of the quality of forensic interviewing and courtroom questioning of vulnerable witnesses. She is currently Principle Investigator of an ESRC New Investigator Grant, investigating the use and effectiveness of special measures in child sexual abuse cases.
- Dr Masi Noor, Senior Lecturer – A social psychologist, Masi's main line of research is to understand the psychology of forgiveness and he is co-founder of the Forgiveness Toolbox, created in partnership with the Forgiveness Project, a London-based charity. In 2020, he received the 2020 Innovative Teaching Award from the Washington-based Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPPSI). He is also a former recipient of the ‘Rising Star’ title of the Association of Psychological Science and the Early Career Award of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence.
- Professor Clifford Stott, Professor of Social Psychology and Director of the Keele Policing Academic Collaboration (KPAC), one of Keele’s Strategic Research Centres – Interdisciplinary in its focus, Clifford's research interests lies in understanding the nature and role of social identity processes and intergroup relationships in the psychology and dynamics of crowd behaviour, ‘riots’, ‘hooliganism’ and ‘public order’ policing. He is a former recipient of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) ‘Celebrating Impact’ First Prize award and his research into understanding crowds was listed among the ESRC's Top 50 achievements.
- Dr Chris Stiff, Senior Lecturer – Chris held research posts at Bristol, Nottingham and Southampton, prior to joining Keele. His current research interests centre on cyberpsychology, in particular, areas of cybercrime, fake news, social media, and video games.
- Dr Sara Vestergren, Lecturer - Sara’s research revolves around human rights, protests, activism, collective action the climate crisis, and sustainability. More specifically, how participation in activism and collective action affects participants over time, as well as effects of collective action globally.
Next Steps
"The course, through a variety of platforms such as internal research meetings, research apprenticeship and research seminars, allows you to work with different staff and be exposed to different research projects apart from your dissertation"
Facilities
Based in the Dorothy Hodgkin building at the centre of campus, the School of Psychology offers a thriving and dynamic environment with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, and plenty of spaces for socialising and studying.
The recently refurbished 230-seater lecture theatre is one of the largest on campus. For independent or small group study, you have the choice of a larger communal room with computers or smaller study rooms you can book.
Next Steps