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    MSc
    2024 start September 

    Psychology and Education (Conversion)

    School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences

    Our MSc offers an innovative, critical and interdisciplinary approach to the study of psychology and its application in an educational context.
    Postgraduate education students reading at desk

    Course description

    You will experience an innovative, critical and interdisciplinary approach to the study of psychology and learn the skills and techniques necessary to critically analyse psychological theory and research in real-life settings.

    This MSc is a psychology conversion course which provides Graduate Membership (GMBPsS) of the British Psychological Society (BPS) providing you pass the empirical project and gain the equivalent of at least a 2:2 overall.

    Accreditation

    This course is British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited

    Modules

    We're revising the curriculum of this course for this year of entry and are in the process of confirming the modules. The information on this page gives you an idea of the areas we expect the course to cover. There may be changes before you start. From May of the year of entry, formal programme regulations will be available in our Programme Regulations Finder.

    As an accredited programme, the course will follow the GBC curriculum and cover these psychology-related themes: Biological Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Individual Differences; Social Psychology; Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology; Research Methods and Empirical Project.

    There are four compulsory modules in each semester plus a dissertation. Each module is worth 15 credits. The dissertation is worth 60 credits.

    Core modules:

    Social, Historical, Cultural and Institutional Contexts of Psychology

    This module explores the scientific underpinnings of psychology as a discipline, its historical origins, development, socio-cultural and institutional contexts and limitations. The module introduces students to the multiple paradigms, theoretical perspectives and methods of analysis in psychology and explores the differences and/or complementarities between them as well as relevant ethical issues. Module content includes:
    - Psychology as a science: Conceptual and historical paradigms and models.
    - Social and cultural contexts of psychology and indigenous and cross-cultural approaches.
    - Ethical issues in psychology and education.
    - Institutional contexts, feminism and socio-political issues in psychology and education.

    15 credits
    Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology and Education

    The module explores different paradigms of psychological and educational research, with a focus on qualitative methodologies and research designs, such as interviews, content and discourse analysis, case studies, observation and visual methods. It also considers research ethics.
    Module content includes:
    - Epistemological paradigms and general methodological principles: Positivism, empiricism, interpretivism.
    - Classic approaches, recent trends, case studies, action research, longitudinal research, big data.
    - Research proposals, research questions and research designs.
    - Ethics.
    - Collecting oral data: interviews and focus group discussions
    - Coding and analysing interview data: grounded theory, content and discourse analysis
    - Observation, visual methods and mixed-methodological designs.

    15 credits
    Quantitative Research Methods in Psychology and Education

    The module explores different paradigms of psychological and educational research, with a focus on quantitative methodologies and research designs, such as statistical analysis; experimental and quasi-experimental designs, psychometric theories and scale construction, and surveys.
    Module content includes:
    - Quantitative research principles, research variables, survey, questionnaire design and quantitative data collection
    - Experimental and quasi-experimental research designs
    - General principles of psychometrics, test theory, item response theory, measurement techniques and scale development
    - SPSS, inferential and descriptive statistics; parametric and non-parametric tests,
    - Correlational design, ANOVA, Two-way ANOVA and factor analysis; Mixed-methodological designs

    15 credits
    Cognition, Psychology & Education

    This module explores major theories and key debates concerning the study of human mind and cognition. It considers psychometric measures of cognitive performance as well as case studies requiring contextual analysis and ethical understanding.
    Module content includes:
    - Perception, attention, memory
    - Thinking and language, problem solving and decision making- Cognitive styles, intelligence and cognitive psychological testing
    - Consciousness, social cognition and emotion
    - Metacognition, current debates and implications for learning and education

    15 credits
    Neuroscience, Psychology & Education

    This module explores the fundamental biological mechanisms underlying human and animal behaviour. It also considers laboratory research methodologies and critically examines the relevance of bio-psychological and neuroscientific knowledge for education.
    Module content includes:
    - Introduction: Education and neuroscience
    - Behavioural genetics, heredity, comparative and evolutionary psychology
    - Psychobiology, biological bases of human and non-human behaviour, hormones and behaviour, socio-biology
    - Neuroimaging, cognitive and evolutionary neuroscience

    15 credits
    Difference, Disability & Diversity in Psychology and Education

    This module explores multiple perspectives to psychology and education relating to the study of human difference, personality, disability and gender, race and ethnicity. It also considers practical, theoretical and ethical issues associated with the use of personality tests.
    Module content includes:
    - Personality theory, measurements and applications
    - Individual differences
    - Motivation
    - Mood disorders/ mental health: biological, cognitive and socio-cultural dimensions
    - Disability, impairment and SEN
    - Gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity
    - Difference and ethics in educational settings

    15 credits
    Learning & Development in Global Contexts

    This module explores major theories and key aspects of human development from infancy to adulthood in a variety of cultural settings. It also considers case studies and key developmental tests and the application of developmental psychological knowledge in contemporary multi-cultural and global educational, upbringing and institutional contexts.
    Module content includes:
    - Emotional development and parenting cultures
    - Cognitive development, learning and language
    - Moral development
    - Typical and atypical development in multi-cultural societies

    15 credits
    Social Psychology and Practice

    This module explores classic and recent social psychological theory and research. It examines social psychological processes in a variety of educational, psychological, multi-professional and digital contexts as well as the implications of psychological research for social policy and professional practice.

    Module content includes:

    Attribution and social cognition, the self and social influence, group processes

    Play and development

    Children and Young people's mental health

    Prejudice and aggression. 

    15 credits
    Dissertation

    In this module, students are supported in planning and carrying out a piece of original empirical research about a topic of interest related to education and psychology. Students will be supported and will work closely with a supervisor  who has expertise in the research area and or methods of the dissertation topic. The dissertation offers a space for synthesising knowledge from the different modules, and pursuing in more detail an area of interest for the student.

    In addition to working closely with a dissertation supervisor, students will receive taught sessions around dissertation writing support and ethical issues in psychological and educational research.

    Students studying on this module will also have opportunities to reflect on their work during the module, which can help them think about what they have learned, including the transferable skills they acquire that could be valuable for future courses and/or job applications.

    60 credits

    The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.

    Open days

    An open day gives you the best opportunity to hear first-hand from our current students and staff about our courses.

    Find out what makes us special at our next online open day on Wednesday 17 April 2024.

    You may also be able to pre-book a department visit as part of a campus tour.Open days and campus tours

    Duration

    1 year full-time

    Teaching

    Teaching takes place through lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops and laboratory work.

    Assessment

    We will use a variety of methods including essays and blog posts, portfolios and oral presentations, psychological lab reports and a research dissertation.

    Your career

    95% of our 2020-21 cohort of postgraduates were in graduate level work or further study within 15 months of graduating, according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023.

    Department

    School of Education

    We're proud to welcome a vibrant and diverse community, with students based locally, nationally and internationally. Our research has a direct impact on educational theory, policy and practice; we're supporting the development of children, families, schools and learning communities.

    Our seminars are interactive and everyone is encouraged to take part. The course director knows every student personally, and you will get a lot of individual support across all of your modules.

    Our team of tutors at the School of Education comprises of experts in early childhood education, policy and practice, psychological theory of education, and languages and education. Many of our academic staff are internationally recognised in their specialist areas.

    Entry requirements

    Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree.

    You should have an interest in or experience of psychology and/or education.

    We also consider a wide range of international qualifications:

    Entry requirements for international students

    Overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.

    If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the department.

    Apply

    You can apply now using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It's a quick and easy process.

    Apply now

    Contact

    education-admissions@sheffield.ac.uk
    +44 114 222 8177

    Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.

    Our student protection plan

    Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read information from the UK government and the EU Regulated Professions Database.