MSc Research Methods

Core units:

• Introduction to Research Methods: This unit covers theoretical foundations of and methodological issues involved in conducting psychological research, and provides an introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches. 
• Digital Methods and Data Skills: This unit aims to equip students with core skills for data-driven social science research. Specifically, this unit will equip students in skills around digital research design, data capture, curation, storage and digital data analysis and will introduce concepts of machine learning and artificial intelligence and discuss legal and ethical issues in social science research. 
• Advanced Quantitative Methods or Advanced Qualitative Methods (choose one unit)  Advanced Qualitative Methods: The unit explores qualitative research and analysis approaches to understand and interpret a range of textual, aural, and visual data. The unit aims to prepare students for undertaking independent research using advanced qualitative research techniques and tools.
  Advanced Quantitative Methods: This unit covers the theoretical background, the performance, and the interpretation of range of statistical techniques intended for analysing data from psychological research.
• Research Project: In this unit you will complete a research project appropriate for your programme and write up a dissertation, working independently under supervision of a member of staff who will be allotted after you start the course. You will be expected to engage in discussions with your supervisor in order to choose a topic suitable for a postgraduate dissertation. There will be a range of obligatory and optional teaching sessions to ensure you gain relevant research skills.

Subject Specialism units (choose one in semester 1):

• Investigative Psychology (Forensic Psychology)
• Neurodevelopmental Diversity (Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology)
• Roots and Range of Psychological Disorders (Clinical Psychology)

Subject Specialism units (choose 2 paired units in semester 2):

• Behavioural Analysis of Serious Crime - and  -  Professional Practice and Court Skills (Forensic Psychology
• Clinical and Cognitive Neuropsychology - and -  Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disorders (Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology)
• Clinical Skills - and  -  Psychological Therapy 1 (Clinical Psychology)

For the MSc Research Methods we are looking for applicants who:

• Have an academic interest in psychology as a subject
• Have a first degree in another subject area
• May have obtained a psychology degree overseas but who need the BPS Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) qualification to further their careers (this course is currently going through the accreditation process)
• Are open to new ideas
• Have a mature attitude.

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application; there are usually no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 (or equivalent) is required in a relevant subject.

• Required subjects include: Psychology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Science, Biological Science and, Social Science.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (three years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%  
• Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4  
• China: Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above  
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0  
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade 2.5 or above  
• USA: US Bachelor’s degree (four years), with a 2.5 GPA or above

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements, for this course are normally:

• IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in writing, speaking, listening and reading or equivalent.
• You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

• Research Analyst
• Academic Researcher 
• Behavioural Analyst
• Research Consultant
• Quantitative Researcher

This course provides a suitable basis to enter employment in the field of psychology and research and strategic work for a variety of industries.

Industries graduates will work in are:

• Psychology
• Education
• Health and wellbeing
• Media
• Human resources.

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes. 

What's included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, intregrated social media and advanced video features
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information
• Travel costs, for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable)
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchases separately
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Placement year funding can be found on our website
•  Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study
• Expenses relating to research projects
• SportsBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/funding for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Dr Wezyk's previous research experience focused mainly on broadly defined stress and wellbeing in different contexts. She has a background in both quantitative and qualitative methods including working with multi-modal data (verbal and visual)

Michelle Heward is Lecturer in Psychology and Service User and Carer Involvement Lead in the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre at BU. Her research focuses on health and social care and support for older people and people with dementia and includes the evaluation of interventions. She is particularly interested in digital technologies and innovation, workforce development and service delivery, inclusive and engaging environments, and co-production and user involvement

Géza is a lecturer at the Department of Psychology. His recent research focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of perception and memory. Currently, he uses neuroimaging techniques combined with machine learning methods to investigate the neural dynamics and shared neural codes of recognition memory. His work also includes the study of face perception, which he studies using neuroimaging as well as transcranial brain stimulation.