Psychological Sciences (Conversion) MSc

This conversion course has been tailored to provide you with a firm foundation in the core areas of psychology as defined by the British Psychological Society (BPS). These include biological, cognitive, social, developmental, social psychology, individual differences and statistics and research methods.

You’ll also develop analytic expertise and research skills, creating a solid basis for further advanced study within the discipline (e.g. PhD, ClinPsyD, DEdPsy).

Our academic experts use a wide variety of teaching methods including lectures, seminars and self-directed learning to provide you with a comprehensive learning experience. You’re fully supported throughout the whole degree process including having a personal tutor and receiving one-to-one specialist academic supervision to complete the empirical research project that will demonstrate your depth of knowledge of a specialist area in psychology.

As an accredited psychology course, should you Pass the MSc (including passing your dissertation research project), you'll be eligible to apply for graduate membership of the British Psychology Society.  Membership will be key if you choose to pursue further postgraduate training to become a practitioner psychologist. 

As well as our campus-based course, this course is now available to study fully online, which means you can earn your conversion master’s from wherever you live and work. Studying online, you’ll still benefit from connecting to fellow students, professionals and academics worldwide, through our innovative online learning platform. 

This conversion course has been tailored to provide you with a firm foundation in core psychology theory, research methods and statistics. Following this, you can pursue areas of particular interest in your dissertation.

Your dissertation will be a maximum of 12,000 words, which enables you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a specialist area in psychology. It will show your ability to interpret primary source material and integrate sound findings into your final report. This is your chance to develop a unique perspective on your chosen topic and work independently of others, consistent with BPS guidelines.

This course can be studied 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, starting in September.

Your BPS accredited Psychological Sciences (Conversion) MSc degree is your first step to becoming a chartered psychologist.

In addition to clinical psychology, you’ll gain the skills, knowledge and expertise attractive to employers in a wide variety of sectors such as media, marketing, HR, law enforcement, finance, government, health and education as well as government and non-governmental agencies, and healthcare organisations

• A UK 2:2 Honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification, in any subject or a non-BPS accredited degree in Psychology.

Applicants will be required to show evidence of GCSE grade C (or grade 4) (or equivalent) in Maths.

• IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
• Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
• BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all) 

Home to a wide range of diverse and innovative research activities, the department of Psychology was recognised by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, which rated our research environment as 100% internationally excellent. At Brunel, you will find a space for inspired thinking. Our academics’ passion for research is reflected in their style of teaching and the sharing of knowledge.

Studying a Psychological Sciences conversion Master’s combines lectures and seminars, but also a lot of self-directed learning. This prepares you for further study and research which requires that you manage your time accordingly. You will work on essays, statistics assignments, written research methods tests and laboratory reports. Exams will test your understanding, and your final major task will be to submit a dissertation.

Your dissertation supervisor will organise individual meetings with you to support your exploration of major theories and analysis of results from studies that relate to your dissertation topic. You will be encouraged to convey an understanding of the larger, real-world context and application of the dissertation topic to show awareness of current issues and provide relevancy.

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

You will be assessed on a combination of coursework including essays, quantitative report- writing and interpretation, and presentations. There will also be exams and a dissertation exploring an advanced piece of research. Deadlines are distributed through the year, allowing time for constructive feedback.