Course specification and structure
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PMAPPPSY - MSc Applied Psychology

Course Specification


Validation status Validated
Highest award Master of Science Level Masters
Possible interim awards Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate, Advanced Diploma in Professional Development
Total credits for course 180
Awarding institution London Metropolitan University
Teaching institutions London Metropolitan University
School School of Social Sciences
Subject Area Psychology
Attendance options
Option Minimum duration Maximum duration
Full-time 1 YEARS  
Part-time 2 YEARS  
Course leader  

About the course and its strategy towards teaching and learning and towards blended learning/e-learning

The MSc in Applied Psychology offers a broad curriculum in psychology and is designed for suitably qualified non-psychology graduates and graduates with non-accredited psychology degrees who wish to qualify for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS). In addition to covering the BPS’s GBC curriculum, the course offers option modules in applied psychology. Scheduled teaching consists of lectures, seminars, and workshops (including those in the dedicated computer laboratories). The scheduled teaching programme for full-time students consists of two full days across the week during the autumn semester and the equivalent of two full days and a half day across the week during the spring semester. In addition to formal teaching time, students are expected to devote considerable time outside of this to independent study. This focus on independent (but supported) learning is particularly evident within the dissertation module.

Course aims

The overarching aim of the course is to provide suitably qualified non-psychology graduates and graduates with non-accredited psychology degrees an opportunity to qualify for GBC with the BPS. More specifically, the course aims are:

  1. to provide a programme which builds on students’ prior study of psychology and which deepens students’ understanding of the core areas and approaches in psychology;
  2. to provide an opportunity for students to choose among a range of areas for advanced study in the application of psychology to a variety of practice settings;
  3. to provide advanced training and expertise in the design, analysis, evaluation and presentation of research in psychology;
  4. to ensure that each module fosters an understanding of the conceptual issues, research history and the current issues in the area of psychology that it covers;
  5. to ensure that the wide range of skills that students following the course develop may be generalised to a broader context.

Course learning outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

The student is expected to have:

1. acquired in-depth knowledge and understanding of the core areas that constitute psychology as an academic discipline, including a critical awareness of current issues and developments;

2. acquired knowledge and understanding of the application of psychology to selected practice settings;

3. understood the empirical basis of psychology and the range of different approaches and research methods applicable to advanced scholarship in psychology;

4. a critical understanding of the ethical issues and responsibilities associated with the study and practice of psychology.

Cognitive/intellectual skills

By the end of the course the student is expected to develop higher order skills that are reflected in the student's ability to:

1. assess the quality of published studies with respect to the validity of the conclusions made on the basis of the methods applied and the data reported;

2. generate testable hypotheses from theories of psychological processes.

Practical skills

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. use IT to access sources of information and to work with discipline based software;

2. summarise numerical data and test statistical hypotheses using appropriate techniques;

3. apply suitable IT tools to the analysis of data, interpret the output from analyses appropriately, extract key information from the output and present it in the required style for publication in the psychological literature;

4. be competent communicators of complex ideas and analysis;

5. present written work to an accepted international standard for publication (American Psychological Association);

6. design, plan, organise and deliver an individual empirical study (research project).

Key/transferable skills including employability and professional practice

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. think critically and evaluate the validity of conclusions based on argument;

2. communicate effectively in a variety of media and in a style appropriate for different audiences and stakeholders;

3. use IT appropriately to search for, analyse and present information;

4. work effectively within a team to meet common goals and targets;

5. continue to learn independently and develop professionally.

Course learning outcomes / Module cross reference

Knowledge and Understanding

The student is expected to have:

1. acquired in-depth knowledge and understanding of the core areas that constitute
psychology as an academic discipline, including a critical awareness of current issues and developments;
2. acquired knowledge and understanding of the application of psychology to selected
practice settings;
3. understood the empirical basis of psychology and the range of different
approaches and research methods applicable to advanced scholarship in psychology
4. a critical understanding of the ethical issues and responsibilities associated with the study and practice of psychology:

PY7184 LO1, LO2
PY7185 LO5, LO7
PY7186 LO1
PY7189 LO1, LO4
PY7188 LO2
PY7189 LO2
PY7190 LO2, LO3
PY7185 LO4
PY7186 LO2
PY7P91 LO3, LO4
PY7188 LO2
PY7190 LO3
PY7P91 LO7

Cognitive/intellectual skills

By the end of the course the student is expected to develop higher order skills that are
reflected in the student's ability to:

1. assess the quality of published studies with respect to the validity of the conclusions made on the basis of the methods applied and the data reported;
2. generate testable hypotheses from theories of psychological processes:

PY7184 LO3, LO4
PY7185 LO4, LO6
PY7186 LO3
PY7187 LO3
PY7188 LO1
PY7189 LO3
PY7190 LO1
PY7185 LO1
PY7187 LO4
PY7P91 LO2

Practical skills

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. use IT to access sources of information and to work with discipline based software;
2. summarise numerical data and test statistical hypotheses using appropriate
techniques;
3. apply suitable IT tools to the analysis of data, interpret the output from analyses
appropriately, extract key information from the output and present it in the required style for publication in the psychological literature;
4. be competent communicators of complex ideas and analysis:

PY7187 LO1
PY7P91 LO1, LO3
PY7185 LO2
PY7187 LO2
PY7P91 LO3
PY7185 LO2
PY7187 LO2
PY7P91 LO3, LO4, LO5
PY7185 LO3
PY7P91 LO5, LO6

5. present written work to an accepted international standard for publication (American
Psychological Association);
6. design, plan, organise and deliver an individual empirical study (research project):

PY7185 LO3
PY7P91 LO5, LO6
PY7187 LO4
PY7P91 LO1

Key/transferable skills including
employability and professional practice

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. think critically and evaluate the validity of conclusions based on argument;
2. communicate effectively in a variety of media and in a style appropriate for different
audiences and stakeholders;
3. use IT appropriately to search for, analyse and present information;
4. work effectively within a team to meet common goals and targets;
5. continue to learn independently and develop professionally:

All modules
All modules
All modules
PY7185
All modules

Principle QAA benchmark statements

N/A

Assessment strategy

The course is assessed through a variety of tasks that allow for the demonstration of academic learning. These include unseen written examinations, practical reports, essays, case studies, poster presentation, a project proposal and a dissertation.

Organised work experience, work based learning, sandwich year or year abroad

N/A

Course specific regulations

1. Students may be granted up to 60 accreditation of prior learning (APL) credits for modules of the course except the Dissertation module (PY7P91). Accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) is not permitted on this course. All work for which APL is awarded must have been completed within the ten academic years preceding enrolment on the course. Decisions concerning the award of APL credits will be taken by the course leader.

2. To qualify for the award of the MSc, students must have passed, or have been given APL credits, for all modules identified as core modules and two of the modules identified as option modules in the course structure.

Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditations & exemptions

Successful completion of this British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degree will make you eligible for Graduate Membership and Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). GBC is required to obtain Chartered status whereafter you can use the letters CPsychol after your name.

Career opportunities

After completion of this conversion degree, you’ll qualify for a Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society (BPS). This will allow you to progress to a postgraduate professional training programme in an area of psychology including forensic, clinical, health, educational, occupational and counselling psychology.

The University offers BPS accredited course in Organisational and Consumer Psychology MSc.

Entry requirements

You will be required to have:

  • a lower second class honours degree (or above) or overseas equivalent
  • Mathematics GCSE at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)
  • completed our University Certificate in Psychology for Graduates (by Distance Learning) course or obtained 60 credits in any combination of biological, cognitive, developmental, personality and social psychology, and research methods (including statistics) with another institution

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

Official use and codes

Approved to run from 2013/14 Specification version 1 Specification status Validated
Original validation date 01 Sep 2013 Last validation date 01 Sep 2013  
Sources of funding HE FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND
JACS codes C810 (Applied Psychology): 100%
Route code APPPSY

Course Structure

Stage 1 Level 07 September start Not currently offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
PY7184 Individual Differences and Social Psychology Core 30        
PY7185 Research Methods and Biological Psychology Core 30        
PY7186 Cognitive and Developmental Psychology Core 30        
PY7187 Further Research Methods Core 10        
PY7P91 Dissertation Core 60        
PY7188 Forensic Psychology Option 10        
PY7189 Psychopathology Option 10        
PY7190 Work and Business Psychology Option 10        

Stage 1 Level 07 January start Not currently offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
PY7184 Individual Differences and Social Psychology Core 30        
PY7185 Research Methods and Biological Psychology Core 30        
PY7186 Cognitive and Developmental Psychology Core 30        
PY7187 Further Research Methods Core 10        
PY7P91 Dissertation Core 60        
PY7188 Forensic Psychology Option 10        
PY7189 Psychopathology Option 10        
PY7190 Work and Business Psychology Option 10