Course summary
MSc Psychology: Our MSc conversion course is designed for students from non-psychology backgrounds. The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and provides Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) essential for pursuing your career path in a range of recognised psychology professions. Psychology is an exciting and dynamic field that is concerned with how people think, feel and behave. Birkbeck's School of Psychological Sciences is renowned for its research in neuroscience, cognition, development, health and lived experience, and you will be taught by world-leading academics. The course provides opportunities for you to develop knowledge and understanding of:
- key principles of psychological theory, including perception, attention and performance, developmental psychology, learning, memory and cognition, social psychology, neuroscience and individual differences
- practical skills in research methodology, including the formulation of hypotheses, designing and reporting experiments using a range of research methodologies, and subject-specific IT skills
- transferable skills in critical thinking, learning how to evaluate hypotheses, presentation writing and delivery, and report and essay writing.
- the critical appreciation of existing research and research methods in a chosen research area
- designing, managing and reporting on an extended research project
- subject-specific IT skills.
- We are consistently regarded as one of the top institutions teaching psychological sciences in the UK. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework we were ranked in the top ten universities in the UK for the third time.
- In the 2023 National Student Survey, our psychology teaching ranked 5th in the UK.
- Birkbeck is strongly oriented towards research in psychological sciences and we are home to the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, the Health and Lived Experience Cluster, the Birkbeck - UCL Centre for Neuroimaging and the Centre for Cognition, Computation and Modelling.
- The MSc is a BPS-accredited conversion course designed for students with an undergraduate degree in another subject who want to gain a Master's in psychology, and provides Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society.
- The MRes provides a possible route into the PhD Psychology at Birkbeck.
- clinical psychologist
- further education lecturer
- human resources officer
- counsellor
- careers adviser
- educational psychologist.
Modules
For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.
Assessment method
Coursework (essays and research projects), written examination and assessed presentation. Dissertation of up to 10,000 words.
Professional bodies
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
- British Psychological Society
How to apply
International applicants
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above from a UK university, or overseas equivalent. Mathematics at GCSE grade C or grade 4 or equivalent qualification. Please ensure your application is complete with a transcript of your previous degree, especially when statistics or research methods were part of this. In most cases, if you do not have relevant prior study of research methods for psychology, you will need to take a free online course and pass an entrance exam. Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
England | £6270 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £6270 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £6270 | Year 1 |
Wales | £6270 | Year 1 |
International | £10575 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Provider information
Birkbeck, University of London
Malet Street
Bloomsbury
London
WC1E 7HX
Course contact details
Visit our course pageBirkbeck Student Advice Service
0203 907 0700