Course summary

Digital data now dominates our world. Almost every human activity leaves a digital trace. Our smartphones, our card purchases, our social media activity, the cameras that record us in public spaces, can all be used to analyse our behaviour. We already use this data in the business sector, the health service, the public sector, the leisure industry, politics, and government. But being able to analyse digital data is not the same as understanding why people are behaving in the way that they do. That requires knowledge of the psychology of behaviour. Our MSc will teach you how to integrate psychological insights with digital data – giving you a unique set of skills for any career that involves behavioural analysis or further research at PhD level. You don’t need a psychology degree to study this programme. It is suitable for those with a range of backgrounds such as computer science, data science, business and management, sociology, criminology, social geography, digital humanities and more. With a unique blend of data science and psychology-orientated modules, you will learn how to work with digital visual data (like CCTV, body-camera footage, social media videos), natural language data (like blogs, social media posts and forum data), and mobile sensor data (like movement, sound, and technology use logs). We will teach you how psychology can help you make sense of this kind of complex data; how psychology can help you ask better questions of your data, and how psychology can help you predict and evaluate behaviour change. We teach both quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, so you will learn how to use digital data to understand the experiences of individuals as well as large scale groups. You will see how generating qualitative analysis of digital data can be just as useful as analysing large, collective datasets. In addition to developing your analytical skills, we introduce you to a toolkit of core psychological concepts to help inform your analytical conclusions. These will include theories relating to behaviour, such as identity, personality, and cognitive decision-making. With a practical and applied approach to the integration of theory and skills, you will learn about – and have to grapple with – applied ethics in the acquisition of data. You will also think about the limitations and bias in existing data sets, and the principles of responsible research and innovation. In the final term, you will conduct an extended placement-based dissertation project. This might be working in an organisation with one of our placement partners, or pursuing your own research idea within the Department. Whichever you choose, you will get hands-on experience with digital data from a psychological perspective. Support is provided to those seeking an external placement opportunity as we guide you through the application and interview process. Upon graduation this practical experience will be hugely beneficial to employers and help you stand out when applying for jobs.