Overview
How do we understand relationships and interpret the behaviour of others? What drives people to act, respond, remember and recognise things in the way they do? Is it possible to predict with complete certainty how someone will behave? At Essex, satisfy your curiosity about how our mind works and what drives human behaviour.
Our Integrated Masters provides one of the most immersive and exciting experiences of studying the human mind in the UK through incorporating in-depth coverage of all areas of psychology and an exceptional understanding and practical skills in advanced research methods. This will include combining modules from existing courses and building on skills learned to an advanced level of research methods.
You’ll learn from our researchers and work together in the same space via our Research Experience Scheme (RES) which gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with a psychologist as their research assistant. Upon completion of the course you’ll graduate with a Masters-level qualification, a strong theoretical background and specialist expertise through advanced independent research. This combination makes our graduates attractive candidates for many employers.
Our staff have a wide range of research interests, which means you’ll gain a critical and detailed understanding of the core areas of psychology, plus some specialisation. You’ll also learn research methods to an extent which will enable you to devise, carry out and analyse an empirical research project. Our course will equip you with a critical and detailed understanding of the core areas of psychology (development, cognitive, social, biological, personality) plus training in research methods and statistics.
Topics you’ll explore include:
- Visual and auditory perception and cognition
- Language, concepts, memory and attention
- The relation between brain and behaviour
- Developmental psychology
- Social psychology
Our research is challenging and ground-breaking, rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014). We are supported by some of the most prestigious funding bodies, including the European Commission and the Leverhulme Trust.
Study abroad
Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The five-year version of our Integrated Masters allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the four-year Integrated Masters.
Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.
If you spend a full year abroad you’ll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won’t pay any tuition fees to your host university
Placement year
You can also undertake a placement year in which you gain relevant work experience within an external business, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre.
If you complete a placement year you’ll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.
Our expert staff
You’ll be taught by our award-winning teachers and administrative staff and researchers who are international experts in their own research areas. Our department is expanding and has recently appointed a number of excellent researchers whose expertise increases the diversity and depth of our skills base.
The Cognitive and Sensory Neuroscience Group research projects range from the neural processes underlying language production, how motivations are communicated through tone of voice, and how the brain performs 3D vision. They previously developed the BioAid mobile phone app that turns an iPhone into a biologically inspired hearing aid.
The Social and Health Psychology Group work on motivations, needs, intercultural contact, and sexual attraction. Recent projects include the impacts of living and studying abroad, and how personal relative deprivation is linked to problem gambling.
Specialist facilities
We are committed to giving you access to state-of-the-art facilities in higher education housed entirely within our purpose-built psychology buildings on our Colchester Campus:
- Dedicated laboratories including a virtual reality suite and an observation suite.
- Specialist areas to study visual and auditory perception, developmental psychology and social psychology.
- Study the development of perceptual and cognitive abilities in infants in our Babylab which houses an observation suite, visual perception lab, cognitive perception lab, two psychoacoustic hearing labs and group testing suite to allow real-time group behavioural studies.
- Our Centre for Brain Science contains specialist laboratories, office space for research students, and research rooms and social spaces which foster opportunities for innovation, training and collaboration.
Your future
The skills and knowledge you’ll acquire will find yourself in demand from a wide range of employers. Our graduates have been recently employed as Research Associates, Research Coordinators, Data Analyst, Lab Managers and Research and Development Companies.
We have excellent links within the research community and our Integrated Masters course is the perfect stepping stone to a PhD or clinical training. Our recent PhD students have taken up post-doctoral positions in other top UK universities and international universities (in the US, Italy and Australia), as well as being appointed to lectureships.
Studying an Integrated Masters demonstrates your level of commitment and advanced, in-depth knowledge in the field, showcasing you as an attractive candidate to employers. With a Masters-level qualification you’ll be equipped to pursue careers as a clinical, forensic, educational, or occupational psychologist. You could also work in related fields such as special educational needs, social work, or mental health care. Many of our graduates pursue successful careers further afield, working in areas like management, human resources, financial services, the media, information technology, and market research.
We also work with our University’s Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
Why we’re great
- You have unparalleled access to research equipment such as EEG, TMS and eye tracking.
- We have a vibrant Psychology Society offering student-led social events and activities.
- Our Research Experience Scheme (RES) gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with a psychologist as their research assistant.
Structure
Course structure
We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists.
Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change.
Teaching and learning disclaimer
Following the impact of the pandemic, we made changes to our teaching and assessment to ensure our current students could continue with their studies uninterrupted and safely. These changes included courses being taught through blended delivery, normally including some face-to-face teaching, online provision, or a combination of both across the year.
The teaching and assessment methods listed show what is currently approved for 2022 entry; changes may be necessary if, by the beginning of this course, we need to adapt the way we’re delivering them due to the external environment, and to allow you to continue to receive the best education possible safely and seamlessly.
