Applied Psychology MSc

This module will introduce students to the issues that surround the successful management and completion of research projects in professional and applied settings. The course will focus on two core strands. Firstly ethical and professional standards will be examined in detail. The course will then focus on the practical issues and skills surrounding research projects, their development and their management. An emphasis on applied research, and on research with different populations, will be made during the course.

Content:

Professional standards, procedures and ethics in research

Research proposals: selling the idea

Writing research proposals

Grant applications

The design of research projects

Costing research projects

Developing research timelines

Project and team management.

Disseminating research

Time management

Effective listening and communication

Influencing strategies

Presentation skills

Research and the development of policy and practice

• To develop a strong set of transferable skills in students;
• To enable students to gain an appreciation of the professional and ethical issues relating to research and practice in applied psychology;
• To enable students to gain an understanding of the processes involved in developing, writing and presenting research proposals;
• To provide students with practical experience in the costing and time-scaling of research projects;
• To provide students with an understanding of the issues involved in the management of applied research;
• To provide students with training in skills relevant to the successful management of research projects e.g., effective communication;
• To provide students with an appreciation of the ways in which research influences and develops policy and practice.

The focus of this module is to enable students to further strengthen their knowledge of a specific research area in applied psychology and further develop their research skills. There will be workshops and tutorials commensurate with individual student learning needs.

• To provide the student with an opportunity to investigate, systematically and in-depth, a topic of direct relevance to his or her career aspirations. 
• To further enhance and consolidate the student's skill and rigour in research, research methodology and evaluation in an applied environment. 
• To enable the student to draw on and contribute to the development of the growing body of knowledge in applied psychology at a high level. 
• To enable the student to develop skills in modern resource technologies to support his/her applied research project.

The module introduces students to the nature and philosophy of applied psychology, reinforcing evidence-based critical thinking. The module reminds students about the essentials of psychological research, including brief refreshers on the basics of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Students are encouraged to develop a critical understanding of applied psychological methods (e.g. observational studies, interviews, single case studies, and experimental methods). 

The module also considers quantitative experimental and correlational methods and introduces appropriate analytical techniques for both. Workshops provide students with hands-on activities and will include training in the use of statistical software packages (e.g. SPSS) to supplement the training students will have gained during their undergraduate work. Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to conduct and understand the output of a range of analyses, both descriptive and inferential (e.g. Generalised Linear Model, Structural Equation Modeling, Exploratory Factor Analysis). Taught sessions will provide students with the opportunity to critically evaluate research designs and assess the quality of evidence for different aspects of applied psychology practice. A practical overview of realist qualitative methodologies is given (e.g. interviews, content analysis, thematic analysis). Students are expected to explore at least one qualitative approach in detail.

Students will receive guidance on the appropriate communication of qualitative and quantitative analysis. 

To provide level 7 students, who have an existing grounding in relevant research methods, with advanced training in the methods of psychological research, including: 

• An understanding of advanced concepts in regard of psychological methods and statistics
• A thorough grounding in the selection and use of appropriate advanced methodologies
• Knowledge of the major quantitative and qualitative methods used in research in the field of applied psychology
• Advanced understanding of the use of computer packages for data analysis and handling

This module provides a general grounding in applied psychology. Initially the module will introduce the scientist-practitioner model, and how it can be used to contextualise the use of psychology in applied settings. The second part of the module will allow this to be put into practice, using problem-based learning to address a range of current social issues from a variety of perspectives (for example, Clinical, Coaching, Counselling, Forensic, Health, Occupational, Sports Psychologists; Applied Behaviour Analysis; Consumer Psychology and Marketing; Human Resources; Management Consultancy; Social Work; Teaching). The social issues will be drawn from various areas (e.g. health, economy, forensic, social), and may include examples such as the obesity epidemic, youth unemployment, poverty, or a skills shortage in a particular industry.

This module aims to enable students to define and contextualise applied psychology and then encourage students to consider how psychological knowledge might be applied in an evidence-based manner to deal with a range of social issues. Students are expected to consider how Practitioner Psychologists, para-professionals (such as Assistant Psychologists), and non-psychologists might use psychological knowledge in order to ameliorate real-world problems in a safe and effective manner. 

This module will cover professional practice issues as relevant to the applied psychologist. In the first half of the module, content will include ethical guidelines and practice standards and the role of statutory bodies (BPS, HCPC). Regulation of practice and differences between countries. The second part of the module will be focused on core practitioner skills in practice such as contracts and contractual agreements, safeguarding working in multidisciplinary or agency situations, communicating psychology to the public and organizations.

This module aims to equip students with a clear understanding of the role of applied psychologists, the boundaries within which they practice, and the skills needed to work ethically and effectively within the psychological field.

This module focuses on the science and practice of behavioural and cognitive approaches to intervention, with a preference for approaches with the soundest evidence base. Each session focuses primarily on the development of practical skills which might be applied in a wide range of settings by both fully qualified professional psychologists and by paraprofessionals, according to competence. The module is structured according to a modern process-based understanding of psychological intervention, with students learning the key psychological theories and evidence for a process, and then being given opportunity to practice implementing the process in a role play, e.g. of a therapy or coaching context. The particular processes covered on the module will be updated from year to year according to developments in the evidence, however, they are likely to include cognitive restructuring, cognitive defusion, learning processes, exposure, and the use of metaphor. 

The primary focus during face-to-face sessions will be on skills development. Students will also be encouraged and supported, week-by-week, to familiarise themselves with the theoretical underpinnings of each intervention process and with the related evidence base. This will be achieved through guided reading and the use of electronic learning materials such as videos. Throughout the module, and especially during the assessment process, students will be encouraged to reflect critically on their own competencies so as to encourage an understanding of safe and effective practice. 

This module is intended to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to safely apply psychologically sound interventions to basic client issues in the real world. It also aims to develop in students a critical and reflective understanding of competence, so that they might readily recognise the limits of their own competencies (e.g. as paraprofessionals), and so that they can appreciate the place of professional regulation in psychology. 

This module will offer students on the MSc Applied Psychology programme the opportunity to apply their knowledge of psychological theory and research to a work setting. As a work-based learning module, a substantial proportion of the students’ time will be spent on placement in a work setting which may take the form of a variety of different settings (e.g. voluntary, public or private). The placement will require students to use the transferrable skills and knowledge developed as part of the MSc Applied Psychology programme. 

Workshops will be delivered over the course of the academic year with focus on two key areas (i) the acquisition, setup and preparation for placement and (ii) real world examination of the applications of psychology. Sessions may include guest speakers from different backgrounds with the opportunity to discuss and evaluate good practice. Students will be expected to use these sessions as opportunities to reflect on and apply relevant theories and research. Students will receive support in the form of a Placement Tutor to provide practical advice regarding the placement but also formative feedback to feed forward to the assessment.

1. To understand and develop critical knowledge of the applications of psychological theory and research in a range of work settings.
2. To assess, implement and evaluate the application of psychological theory and research in a chosen setting(s) in order to problem-solve placement relevant issues.
3. To foster in students a critical understanding of the transferable skills they will develop as a result of their experience.