Overview
Applied psychology uses scientific psychological principles, methods and findings to study and solve problems associated with the human mind and behaviour. It is widely used in mental health, occupational psychology, business management, education, health, criminology and law.
This course is aimed at graduates who have previously studied psychology and want the opportunity to further their knowledge to an advanced level, as well as the chance to develop an understanding of how psychology is applied to a particular aspect of real life. Areas of applied psychology studied include educational psychology, child psychology, clinical psychology and counselling psychology.
The extended version of the course ‘with Professional Experience’ contains substantive placement experience* which aims to enable you to gain real world experience in an applied psychology-relevant setting.
*Please note that placement opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability and meeting visa requirements and additional costs may apply such as travel and accommodation.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
To ensure an optimised and continual student experience, the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedStudent experience
All the support you need, in a top student cityAccreditation & Professional Recognition
This course is accredited by the following professional bodies:
Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
The MSc course also includes the Professional Development module in Consultancy, accredited by the Chartered Management Institute. Each of the participating postgraduate courses have an individually tailored version of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Professional Development module, offering the opportunity to apply for Chartered Manager status. Please visit the CMI website for full details on the CMI accreditation.
Coventry University’s accreditation with CMI is currently ongoing for the relevant modules, but is frequently reviewed and monitored by the CMI through their quality systems. If any changes occur with respect to our accreditation related to these modules, we will seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
Hospital Wards
We have two fully-equipped mock hospital wards, each containing 4 beds. The wards are built to NHS standards and contain moveable beds, first aid equipment and patient monitoring tools.
Life Sciences Research
Our facilities include a real ambulance, which students can use as part of their studies, and a purpose-built Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre. This allows for improved training quality in patient care and patient safety.
SuperLab
The Alison Gingell building contains a state-of-the-art SuperLab, capable of holding up to 270 people at once. The lab's facilities include equipment for microscopy, DNA analysis and forensic testing.
What our students say...
Since completing this course, I have been able to go on to achieve positions in two local authorities as a Research Psychologist, working on a whole school approach to wellbeing and as an Assistant Educational Psychologist.
Course information
This postgraduate course centres on the study of psychology at an advanced level, incorporating: quantitative and qualitative research methods, ethics in psychology, professional practice and areas of applied psychology.
There are four applied psychology modules:
Educational and child psychology: The psychology of child development, teaching and learning. We will introduce you to areas of learning difficulty experienced by children and how these difficulties impact on their experience of school and growing up. We’ll also consider issues of assessment, intervention and remediation.
Counselling and clinical psychology: This examines the issues and skills employed in working with people with the full range of mental health problems, including bereavement, relationships, depression, anxiety, stress and psychosis. We aim to teach you how to explore underlying problems and empower individuals to make decisions for themselves which improve their personal wellbeing.
For those undertaking the ‘with professional experience’ version of the course, during your first semester, you will receive guidance in how to apply and prepare for your professional experience in a series of employability workshops, designed to teach you a range of interpersonal and professional skills.
The extended version of the course ‘with Professional Experience’ contains substantive placement experience* which aims to enable you to gain real world experience in an applied psychology-relevant setting. Placement may be secured through the university’s Talent Team (although students still need to undergo a selection process), or by students themselves with support from the Talent Team. We also offer an on-campus professional experience for students who wish to complete their professional experience with us.
*Please note that placement opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability and meeting visa requirements and additional costs may apply such as travel and accommodation.
Course Specification
Download PDF
Modules
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
In more detail...
This course provides an opportunity to enhance your existing knowledge and understanding of psychology and is designed to enable you to learn about how it is applied to real-life scenarios within educational psychology, child psychology, counselling psychology and clinical psychology.
You’ll be taught by a team of dedicated, experienced professional staff, some of whom have worked as professional psychologists (please note staff may be subject to change). You will have the opportunity to engage in an in-depth examination of how psychological principles have been applied to theory and practice, and the chance to learn how to select, use and report the appropriate specialist psychological methods and research techniques.
If you choose to take the extended version of the course ‘with professional experience’, you will be given an opportunity to apply for an internship(full-time) with a host organisation or alternatively within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the university.
Please note that internship and professional experience opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability and meeting visa requirements and additional costs may apply
- Specialist options aim to provide a strong base of knowledge and understanding for those wishing to eventually apply to Doctoral programmes in educational psychology or clinical psychology upon successful completion of their chosen course.
- Taught by a team of dedicated, experienced professional staff, some of whom have worked as professional psychologists (staff may be subject to change).
- Excellent facilities, such as eye-tracking and brain monitoring, the latter using an electroencephalogram (EEG) .
- An active and vibrant student-led Psychology Society, which arranges a variety of social excursions and activities.
Our main study themes are:
- Research methods in psychology: You will have the opportunity to gain direct practical experience of how to design, conduct, analyse, report and present experimental research with a thorough grounding in the techniques appropriate to research in applied qualitative and quantitative psychology. Following the British Psychological Society (BPS) Code of Ethical Conduct the course aims to give you a sophisticated awareness of the problems, issues and ethics in applied research in psychology
- Ethics in psychology: Provides support to enable you to conceive a topic for dissertation research, conduct background literature reviews on this topic and develop a complete and approved dissertation proposal (capable of submission for ethical clearance) for your research dissertation
- Issues in professional practice: Aims to develop a sound understanding of professional practice in applied psychology, including ethical and legal issues, such as statutory responsibilities. We will introduce you to a range of skills required in professional practice, including evidence-based practice, assessment skills, presenting formally and professional report writing.
The MSc Applied Psychology can be studied for 12 months full-time, or ‘with Professional Experience’ for 18 months, only available full-time. This course is taught in groups in lectures, seminars and workshops and - if you choose to study the MSc Applied Psychology with Professional Experience - you will also have the opportunity to work one-to-one with an academic supervisor on the professional experience modules. You can take part in, design, conduct and analyse the results of psychological experiments, using specialist equipment and computer software.
Where possible, we also invite guest lecturers from professional backgrounds to deliver individual sessions for the applied option modules (subject to availability).
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include coursework and formal examinations. This course is predominantly assessed by coursework.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
A student who successfully completes the MSc Applied Psychology will have demonstrated:
- In-depth knowledge, understanding and critical evaluation of areas of Applied Psychology
- The ability to critically consider and reflect upon real-world issues of professional practice in Applied Psychology
- In-depth knowledge and application of ethical principles and project planning in Applied Psychology
- Critical analyses and differentiation in applying research methods and statistical techniques
- Knowledge and understanding of the principles of consultancy and the theories and practices found in leadership.
- Students who successfully complete the MSc Applied Psychology with Professional Experience will also have demonstrated:
- Advanced research skills by successfully completing a Professional Experience project
- Critical reflections on their professional experience evaluating development progress and achievements.
In a typical teaching week (full-time), you will have a minimum of 10 ‘contact’ hours of teaching. This generally includes large and small lectures, seminars and workshops.
You can also book 1:1 appointments with your tutor/project supervisor if you would like additional support.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
In addition, you will be expected to undertake a further 30 hours per week of self-directed study, including completion of course assignments, preparation for exams, conducting the research project or completing the internship and reading/note-taking in relation to the weekly lectures/seminars/workshops.
Global ready
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2018/19, we were able to provide a total of 5,469 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
Explore our international experiences1st for
International experiences
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni 2016/17
5,469
Student experiences
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2018/19
12,000
and counting
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally since 2016
12
global programmes
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
What our graduates say...
Since completing this course, I have been able to go on to achieve positions in two local authorities as a Research Psychologist, working on a whole school approach to wellbeing and as an Assistant Educational Psychologist.
Entry Requirements
What our students say...
I chose to study the MSc in Applied Psychology as I wanted to develop both my academic and clinical skills in order to further my career in clinical psychology. This course enabled me to do both which, I believe, played a part in my success of gaining a place on a clinical psychology doctorate course that year. The best parts of the course were the experiential elements which were a great way of developing core therapeutic skills, along with lecturers who are current practitioners in their field. Their experience and knowledge made the lectures and workshops come to life. I loved the fact I could chose a module to specialise in.
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to) travel, accommodation, activities and visas.
EU student fees
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans:
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans:
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
What our students say...
I chose to study the MSc in Applied Psychology as I wanted to develop both my academic and clinical skills in order to further my career in clinical psychology. This course enabled me to do both which, I believe, played a part in my success of gaining a place on a clinical psychology doctorate course that year. The best parts of the course were the experiential elements which were a great way of developing core therapeutic skills, along with lecturers who are current practitioners in their field. Their experience and knowledge made the lectures and workshops come to life. I loved the fact I could chose a module to specialise in.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
The specialist focus provided within this course aims to be an ideal springboard for Doctoral programmes in Educational or Clinical Psychology. Alternatively, if you decide you wish to enter professional practice, you always have the option to follow up with a BPS accredited course and work towards Chartered Psychologist Status. Please note that additional fees will apply.
The programme aims to not only provide you with the opportunity to develop a comprehensive understanding of psychological theory and research, but also transferrable skills, such as IT, group work, communication, report writing, numeracy and presentation skills. As such, many of our previous graduates have been able to pursue careers in areas other than psychology, such nursing and teaching.
Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and aims to givie you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University’s Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.
Where our graduates work
On successful completion of this programme, you should be equipped with the skills and knowledge, and in the case of the extended course, substantive professional experience, to enter employment in the health services, public health organisations, local and central government, academia or as assistant psychologists.
What our students say...
This course sharpened my psychology skills and taught me how to be a critical thinker and a reflective practitioner, which I used to continue my journey to become an Educational Psychologist.
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2020/21 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
