Psychology - Conversion Course

This masters programme offers you the opportunity to gain your first qualification accredited by the British Psychological Society. You'll develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of the key concepts, theories, methods and debates in psychology. This will include critically examining how psychological theories and research methodologies are applied in real world settings and assessing different kinds of evidence from quantitative and qualitative data. You'll also gain an awareness of the importance of ethical issues in the practice of psychology. By completing this rigorous masters degree, you'll build your numeracy, literacy, communication, team working, presentation, observational, cognitive and organisational skills as appropriate to the discipline.

Key features of the course

•Builds your knowledge and understanding of a broad range of core topics in psychology.

•Gives you an appreciation of different perspectives within psychology and the ability to evaluate them critically.

•Accredited by the British Psychological Society and the first step to becoming a psychologist.

•Gain valuable analytical and communication skills that will enhance your employability.

Modules
To gain this qualification, you need 180 credits as follows:

Compulsory modules
• Critically exploring psychology 1 (D810) 90
• Critically exploring psychology 2 (D811) Planned 90

You should note that the University's unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

You must hold a UK honours degree (2:2 at least) or equivalent to be accepted for the MSc in Psychology (Conversion). Your first degree need not be in psychology, but you must have the skills expected of a social sciences graduate.

This qualification has a required study order. All students will begin with the postgraduate module, Critically exploring psychology 1 (D810). This module will help equip you with the requisite skills needed to undertake postgraduate-level study, but it does not offer remedial training for those who have an unsuitable bachelors degree or inadequate experience. You will have the opportunity to study with a cohort of peers throughout, while the modules and assessments build on one another systematically.

You must be able to:

write accurately, clearly and concisely

read large quantities of text quickly, accurately and critically

classify evidence precisely and assess its value and reliability

argue logically and consistently

select and interpret evidence to support a logical argument.

Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum score of 6.5 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see their website for details. If you're not sure whether your English skills are good enough, there is some help and guidance at our Skills for OU Study website.

2 years.

How long it takes
You will be able to complete this masters qualification within two years by studying one module each year.

Career relevance
Careers as a professional psychologist in the applied areas of psychology will require further study, training and/or work experience beyond your degree – for which this course provides ideal preparation.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulated titles include:
clinical psychologist
counselling psychologist
educational psychologist
forensic psychologist
health psychologist
occupational psychologist
sports and exercise psychologist.

As well as the specific knowledge gained from studying this masters degree, you'll develop many transferable and work-related skills that are highly valued by employers. These include:

communication
numeracy
effective team-working
independent and critical thinking
IT and data handling
analysing and evaluating diverse sources of information, including qualitative and quantitative data
problem-solving and reasoning
application of learning to real world problems and situations
independent learning.

Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.

Accreditation/Professional recognition

This masters degree is designed to deliver the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).