About this course
The MSc Psychology (Conversion) is tailored for individuals aiming to transition into the field of psychology, no background in the subject required.
Delivered entirely online, this part-time programme offers the flexibility to study from anywhere, accommodating your personal and professional commitments.
The programme covers core psychological disciplines, including cognitive, social, developmental, and biological psychology, alongside comprehensive training in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. This structure ensures a robust foundation for those aspiring to pursue further professional training or research in psychology.
Designed by research-active academics and clinicians, it will provide you with insights into contemporary psychological practices and theories. You’ll acquire transferable expertise such as critical thinking, data analysis, and effective communication, which are highly valued across various sectors.
Whether aiming for roles in mental health services, education, human resources, or research, this MSc equips you with the credentials and competencies sought after by employers.
Benefits of Studying This Course
- Flexible Online Learning: Study at your own pace from any location, balancing education with other life commitments.
- Career Transition: Ideal for those seeking to enter the psychology profession without a prior degree in the field.
- Comprehensive Curriculum: Covers essential psychological theories and practices, preparing you for diverse career paths.
- Research Proficiency: Develop strong research skills applicable in academic and professional settings.
- Enhanced Employability: Gain a qualification accredited by the British Psychological Society that opens doors to various roles in healthcare, education, and beyond.
- Supportive Learning Environment: Access to experienced Faculty and a global network of peers through Ulster's online platform.
Attendance
100% Online
Flexible and enhanced student support
Start dates
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Teaching methods are diverse and designed to support scientific education in psychology. Alongside delivering an appropriate curriculum, our course teams endeavour to take account of the following factors:
- Student diversity, including varied educational backgrounds, skills, and experience.
- Transferable and employability skills, supporting confidence, enterprise, and professional development.
- Active engagement with the academic curriculum to enhance the student learning experience.
- Constructive feedback, supporting skill development and progression at postgraduate level.
Research‑Led Learning Structure
Students actively engage with a research‑led curriculum, with each topic typically spanning two weeks. Learning is structured around three interconnected phases:
- Learn - Self‑directed study using interactive online materials, completed flexibly and at your own pace (approximately 3 hours per topic). This phase also includes live online sessions (usually two per module, around one hour each), which are recorded for students studying across different time zones or alongside other commitments.
- Explore Further - Independent engagement with additional learning resources, such as journal articles, podcasts, and videos, allowing students to explore topics in greater depth according to their interests (approximately 6 hours per topic).
- Investigate - Application and analysis of knowledge through unassessed learning activities, including quizzes, research design tasks, data analysis, poster creation, and collaborative activities (approximately 4 hours per topic).
Overall, students are expected to engage in around 12 hours of study per week for each module, alongside additional reading, consolidation, and assessment preparation.
Assessment and Feedback
Learning is assessed using a range of methods, typically two assessments per module, designed to develop academic and professional skills. Assessment formats may include:
- Essays and reports
- Blog posts and posters
- Presentations
- Timed tests
Assessments often reflect industry focussed applications. For example, in Developmental Psychology, students may write an evidence‑based blog post for parents and educators on supporting children’s social and emotional development.
The masters‑level pass mark is 50%, and students receive written, constructive feedback on all assessments to support ongoing academic development.
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
Attendance and Independent Study
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Calculation of the Final Award
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
Academic profile
The School of Psychology at Ulster is renowned for its research excellence and consistently commended for its extensive collaborative partnerships with international centres of excellence to produce findings which have tangible benefits for society.
We provide a range of academic programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and we currently have around 700 students enrolled on our taught and PhD programmes.
Our teaching staff is comprised of a research-active group of academics, including Chartered Psychologists and fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Our psychologists have links with several professional organisations including the Public Health Agency and Health Trusts.
The School of Psychology is renowned for its research across three main areas:
- Mental health
- Children, young people and schools
- Health and ageing
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
