Why choose the School of Sport, Psychology and Social Science
Our teaching and assessments are developed working with industry professionals and build skills in applying psychology to real-world issues.
Our MSc courses are accredited by the British Psychological Society, enabling you to enrol for Stage 1 postgraduate training.
Our courses are reviewed and developed in conjunction with a panel of industry professionals from the NHS, mental health support and commercial organisations to ensure they align with the needs of employers, opening a variety of career pathways.
About the course
This BPS-accredited course is open to Honours graduates from any discipline wishing to take the first step towards becoming a chartered psychologist. You gain in-depth knowledge and skills around conceptual and historical issues as well as individual differences, social, cognitive, developmental and biological psychology. We offer a range of assessment approaches, including podcasting and webpage design, to equip you with modern skills for the workplace. You also carry out your own piece of empirical research aligned to your career aspirations and our staff expertise.
For further course information, contact Dr Joseph Adonu
Course accreditation
This Psychology Conversion course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). Graduating from a BPS-accredited conversion with 50% or above makes you eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the Society. It also enables you to enrol for Stage 1 postgraduate training.
Facilities and specialist equipment
Access to specialist, industry-standard psychology laboratories and computing environments including:
- Cognitive neuropsychology lab
- Virtual-reality lab
- Research cubicles containing up-to-the-minute equipment and technology such as a driving simulator; eye-tracking software; a physiological data-acquisition system; EEG; podcasting equipment; and KAT Walk Mini 5 omnidirectional VR treadmills
- Data-analysis software
- Experiment and survey-building software
Student experience
Our staff’s research and practice expertise directly informs their teaching, creating a focus on the real-life application of psychology including reading development; cognitive function in long COVID; and prevention of gender-based violence.
Benefit from membership of our Student Research Institute, providing opportunities to engage in research; work with staff as an assistant; and attend specialist research conferences.
Experience a wide variety of teaching methods including blended digital and seminars; problem solving; virtual-reality simulations; computer-based activities; and guided learning.
Assessments are designed to be authentic, reflecting workplace practice.
Gain first-hand experience of psychology in action through course contributions from specialist speakers.
Benefit fromfield trips including visits to the charity Headway UK, who support those with head injuries, or observing real-life court cases from the public gallery at Luton Crown Court.
Take part in our final-week, in-house Escape Room, building on what you have learned about social aspects of leadership, groups and the cognitive aspects of problem solving.
Benefit from our friendly, approachable staff and easy access to academic support.
Once you complete the course, you can progress with us in health psychology, forensic psychology or research degrees. You will have gained the skills and competencies needed for a variety of psychology routes and related careers.
Register your interest
Course Leader - Dr Joseph Adonu
I am a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) with the British Psychological Society and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of England and Wales (SFHEA).
I currently co-ordinate and teach on undergraduate and postgraduate psychology courses in addition to supervising research students. My supervision covers areas of social psychology and culture, such as marital experience in cultural context, romantic love, personal relationships, psychology of achievement aspiration and personal development, etc.
Course Leader - Dr Joseph Adonu
I am a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) with the British Psychological Society and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of England and Wales (SFHEA).
I currently co-ordinate and teach on undergraduate and postgraduate psychology courses in addition to supervising research students. My supervision covers areas of social psychology and culture, such as marital experience in cultural context, romantic love, personal relationships, psychology of achievement aspiration and personal development, etc.
Studying our Applied Psychology (Conversion) MSc course will equip you with in-depth knowledge and skills around conceptual and historical issues, individual differences, social, cognitive, developmental and biological psychology. You will be introduced to the application of research methods in our Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative unit. Here, you will advance your knowledge of empirical research within applied psychology, and this includes understanding qualitative and quantitative data collection methods through experiments, observations, questionnaires and focus groups. You will explore the relationship between design and analysis in applied psychology research while considering possible ethical issues in the field. Moving on to the study of mental processes, our unit in Cognition and Performance will allow you to examine the impact of cognitive systems on human behaviour, and these cognitive processes include human thinking, problem solving, perception, language, memory and learning.
In other areas of study, you will also learn of the theories around biological, cognitive and social development across the lifespan in our Developmental Psychology unit. You will also discover the historical context of developmental psychology and compare this to contemporary theories and research while applying them to real-life situations. Similarly, you will be introduced to such theories, concepts and research methods in our Social Psychology unit. Here, you will learn to understand the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of people in a range of social settings. This is key in helping you understand the complex social nature of human beings as you critically evaluate social psychological theories and current research findings. You will also adopt a questioning approach in our Applied Psychology unit that will provide you with a critical understanding of how psychology can be applied to some of the key challenges facing society today.
As you advance, our unit in Biological and Neuropsychological Perspectives of Behaviour will provide you with an understanding of biopsychological and neuropsychological aspects of psychology and its impact on human behaviour. Through examining recent case studies and common everyday examples, you will discuss neuroanatomy and the physiology of behaviour, including the impact of brain injury and disease on cognitive systems. Furthermore, our unit in Personality, Intelligence and Assessments will allow you to understand what make people uniquely different by evaluating biological, cognitive and social elements. This will allow you to better understand abnormalities in behaviour and aspects of human personality.
Building on our initial research methods unit, you will also further your study in Advanced Research Methods (Applied Psychology) that will equip you with advanced data analysis skills and research methods for more complex research designs. Finally, you will complete an Applied Psychology Dissertation Project where you can enhance your knowledge on a specific topic of interest at a Master’s level. You will carry out significant independent research, with either quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods approaches, while reflecting on the theories, concepts and principles that you have learned throughout the course.
The course uses a variety of teaching methods to provide a curriculum based on the competencies that are required for psychologists and on the research and expertise of the staff. Methods include; simulations computer-based activities problem based learning case studies and the virtual learning environment (VLE) known as BREO. The teaching activities are also dictated by the fact that this is a science-based course so students will have the opportunity to design and take part in research projects as part of both learning and assessment. In preparation for the dissertation they will learn about a range of research methods and advanced statistical analyses so that they are well prepared for the research project in which they generate research aims or hypotheses conduct research analyse the results and report them in the context of theory and current knowledge. The VLE provides a means of accessing sites elsewhere that illustrate various topics and that allow students to practice relevant skills.
Careers
As a Graduate Chartered Member of the BPS, you will be eligible to apply for specialist Master's and/or Doctoral degrees to become an occupational, forensic, health, educational, counselling, sport or clinical psychologist. This will then enable you to work in services such as health education and the justice system as a chartered psychologist.
You will have acquired specific knowledge in research methods and other core areas in psychology (such as developmental psychology) to put you in a position to continue your studies within Psychology with a PhD.
Your Master’s qualification will also open up a range of graduate posts in other sectors where you can gain experience, increasing your chance of later going back to these specialist pathways in psychology.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
