Psychological Research Methods

Entry requirements

Please see course page on the Keele University website for up to date details.

Months of entry

September

Course content

An MSc in Psychological Research Methods at Keele will provide you with expertise in advanced quantitative and qualitative methods, covering a range of research designs, data handling and collection techniques, and analytical approaches. On successful completion of the programme, you will gain the skills required to pursue PhD research, launch a career as a professional researcher in psychology and more.

• Explore meta-scientific issues of robust and ethical scientific practice, and implement open scientific practices
• Learn techniques for using psychological evidence to implement change in organisational and government policy and practice, and gain hands-on experience implementing your skills during your work-based placement
• Gain a strong foundation for pursuing PhD-level research or a research career
• Gain experience as a research apprentice, working on a live and active research project with an academic, alongside your dissertation project
• Master the most in-demand research techniques

MSc Psychological Research Methods at Keele, combines the development of advanced research methodological expertise with considering the practicalities of translating your knowledge into application.

You will gain a strong grounding in a wide variety of methodologies. This will enable you to tackle research questions using different types of data. With opportunities to explore EEG, eye tracking, TMS, virtual reality, video observation, psychophysiological equipment and other facilities, the possibilities for research are open for you to discover.

You will dive deep into advanced techniques including factor analysis, Bayesian analysis, computational modeling, and machine learning, whilst engaging with qualitative methods, from semantic to social constructionist approaches and more. You will learn how to carry out advanced qualitative analysis, develop programming skills in MATLAB, and conduct inferential statistics using the open-source software JASP.

A key contemporary issue in psychological research methods is open science.
Together, we will examine the meta-scientific issue of ensuring research is robust and reproducible, placing you in a strong position for a career in research.

Having learnt these techniques you will have the opportunity to apply your learning by:

• Gaining experience as a research apprentice working on a live and active research project with an academic
• Undertaking a year-long applied research dissertation
• Working closely with stakeholders on meaningful psychological research, learning how to use your findings to shape government and organisational policies.

Studying this course will also grant you membership in one of our research networks, offering numerous opportunities to immerse yourself in the research activities of the School of Psychology.

For full course details, please visit the course page on the Keele University website.

Information for international students

Please see course page on the Keele University website for up to date details.

Fees and funding

Please see course page on the Keele University website for up to date details.