Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology: The Origins of Mind

A good 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree in Psychology or a cognate discipline.

If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.

English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

The MSc in Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology is a full-time taught postgraduate programme run by the School of Psychology and Neuroscience. This distinctive programme tackles fundamental issues associated with the origins of animal and human cognition via a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches.

Highlights

• Students gain a detailed knowledge of the evolutionary and comparative literature and principal theoretical and methodological issues in this field.
• The course equips students with the necessary skills to pursue a research degree at MPhil or PhD level in psychology.
• Students have the opportunity, subject to availability, to undertake independent research at a given research centre in the UK or abroad, typically over the summer period.
• The course is taught by members of the internationally recognised Origins of Mind research group, with additional classes by members of the wider Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution and related academic staff with interests in evolutionary and comparative psychology.

Teaching format

Over two semesters, students take four compulsory modules and 30 credits of optional module(s). The modules are taught through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. Assessment comprises entirely of coursework; there are no exams. On average, class sizes range up to 80 students for lectures and 20 students for seminars.

The final three months of your course will be dedicated to a 15,000-word research project dissertation.

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see our website; some elements may be subject to change for 2021 entry.