MScPerception

Programme start date: September

The Department of Psychology offers a range of degrees.
For a full list of degrees offered by the University of Stirling, visit:
www.stir.ac.uk/postgrad/course_info/list-department.php

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

Psychology is a broad discipline addressing a wide range of questions and employing an equally wide range of methods. This programme aims to facilitate understanding of this diverse subject, whilst allowing students to focus the majority of their efforts in depth on their specific topic of interest – Measuring Perception.

The aim of the programme is to ensure that:

Students will understand the scope and limitations of an extensive range of research techniques and data collection instruments in psychology
Students will understand how ethical, cultural and pragmatic issues affect psychological research
Students will understand how psychological theories are constructed and tested by evidence of different kinds, and the importance of seeking converging evidence from different methodologies
Students will be able to implement a variety of quantitative and qualitative analyses
Students will have obtained hands-on experience of more than one research technique, through the Research Placement and Dissertation elements
Students will acquire an understanding of how to measure perceptual experience in a bias-free manner
Students will acquire the basic framework for understanding such measurements
Students will acquire practical experience in making measurements of perceptual experience

STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

Teaching emphasises the importance of systematic empirical research, whether in the laboratory or in the field, as appropriate to the problem at hand. Our students are particularly encouraged to develop a critical approach to the subject, asking what methods are appropriate for investigating any given question. The programme promotes an ethos of critical questioning and all of our modules are taught with an emphasis on the research processes that generates the knowledge upon which psychological theory is based.

Lectures, seminars and workshops are used to deliver a coherent programme of study. Teaching methods are adapted to suit the aims of each module, and to provide students with the range and depth of learning required by their needs. Students are able to pick a route through the programme that fits their interests and needs as a self-motivated learner.

Across the programme students experience a range of different forms of assessment – these include research reports, literature criticism, statistics exercises, research proposals, oral and poster presentations and the research dissertation. Specific assessment within the Measuring Perception is research report. Students will conduct and report (6,000 words) a small research project involving a measurement of perception. The student will be responsible for the whole process:
design of study, programming and other practical aspects of doing the research; data collection and analysis. The main assessment of the report will consider the quality of the research, the level of understanding about measurement of perception, and the competence of the procedures used in the research. The report will also be assessed for clarity and conciseness.

Full-time students are required to complete a programme of seven modules for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma. After successful completion, a candidate for the degree must complete a dissertation on a topic chosen in consultation with teaching staff, one of whom will act as supervisor, and approved by the Programme Director at the start of the Spring semester.

Part-time students take the same modules spread over two years.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

The programme aims to provide advanced training as a preparation for a research career involving the measurement of perception. It is intended primarily for students intending to proceed to a PhD in Psychology, who already have a degree in Psychology or an allied discipline.

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Consideration is given to candidates with a first or second class single or joint Honours degree in Psychology (or a closely related subject)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency such as a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 (minimum 6 in each skill) or TOEFL 577/233/90 (Paper/Computer/Internet).

FUNDING

For information on possible sources of funding, visit: www.stir.ac.uk/postgrad/finance.

MODES OF STUDY

Full-time: two semesters for Diploma,
12 months for MSc
Part-time: four semesters for the Diploma,
24 months for MSc

PROGRAMME START DATE

September

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR AND CONTACT

Professor Roger Watt

Department of Psychology
Tel: +44 (0) 1786 467667
Email: r.j.watt@stir.ac.uk
www.psychology.stir.ac.uk