Why study at Stirling?
This MSc is taught by our expert team of psychologists specialising in early childhood development. The course covers a range of topics from social and cognitive development, to autism and other atypical developmental issues, to the health psychology of infant feeding practices. Teaching is grounded in practice with input from social psychologists, health psychologists, neuropsychologists and primatologists. As well as a month-long placement, you will also benefit from hands-on learning through our in-house playgroup which is integral to teaching and research on the MSc.
Course objectives
What the MSc is for:
To train you how to conduct research into child development. How the brain and mind develop is critical to our understanding of human psychology. Studying this requires special skills and knowledge that you will acquire on this course.
Who the MSc is for:
Graduates in psychology or related subjects, and professionals working with children as continued professional development.
How the MSc is taught:
In addition to core research methods modules, the course includes a seminar series with topics ranging from social and cognitive development, to autism and other atypical developmental issues, to the health psychology of infant feeding practices. The research placement allows direct experience tailored to each student’s career aspirations, and the dissertation allows extensive research into a chosen aspect of child development.
What you get
Office space and equipment, a personal academic supervisor, and inclusion in a vibrant, stimulating and friendly research community.
Entrance requirements
A first or second class single or joint Honours degree in Psychology (or 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: Listening 23, Reading 23, Speaking 23, Writing 23.
Funding
There are typically five £1,000 bursaries to contribute towards fees or maintenance costs for students beginning a taught MSc course. All students, including international students, formally accepted onto the MSc course are eligible to apply for these awards. Awards will be decided on both previous experience and academic record but preference will be given to applicants intending to stay at Stirling to pursue a PhD following the MSc course.
Information on other possible sources of funding
Modes of study
Full-time:
Two semesters for Diploma, 12 months for MSc
Part-time:
Four semesters for the Diploma, 24 months for MSc
Course start date
September
Structure and content
The course is made up of the following modules:
- Child Development: A series of participatory seminars with developmental psychologists covering a range of topics in child development: socio-cognitive development in pre-school children; the social and cognitive characteristics of Autistic Spectrum Disorders; the health psychology of infant feeding practices; representation and social learning in infancy; cross-cultural differences in cognition; language and communication development and assessment.
- Psychological Research Methods I and II: Covers a wide range of techniques used in psychological research and demonstrates these techniques in relation to topics in a range of areas
- Advanced Statistics: Assumes a reasonable knowledge of statistics, although an additional introductory module is available. The main statistics teaching is aimed at introducing advanced methods such as multivariate statistics and the rationale of using statistical methods
- Key Skills for Psychology Researchers: Focuses on the research process, including ethical reviews, professional conduct and disseminating research effectively to specialist and non specialist audiences
- Qualitative Research Methods: Provides a broad but solid grounding in qualitative research methodology
- Research Placement: This month-long placement is carried out in January/February, allowing students to broaden their practical research experience. The placement may be external to Psychology and can be in a non-academic environment
We also offer some flexibility, allowing students to opt for a module from another subject area if this can meet personal training needs.
Dissertation
For those who go onto the MSc, approximately half of the course of study is devoted to a research project, leading to a 12,000-word dissertation.
Delivery and assessment
Teaching is delivered using a variety of methods including tutorials, demonstrations and practical classes, but the majority is seminar-based. Students are typically taught in small groups in specialist classes, with first-year PhD students or other postgraduate students (for example, in modules from other MSc programmes).
The individual module components contribute towards 60 percent of the MSc grade, with the research dissertation contributing the remaining 40 percent.
Course Director
Dr Martin Doherty
RAE rating
70 percent of research in Psychology at Stirling is recognised as being of a quality that is internationally recognised in terms of originality, significance and rigour in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
Our students
The academic skills gained on the MSc have gone a long way towards helping me to achieve my goal of becoming an Educational Psychologist.
Jennifer Dent, MSc Child Development 2009/10
