MSc Behavioural Science
Gain advanced insights into human and organisational decision-making, nudging and boosting on one of the UK's longest-running Masters courses in Behavioural Science, which is run out of Stirling's famous Behavioural Science Centre.
Key facts
- Award Masters / MSc, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma
- Start date September 2024
- Duration MSc full-time: 12 months, MSc part-time: 24 months
- Mode of study full time, part time
- Delivery on campus
Overview
Our faculty comprises decision scientists who collaborate with organisations on designing behavioural interventions. We'll teach you the theory of behavioural science and how to apply it in practice.
What we offer
Our results speak for themselves - the MSc Behavioural Science earned 100% student satisfaction in the PTES survey in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Our graduates occupy senior roles in the Behavioural Insights Team, national governments, regulatory bodies, large corporations, charities and consultancy firms. Other graduates have gone on to PhDs and published assignments from our Masters in peer-reviewed journals.
You will join Stirling Behavioural Science Centre, where you will have an opportunity to chat with leading practitioners and researchers. Each year, we run a seminar series and host a conference focusing on an aspect of behavioural science.
Our assignments challenge you to apply behavioural science in practice – you’ll design your own experiment, write policy briefs and learn to moderate a Behavioural Challenge Workshop.
You will have the opportunity to apply what you learn. Our students have worked on projects with Siemens, Tesco, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Volunteer Scotland, Glasgow Film Theatre and Iceland's Cancer Detection Clinic. In addition, each year we award the Keep Scotland Beautiful Prize for Best Research in Behavioural Science relating to the Environment.
Industry demand for skills in behavioural science
Demand for managers with behavioural science knowledge is growing in many different industries. With our MSc Behavioural Science you’ll be fully equipped to break new ground in industries such as:
- Marketing and market research: Key skills needed in marketing and market research include the ability to apply behavioural theory and methods to understand product pricings, promotion, and consumer perceptions. Part of this involves understanding the characteristics of customers, so that they can be grouped and targeted in customised ways.
- Human resources (HR): Organisations need leaders with skills in development and design, resourcing and talent development as well as employee engagement within the HR environment.
- Public opinion research: High-quality survey data is always needed by governments, state agencies and businesses. Companies delivering this service seek sophisticated survey operations skills, including knowledge of data collection modes, survey design, survey completion behaviour, formatting, quality control, and distribution.
- Business: Business and management careers place increasing value on the capacity to apply behavioural insights to business challenges and to gather evidence using experimental methods.
- Policy: Governments now have behavioural insight teams which draw on insights from the growing body of academic research in the fields of behavioural science and psychology.
Developing business leaders of the future
Postgraduate education at the University of Stirling Management School goes beyond text books and lecture rooms, we also focus on your personal and professional development. Our teaching and assignments will equip you with the skills you need to succeed in a variety of occupations.
Our unique Flying Start Leadership Programme equips you with the awareness, knowledge and techniques essential for building a successful career. These range from practical skills, like effective public speaking, to developing ways to work under pressure in difficult situations such as conflict management. Find out more about Flying Start.
Top reasons to study with us
Course objectives
This course will help you to develop key skills and gain practical experience in behavioural science including:
- core training in areas of psychological science most relevant to business and policy,
- in-depth knowledge of the key concepts of behavioural economics,
- how behavioural science can be applied to business and policy questions,
- sound understanding of growing areas such as experimental approaches to business and policy questions and strategies to enable behaviour change,
- approachable yet detailed statistical and methodological training,
- the design and analysis of surveys and survey data,
- using advanced experimental and empirical techniques,
- presenting research confidently, and
- conducting independent research projects that test hypotheses in applied settings.
Research overview
Our behavioural science students benefit from the vibrant research culture within the Stirling Behavioural Science Centre with a regular programme of visiting speakers, leading academics and policy and industry professionals. The centre holds grants from the Chief Scientist’s Office, UKRI, the EU commission, the Scottish Funding Council and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
In REF 2021, 80% of our research impact in Business and Management Studies was classed as world leading or internationally excellent.
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
A minimum of a second class honours degree or equivalent. Applicants without these formal qualifications but with significant appropriate/relevant work/life experience are encouraged to apply.
Other routes of entry
If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, INTO University of Stirling offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses. Explore INTO University of Stirling to see the pathway and pre-masters routes available.
International entry requirements
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
- IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
Pre-sessional English language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.
Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses.
Course details
Learn from the experts
You’ll benefit from the vibrant research community within our Behavioural Science Centre, where there’s a regular programme of visiting speakers, leading academics, and policy and industry professionals. There’s also the opportunity to work closely with course staff who have published in leading peer-reviewed outlets on:
- forecasting
- risk and how to communicate it
- altruism
- donating behaviour
- survey design
- selective attention
- priming, including Mortality Salience
- the optimal design of nudges
- the ethics of nudging
- the replication crisis in the social sciences
And have applied their research to an extensive set of areas including:
- health
- the environment
- finance
- food safety
- employment and HR
- insurance markets
- culture and entertainment industries
The full-time MSc Behavioural Science consists of two 15-week semesters of taught modules and a three-month dissertation period.
Modules
The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the current academic year (September 2023). Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.
Course Details
Teaching
Teaching is carried out through lectures, seminars, guest speakers, article discussion groups, and presentations. There’s a regular programme of visiting speakers, leading academics and policy and industry professionals at Stirling’s Behaviour Research Centre.
Assessment
You’ll be assessed by combination of exams and coursework, including written assignments and presentations. The final assessment on the course involves a dissertation.
Course director
Professor David Comerford, Course Director
Fees and funding
Fees and costs
| 2023/24 | 2024/25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Students from the UK and Republic of Ireland | £8,700 | £9,100 |
| International (including EU) students | £19,645 | £20,600 |
University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our UK/Republic of Ireland Alumni Scholarship.
Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
Fees shown are for a full-time, one-year Masters course.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Eligible students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students.
Fees shown are for a full-time, one-year Masters course.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
This course is eligible for a postgraduate tuition fee loan from one of the UK’s governments. See the Scholarships and funding section, below, for more details.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.
Scholarships and funding
Funding
Eligible international students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students.
University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our UK/Republic of Ireland Alumni Scholarship or International Alumni Scholarship.
Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.
Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £11,500 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs.
English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,167 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme.
Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £18,770 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales.
Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £5,500 from Student Finance NI.
Cost of living
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
Payment options
We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay
After you graduate
100% of Behavioural Science students felt the course had enhanced their employability
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2021
The MSc Behavioural Science is designed to help you pursue a career in business in areas such as:
- implementation of public policy
- regulation and policy development
- survey research
- advertising
- consumer and social marketing
- human resource management
Our unique Flying Start Leadership Programme equips you with the awareness, knowledge and techniques essential for building a successful career and the course also provides an excellent entry point if you’re considering progressing to PhD research in this area.
When you graduate, you’ll be ready and able to contribute innovative solutions to many businesses, governments and society. The specialist knowledge you’ll gain will be invaluable in building a long-term career. You’ll have the skills and understanding to:
- carry out complex statistics, design behavioural experiments and implement behavioural research methods,
- integrate the knowledge and understanding gained throughout the course and use this to tackle substantive issues in business and policy, and
- use your knowledge of complex conceptual, design and statistical issues to understand, critically evaluate and apply insights from emerging research in behavioural economics and related disciplines.
The University of Stirling Management School has a dedicated Employability Manager and from the very beginning of the course your career is our focus.
HigherEd Global Talent Portal
As a Management School student, you have access to the HigherEd Global Talent Portal where you'll find internship, trainee positions, apprenticeships and graduate positions from companies around the world. It helps international students looking for placements back at home and local students that want to explore an international experience.
The global talent portal is in addition to all other existing initiatives and resources available for you through the Careers and Employability Service, and the Target Connect vacancy and events system.
Testimonial quotes
I’m employed in a PR company applying Behavioural Science to communications for a wide vary of clients. I’m applying direct learnings from the Masters and the experience I gained from the course was invaluable in helping me to pursue my chosen career.
Amy Hume, MSc Behavioural Science
Employability skills
Throughout the course, you’ll also develop a set of core skills in areas that are in demand by employers, including:
- written and oral communication skills, including presenting arguments clearly and concisely,
- analysis and problem-solving,
- thinking imaginatively and creatively,
- using and interpreting statistics,
- working under pressure, managing your time and meeting deadlines,
- researching relevant material, and
- taking initiative and developing ideas independently.
What our students said
Iceland
MSc Behavioural Science
Read Linda's storyI already got a job as a behavioural scientist ... I could not be working there if I had not done my course.
Italy
MSc Behavioural Science
Read Silvia's storyThe dissertation was the most exciting part because you had your own projects and you had to carry them out all by yourself with the support of the supervisor.
United Kingdom
MSc Behavioural Science for Management
Read Rowan's storyThe course was taught in a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere; and because the group was relatively small, it meant that everyone’s view was heard and nobody was left behind. The content was also really interesting and relevant to a real world context.