Our staff here at Northumbria University are actively engaged in world-leading research on a range of topics, with almost three-quarters of Northumbria’s psychology research being judged to have outstanding reach and significance for its impact (REF 2014).

You will work in a professional, research environment and develop advanced research skills that will enable you to plan, execute, analyse and disseminate high-quality psychological research. This includes access to state of the art laboratories, equipped with industry standard equipment, meaning that you graduate with all of the familiarity of working in a research lab. This is a major advantage when it comes to seeking employment.

You will learn from those at the forefront of their fields. In fact, our strength in psychology research has significantly increased. This places us second in the Alliance group of universities for world-leading research (REF 2014).

With the opportunity to work both individually and collaboratively on research projects you will gain valuable critical and transferable skills and an understanding of the professional and ethical issues relating to producing research. You will graduate with your Psychology MRes ready for employment in a research context, or doctoral level training in psychological research or applied psychology.

Assessments and interactive activities are reflective of the kinds of tasks which active researchers engage with. For example, on this course, you will participate in a journal club, learn to conduct a collaborative pre-registered replication study, present your work at our MRes conference and develop programming skills for conducting sophisticated data analysis and building experiments.

Much of your learning will be hands on, and you will have substantial choice in developing and running a range of qualitative and quantitative studies on topics which align with your own research interests, under the guidance of our expert staff.

We provide you with an authentic learning experience, enabling you to work in a professional research environment. You will have the invaluable opportunity to work on a research placement with an academic researcher from the Department of Psychology, collaborating with this member of staff, their research partners and research groups to design, develop and implement a research project based on shared interests and enabling you to gain the applied research and team working skills that are desired by employers in the sector.

The MRes Psychology provides you with the advanced research experience, critical knowledge and transferable skills to enable you to plan, execute, analyse and disseminate high-quality psychological research.

You will graduate as a trained psychological researcher fit for employment in professional research settings, enterprising and entrepreneurial activity or further study. Many of our previous graduates have continued to build on their research interests by going on to PhDs in psychological research or applied psychology, whilst others have worked as assistant psychologists or followed careers in the NHS.