Psychology

Please note that due to the popularity of our BPS accredited courses we urge you to apply early to avoid disappointment as places are limited.

Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), our online MSc Psychology course is ideally suited to anyone who is looking to take the next step and pursue a career in psychology, bringing you one step closer to becoming a chartered psychologist. The programme has been accredited longer than any other online conversion course currently available to study. The University of Derby has a long-standing relationship with the BPS meaning you can be assured you are studying a quality Master's degree.

Our online MSc Psychology conversion programme is designed for those who intend to specialise in psychology, giving you the opportunity to learn the distinctive range, depth and integration of skills, knowledge and applications of psychology. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the core areas of psychology required by the BPS including contextual and historical issues, biological, cognitive, lifespan, individual differences, and social psychology and the links between them. You will also gain experience in designing, conducting and disseminating an independent research project.

This course alone will not allow you to practice but provides an opportunity for a non-psychology graduate, or a graduate from a non-BPS accredited course, to meet one of the entry requirements for a postgraduate programme of professional training in Health, Sport, Clinical, Counselling, Occupational, Educational or Forensic Psychology. By completing this course, you will be conferred Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). You may also be looking to study this course as part of your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or to enhance your career employability and general knowledge.

Obtaining GBC keeps open the widest range of training, development and employment opportunities in psychology. Completion of an accredited programme, moreover, offers graduates a clear route to Society membership, and therefore access to the full range of membership benefits, including services, publications, conferences, training and networking opportunities.

Gain eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC)

For those wishing to pursue a career as a Chartered Psychologist, gaining Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) is the first step towards gaining Chartered status. To be eligible for GBC, you need to have a minimum of 180 credits of Psychology and successfully complete a BPS accredited course.

Our online Psychology Postgraduate Diploma and MSc Psychology conversion courses both confer eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).

If you are looking for a postgraduate conversion course and do not currently have 60 credits in Psychology, this online MSc Psychology conversion programme will enable you to achieve 180 credits of Psychology.

The MSc can be completed in 2-3 years and gives you the opportunity to further explore the breadth of this exciting subject by studying one of our optional modules.

If you already have 60 credits of Psychology (level 4 or above), you could gain direct entry to the online Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology conversion course to achieve the additional 120 credits.

If you are completely new to psychology, our online University Certificate in Psychology (60 credits) will prepare you for your postgraduate study by offering an introduction to the field of psychology and the fundamental skills that psychologists require. We believe this additional knowledge equips you to succeed in your postgraduate studies.

Pick from a unique and diverse range of optional modules

Enhance your career and specialise across distinctive areas of Psychology by choosing from optional modules including:

• Applied Psychology of Human Performance
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD
• Language and Literacy Development
• Positive Psychology, and
• Psychology of Pain

These modules offer a unique and distinguished programme of study from University of Derby taught by our research active team of academics who are at the forefront of their fields. Optional modules are subject to academic availability and the modules on offer may be subject to change each academic year.

Free student membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS)

Students on this BPS-accredited MSc Psychology conversion course will be eligible for 12-months free BPS student membership. Once you are accepted and enrol onto the course, you will be invited to join the BPS as a student member giving you access to a wide range of student member benefits including professional development, networking, publications and more.

After the one-year free membership, you will be eligible to continue your membership by renewing it directly with the BPS.

Please note: Free BPS membership is not available to students in receipt of Ministry of Defence Enhanced Learning Credit Scheme (ELC).

Study at a part-time or full-time rate

You can study this degree across 2 to 3 years, so you can complete your studies at a pace which suits you. Many of our students are working alongside their degrees and wish to study part time over 3 years to help manage their studies in and around work and family life. However, we appreciate that you may wish to complete your degree over 2 years, to reach your goals and aspirations sooner. If you set out on the standard part-time route, it will be possible to move to accelerated full-time study part way through your course and your programme team will be able to give you the necessary advice if you are considering this option. Further details can be found in Pace of Study section.

What skills will I develop?

You will begin your academic journey on a Psychology-specific Skills and Careers in Psychology module, that complements University-wide academic support, Develop@Derby. During the course you will gain a scientific understanding of the mind, brain and behaviour, and how they interact with the complex environments in which they exist. You will gain the ability to critically evaluate methodologies and collect and interpret primary and secondary empirical data, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

You will also learn how to apply critical, analytical and creative abilities in scholarly thinking, problem solving, and communication to course material, and develop a comprehensive understanding of the scientific underpinnings of psychology as a discipline, its historical origins, development, and limitations.

A talk from our academic

Our academic for Psychology, Dr Gulcan Garip, talks about our online Postgraduate Psychology courses.

If you have any further questions you can contact-us.

The MSc Psychology is a total of 180 credits and there are three stages to the course; Postgraduate Certificate stage (60 credits), Postgraduate Diploma stage (60 credits) and Masters stage (60 credits).

For the Postgraduate Certificate stage, you will complete three core 20 credit modules and one zero credit Skills and Careers in Psychology module.

For the Postgraduate Diploma stage, you will complete two core 20 credits modules and select one optional 20 credit module (subject to availability).

For the final Masters stage of the course, you will complete the core Masters Research Project which is a 60 credit independent empirical research project.

As a BPS accredited programme, group work is required as part of the BPS standards. This means that on Individual Differences, you will be required to work with other students in groups from the start of the trimester (week 1). Failure to engage with your group by the end of week 3 will result in you being removed from the module and liable for a module cancellation fee.

You can view the study plan for this online course.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Interactive and practical learning

You can be assured of a supportive and structured learning experience with academic teams who are specialists not only in their area of psychology, but also in online learning delivery. In addition, our dedicated online learner advisors provide non-academic support throughout the duration of the course. You’ll have access to a comprehensive online library of psychology resources, student webinars in key areas such as library skills and assessment writing, and other academic and wellbeing related services.

There are plenty of opportunities to interact with tutors and other students through online discussion forums, virtual classroom sessions and more traditional forms of communication such as email and Microsoft Teams. You will also receive one-to-one support from a specialist supervisor when you begin your empirical research project.

Pace of study

The academic year is made up of three 10-week terms, known as trimesters. We recommend about 20 hours of study per week to complete one 20-credit module over a 10-week trimester.

If you opt to undertake the accelerated study plan whereby you will study two modules in one trimester, we recommend 40 hours of study per week.

Should you decide to study on the accelerated rate you should ensure that you have the capacity to fully engage with your studies and achieve the best grades and final award. If you choose to study on the accelerated rate, you will need to balance approximately 40 hours of study per week alongside your professional and personal life and commitments.

It may be useful to consider studying one module at the standard rate of study before deciding whether to then increase to the accelerated rate of study.

There will be 1/2 virtual classrooms over the 10 week trimester and if you are unable to attend you will be able to download the session to view in your own time.

Assessment method

This course is assessed through 100% coursework with a range of methods, such as essays, research reports, presentations, group work and practical reports.

Student support and guidance

Whilst we encourage our students to become independent, life-long learners, we also recognise that offering the right support and guidance will help you to achieve your goals. There is a wealth of support available to you at the University, from your dedicated Personal Tutor and Online Learner Advisor, through to our:

• Library
• Health and Wellbeing Centre
• Careers and Employability Service
• IT Support
• Union of Students
• Develop@Derby for study, personal and employability skills

All these services, and more, are available to you as an online student at the University of Derby.

Who will teach you

Take a look at the programme co-leaders for this online Psychology MSc course or explore all staff on this course.

Get a taste of the course content

Our Psychology MSc course taster will give you an idea of how online learning works. It includes a selection of content from a course module so you can see what some of our learning material looks like.

You will need to complete a short form to access the course taster.

You will usually need one of the following:

• An undergraduate degree with Honours (in any subject) from a UK university or equivalent overseas qualification - at least a 2:2
• A Masters degree from a UK university or equivalent overseas qualification
• A psychology degree which hasn’t given you Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership - at least a 2.2
• An undergraduate degree from an overseas institution that is equivalent to the above UK qualifications. It is also important that you have a good standard of written and spoken English

Plus

• GCSE/GCE O Level Maths: Grade C

English language qualifications

You’ll also normally require one of the following English language qualifications:

• GCE O level English Language C
• GCSE English C

If English is not your first language, or you have not successfully completed your highest level of qualification in English, you will need an English language qualification. For this course you will need at least one of the following:

• IELTS 6.5
• TOEFL: 550 (paper based), 213 (computer based) or 80 (internet based)
• Pearson Test of Academic English: 51
• Cambridge Advanced Certificate: Pass
• London Tests of English: we accept level 5 for postgraduate courses
• International GCE O Level English Language: Grade C
• International GCSE English/English as a Second Language: Grade C

Find out more about our English language requirements

^‡2024/25 for new entrants

Starting between September 2024 and August 2025.

About your fees

This figure would be the total cost of this course based on the fee in the current academic year. However, please note that fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase if your course lasts longer than one year.

If you are required to undertake any associate study or additional study as a condition of your offer for the programme, please be aware that the cost for this may be in addition to the programme cost stated above.

Flexible payment plans available

Choose from two payment plan options:

• Pay monthly and only for the modules you are studying

• Pay your full course fees upfront and avoid annual increases

Masters funding options

Depending on where you are from in the UK or EU, and on your pace of study, you may be eligible for a postgraduate student loan. Accessible through Student Finance, this is a non-income based loan to help with living costs and tuition fees whilst studying your masters programme.

If you are considering applying for a student loan, please also see our additional guidance on Loans for Online Students.

Alumni discount for Derby graduates

We offer a discount on postgraduate course fees for all Derby alumni.

Find out more about the Alumni discount

Apply directly to the University.

Apply now

For support with completing your application, view our guide to the application process.

Documents to support your application

In order for your application to be assessed, you will need to provide the following documents when you apply:

• Official photo identification such as a passport or driving licence
• Copies of certificates and transcripts or a letter of testimony for previous qualifications*

*Documents not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. Each translation must contain:

• Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
• The date of the translation
• The full name and signature of the translator, or an authorised official of the company
• The translator’s contact details

A list of approved translators can be found on the UK Government website.

Please note: failure to submit any documentation when requested, may result in your application being withdrawn.

Application deadlines

All of our online courses have set start dates throughout the year. We require time to review your application and get back to you with a response before your course starts. Take a look at information regarding applying for an online course to see full details of deadlines and term dates.

During this course you'll study all the core areas of psychology to gain a deep understanding of the subject.

From here you can then choose which area you would like to specialise in and continue to further training. For example, you may want to consider our online MSc Health Psychology or online MSc Forensic Psychology courses, which will introduce you to a range of professional competencies. Other areas of psychology you can consider are sports, clinical, educational and occupational.

Utilise our Careers and Employment Service​

Whilst you are a student at the University of Derby, and for 3 years after you graduate, our Careers and Employment Service can assist you with job search advice, CV creation, workshops and events, as well as one-to-one appointments with employment advisers to help with career planning and interview preparation.

Contact us

Contact the University of Derby Online Learning:

Other courses you might like

• Psychology Postgraduate Diploma
• Health Psychology MSc
• Psychology MRes