Program Overview

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Our Integrated Masters provides one of the most immersive and exciting experiences of studying the human mind in the UK through incorporating in-depth coverage of all areas of psychology and an exceptional understanding and practical skills in advanced research methods. This will include combining modules from existing courses and building on skills learned to an advanced level of research methods. Psychologists conduct experiments to study cognitive abilities such as how we perceive others, how we make decisions, how we remember or how we speak. Cognitive Neuroscientists link these questions directly to underlying brain processes: they make use of brain imaging techniques to answer which brain areas support these abilities. They also use time-sensitive imaging methodologies to explore the exact timing of these processes. Together, researchers from both disciplines aim to map the relationship between brain and behaviour. You’ll be introduced to contemporary research questions from different fields including vision, hearing, memory, and language. You’ll develop a thorough understanding of how these questions can be answered, what the current state-of-the-art knowledge is, which methodologies are best suited to study which questions, and how different subfields work together to further our understanding of what may seem like simple questions but are in reality complex endeavours. You’ll be immersed in a supportive, interactive, and methodical hands-on environment. Satisfy your curiosity by learning from innovative researchers at the cutting edge of psychological science. At Essex we take a multi-method approach, working beyond traditional boundaries to combine different expertise and share fascinating techniques and intriguing theories. You cover core areas in psychology and cognitive neuroscience including:

• Brain and behaviour
• Methods in cognitive neuroscience
• Applied psychology
• Language, memory and perception
• Developmental psychology

You learn from our researchers and can work together in the same space via our Research Experience Scheme (RES) which gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with a psychologist as their research assistant. Our SHOUTS scheme allows you to use your skills and creativity to make our department a better place and promote what we do beyond Essex, through social media, activities and events. Why we're great.

• 90% of our psychology graduates are in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2023)
• We are 21st in the UK for overall student satisfaction for psychology (National Student Survey 2022)
• Our Research Experience Scheme (RES) gives you the opportunity to work one-on-one with a psychologist as their research assistant

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The five-year version of our Integrated Masters allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the four-year Integrated Masters. Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

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Placement year

You can also undertake a placement year in which you gain relevant work experience within an external business, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre. If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

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Our expert staff

Our psychology lecturers include award-winning teachers and prize-winning researchers who are international experts in their own research areas. Our staff carry out research into areas of psychology that fall under our three key themes: thinking about the world , interacting with the world , and experiencing the world . These three themes help tie your knowledge together as they directly feed into our modules, where you can study how we remember things, what captures out attention, how relationships work, what our emotions do with us, or the impact of culture on ourselves and others.

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Specialist facilities

We are committed to giving you access to state-of-the-art facilities in higher education housed entirely within our purpose-built psychology building on our Colchester Campus:

• Dedicated laboratories including a virtual reality suite and an observation suite
• Specialist areas to study visual and auditory perception, developmental psychology and social psychology
• Our Babylab is the leading infant lab in the east of England that explores perceptual, emotional, and cognitive processes in infants
• Our multimillion-pound Centre for Brain Science (CBS) allows staff and students to investigate brain activity, including electrophysiology (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The CBS also includes a range of facilities that allow to measure eye movements and physiological responses (eg heart rate, skin conductance).

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Your future

A psychology with cognitive neuroscience degree, especially one accredited by the British Psychology Society, will provide you with the foundations needed for specialising in diverse areas, including educational psychology, consumer, or health psychology. Many of our psychology graduates choose careers outside traditional psychology fields. The skills you learn during your degree opens doors to careers in medical imaging , human resources, and people-focussed careers such as a Senior Assistant Psychologist or special educational needs. Our psychology graduates have progressed in diverse careers across the public, private and third sectors, including working for the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust , and Prison and Probation Service, mental health charity MIND, and organisations like the BBC and the University of Oxford Visit our psychology careers page to find out more about your career opportunities and discover the variety of career paths our recent graduates have taken. We also work with our University's careers services to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.