Integrated Master in Science: Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience

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.

Program Outline

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Final Year This module will explore questions such as: Is intelligence fixed? Is our memory reliable? How do we learn? By introducing a range of approaches from across psychology, you will address such questions from different perspectives and provide the foundations needed to become a successful Essex student. This module will also begin your training on designing and carrying out psychology experiments, and dealing with the information that those experiments provide. View Understanding our place in the world on our Module Directory New-borns are totally dependent on others. They are unable to move or sit up; they cannot reach out and pick up an object; their vision is poor; they cannot even express simple emotions. By the end of the developmental process, some 20 years later, humans have become the most psychologically complex things we know. How does this happen? This module will introduce you to how humans grow and develop in the world. The principal approaches to the study of human development will be discussed, with a particular focus on how infants take their first "psychological steps" in the social world. You will also develop the research and analysis skills that are needed to answer different questions about how humans grow in the world. View Growing in the world on our Module Directory In this module you will discover answers to fundamental questions in the science of emotion: What are emotions and why do we have them? Is it possible to elicit specific emotions in people and measure them? How good are we at sensing how someone else is feeling? Why are some people more emotional than others? You'll untangle the complexities involved in studying human emotion by: exploring a variety of research methods and measurements, applying critical thinking to psychological concepts, and mastering the data analysis techniques that allow psychologists to draw conclusions about our experience of emotion. View Experiencing Emotion on our Module Directory In this module, you'll study the internal mental processes that go on inside our brain that form the basis of our thoughts. We'll answer questions such as: what do visual illusions tell us about how we perceive the world? Are we really able to multi-task? How do we understand and produce speech, and is this different if you speak more than one language? You will learn the skills that psychologists use to conduct research to answer these questions, as well as core theories and knowledge about key topics in this area. View Thinking and the Mind on our Module Directory Do you behave differently when you are alone than with others? How do people interact with individuals? How do they behave in groups? How do people explain the social world and how do they explain the behaviour of others? What makes people attribute human characteristics to animals and inanimate objects? This module will examine how humans live in and interact with the social world. These questions will be explored, using social psychology theories, survey methods and research skills. View The Social World on our Module Directory How does your brain decide between good and bad? What is the neural basis of moral reasoning? What is the biological basis of anger and aggression? Can we explain psychopathy in terms of differences in brain structure and function? What can neuroscience tell us about whether people should be held accountable for their actions? These are the kinds of the questions that we will investigate in this module, which aims to understand the neural basis of (anti) social behaviour. These questions will be addressed by building knowledge and understanding whilst also developing the skills that psychologists use to research these aspects of human behaviour. View The Social Brain on our Module Directory COMPONENT 07: OPTIOL Option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) It’s important to plan your career. This is the one of three modules that will make sure you are career ready when you leave university. You will decide on your career aspirations and goals, plan how you will achieve them and identify the resources available to help you. View Introduction to Personal Development and Employability on our Module Directory View Statistics for Psychology on our Module Directory The brain is an extremely complex organ, and there is much that we still have to learn about its processes and functions. This module will detail the psychological mechanisms that underlie human behaviour and highlight the possibility that even our deepest thoughts and feelings arise from electrical and chemical activity in our brains. View Brain and Behaviour on our Module Directory View Psychology of Health on our Module Directory Explore classical and contemporary themes of child development such as prenatal and perceptual development, early language acquisition, and cognitive and social development, whilst examining the research methods and designs employed in Developmental Psychology. View Developmental Psychology on our Module Directory Through exploring and addressing a range of theories and research on how people think and behave, you will gain a clear understanding of the topics social psychologists are interested in and their approaches to studying them. View Social Psychology on our Module Directory An in-depth look into cognitive, trait and biological theories and approaches to personality, individual differences and intelligence. This module will also give you the opportunity to cover and debate contemporary topics in individual intelligence (such as how individual differences explain behaviours, feelings and thinking). View Personality and Individual Differences on our Module Directory View Cognitive Psychology on our Module Directory COMPONENT 08: OPTIOL Option from list (15 CREDITS) It’s important to plan your career. This is the one of three modules that will make sure you are career ready when you leave university. You will decide on your career aspirations and goals, plan how you will achieve them and identify the resources available to help you. View Enhancing employability and career planning on our Module Directory This module gives you the chance to utilise the statistical and research methodology which you gained during your first two years and apply it to your own original research project. You’ll submit a written report and a supporting poster which will be assessed. View Psychology Project on our Module Directory Discover the neuroscience behind key elements of human nature. These include, understanding the faces and bodies of others, how we copy body language to show empathy and the processes that drive motivation and emotion. You will also investigate autism and schizophrenia which occur when these processes aren’t working effectively. View The Neuroscience of Human Nature on our Module Directory COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Option(s) from list (45 CREDITS) COMPONENT 04: OPTIOL Option(s) from list or outside option(s) (30 CREDITS) It’s important to plan your career. This is the one of three modules that will make sure you are career ready when you leave university. You will decide on your career aspirations and goals, plan how you will achieve them and identify the resources available to help you. View Advanced employability skills and career progression on our Module Directory This module provides you with a detailed overview of the most common statistical tests used by postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in psychology. View Fundamental Statistics for Research on our Module Directory Research in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychology employs a diverse range of analytical tools and procedures. This module provides specialist Masters students with the training necessary to critically evaluate the analyses presented in published research. Additionally, you will be trained to apply numerical techniques to neuropsychological and psychophysiological data and to interpret the output of popular analysis software. View Numerical Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience on our Module Directory This module covers the main research areas and methods used in investigating the workings of the brain. The module will provide you with a solid background in brain structure and function both at the cellular level and the systems level. It will consider neuroscience as it relates to behaviour by asking how mental processes such as perception, attention, movement, emotion, higher cognitive functions and sexual orientation are implemented within the brain and body. This module also seeks to familiarise you with most of the present-day methods used in cognitive neuroscience and to provide practical experience of some of these methodologies: EEG, ERPs, TMS, tDCS, eye-tracking, pupilometry, NIRS and other psychophysiological measures (skin conductance, heart rate, respiration rate, plethysmography etc) and their combination. View Theory and Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology on our Module Directory Gain an in-depth introduction to the major topics in neurocognition of language. By critically analysing a range of research and methodologies used to study brain processes, you will acquire an advanced understanding of the brain bases of language, and of the neurocognitive processes that underlie human communication. View Neurocognition of Human Interaction on our Module Directory COMPONENT 05: OPTIOL Option(s) from list (45 CREDITS)

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Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the four-year Integrated Masters.

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Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity 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. The rest of your course remains identical to the four-year Integrated Masters.

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Teaching

• We combine small and large-group teaching with regular laboratory-based research exercises.
• Your modules are taught through lectures, laboratory practicals, seminars, independent reading and research projects and we host a very active programme of research seminars.

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Assessment

• Your assessment is based on written essays, practical lab reports, and examinations incorporating a range of core and specialist topics and a dissertation.
• You will also complete a supervised research project and research placement with practical classes and tutorials.

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Dissertation

• An original psychological study carried out under the supervision of a staff member.
• Maximum of 10,000 words, written up as a research report.