| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Research Methods (Developmental Psychology)
The MA in Research Methods (Developmental Psychology) is an ESRC-accredited Social Sciences & Health Faculty degree in which departments from across the University work together to deliver a tailored study programme that explores human development through a research lens.
Course Structure
Year 1 Modules
Core Modules:
- Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Practices Across Social Research: introduces the areas of contemporary social scientific research practice. You will develop an understanding of the intersection where philosophical, methodological and disciplinary contexts meet, including qualitative, quantitative, statistical, computational and historical programmes of research. You will also explore the various issues involved in the application of these methods inside and outside academia and will consider the ethical issues involved such as power and equality.
- Qualitative Methods and Analysis: supports your preparation for conducting qualitative research equipping you with the knowledge and skills to understand and appraise qualitative social sciences research, including different approaches to research and design and the analysis of qualitative data.
- Advanced Developmental Psychology Review: teaches the skills to create and deliver literature reviews as well as providing analysis of key topics in the field of developmental psychology, including research skills, data handling, writing styles and methods of presentation.
- Research Design in Child and Clinical Psychology: provides an introduction to the methods and design used in child and clinical psychology and offers practical training in the transferable skills relevant for professional and personal development.
- Current Issues in Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology: provides in-depth knowledge of current theoretical stances and methodological issues within the fields of developmental psychology and neurodiversity. The aim is for you to gain a broad understanding of typical development and then consider different development pathways.
- Quantitative Methods and Analysis: develops your knowledge, critical understanding and skills in quantitative data analysis and teaches you how to use statistical techniques for exploration and description of data sets. You will also learn how to make appropriate statistical inferences about associations between social phenomena.
- Advanced Statistics for Psychology and the Behavioural Sciences: teaches you a set of advanced statistical methods that are used across psychology and the behavioural sciences, equipping you with the skills to confidently identify appropriate statistical techniques and analyse data using relevant software across a range of different types of research.
- Dissertation: The Dissertation enables you to design, implement, analyse and finally discuss an empirical project relevant to your field of study, giving you the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge you have acquired and to gain experience of collaborating with other researchers and undertaking research and project management. The Department provides excellent support and opportunities for conducting a significant piece of independent research.
Optional Modules:
- Alternative modules (depending on prior knowledge and understanding) in recent years include:
- Advanced Ethnographic Research
- Multilevel Modelling
- Simulating Data in R
- Systematic Review
- Computational Social Science
- Participatory Action Research
- Statistics in Health and Medicine with R
Learning
The course is delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars and practical classes. Lectures provide key information on a particular topic, such as social and emotional development. Seminars are held in order that smaller group teaching can take place, with focused discussion on specific topics. Finally, practical and workshop classes allow you to gain direct experience, particularly in how to use statistical tools.
The balance of this type of activity varies as a function of the module. This is a one year course, with students having the summer term to work on dissertation related activities. You will typically attend approximately 12 hours a week comprising lectures, tutorials and seminars. Outside timetabled contact hours, you are also expected to undertake your own independent study to prepare for your classes and broaden your subject knowledge, as well as conduct your dissertation. Independent study is a key element to the course, with complex factors raised in lectures that do assume some prior knowledge of the topic area.
Assessment
Assessment features examinations, written assignments, oral presentations, and the completion of a dissertation.
Entry Requirements
- 2:1 in Psychology or Psychology related subject (or equivalent).
- Alternative qualifications:
- Other UK qualifications
- EU qualifications
- International qualifications
- International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.
- Home students who do not meet our direct entry requirements, may be eligible for our Foundation Programme which offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes.
- English language requirements:
- Country specific information
Fees and Funding
Full Time Fees
- Tuition fees:
- Home students: £11,250 per year
- EU students: £26,750 per year
- Island students: £11,250 per year
- International students: £26,750 per year
- The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only.
- More information is available here: Tuition fees - how much are they - Durham University
- Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities.
Career Opportunities
Our Masters qualifications provide the essential skills and understanding to progress to research at a higher academic level or to launch a professional career.
Our students enter the workplace with knowledge relevant to careers in psychology but also with the transferable skills in analysis and problem-solving that are valued by employers.
Such skills are highly sought after in a range of professions and our postgraduates have progressed to roles that include consultants, advisors, human resources professionals, talent managers, business analysts, market researchers, public relations professionals, marketeers, administrators, managers, civil servants, coaches, trainers and teachers.
In addition, the broad nature of the Department means that some of our postgraduates also qualify for careers in clinical and healthcare settings.
Department Information
Psychology
Our Department provides world class teaching and research into understanding the mind and human behaviours. We investigate the processes that bring about the thoughts, feelings and motivations that lie behind our actions.
The Department of Psychology provides a world-class teaching and research environment for postgraduates who are interested in understanding more about the thoughts, feelings and motivations that lie behind actions and human behaviours and the processes that trigger them.
Our academic team are leading experts in their specialisms and provide outstanding supervision for postgraduate learning and research in key areas of psychology including Developmental Science, Cognitive Neuroscience and Quantitative Social Psychology.
Our range of taught Masters qualifications offer the opportunity to focus on a specific aspect of psychology be it biological, cognitive, social, developmental or neuroscience-related and to learn key approaches to the discipline including statistical training. For those who are interested in pursuing their own research interests we offer the MA/MSc by Research which offers a direct route to the PhD.
All postgraduate taught courses include a postgraduate dissertation in a chosen subject, supported by a member of staff with expertise in that area. Students also have access to state-of-the art technical, clinical and experimental facilities to support learning and research.
In the Department, we are proud to have passionate and committed teachers, who love their subjects and want to share that passion. We encourage collaborative working on new ideas so that together we can make new discoveries about human behaviour.
For more information see our department pages.
Facilities
Facilities in the Department are outstanding. They provide state-of-the-art support for postgraduate work in understanding mind and behaviour through high precision experimental methods and ecologically valid controlled environments.
Postgraduate students have access to dedicated laboratory space equipped with opportunities for training in eye-movement recording, motion capture and psychophysics.
Other specialist facilities include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and a number of laboratories.
The Department of Psychology is located close to many academic departments and University services, and is within walking distance of Durham’s historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Similar Courses
- Behavioural Science - MSc (Program Code: C8K409)
- Cognitive Neuroscience - MSc (Program Code: C8K109)
- Developmental Psychopathology - MSc (Program Code: C8K009)
- Research Methods (Behavioural Science) - MA (Program Code: C8K507)
Program Outline
Research Methods (Developmental Psychology) C8K107
Degree Overview:
This ESRC-accredited Social Sciences & Health Faculty degree equips students with research skills for a future as a research psychologist or developmental psychologist. It's designed for students aiming for a PhD in developmental psychology or careers in applied areas like clinical or educational psychology.
Objectives:
- Provide a high level of research skills for postgraduate study in developmental psychology.
- Develop research methods expertise, including qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
- Enable students to conduct an independent research project relevant to their field.
Outline:
Program Content:
Focuses on human development through a research lens, including theoretical and methodological approaches in developmental psychology and the social sciences.
Program Structure:
- Core modules (75%):
- Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Practices Across Social Research
- Qualitative Methods and Analysis
- Advanced Developmental Psychology Review
- Research Design in Child and Clinical Psychology
- Current Issues in Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology
- Quantitative Methods and Analysis
- Advanced Statistics for Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences
- The Dissertation
- Alternative modules (25%, depending on prior knowledge and understanding):
- Advanced Ethnographic Research
- Multilevel Modelling
- Simulating Data in R
- Systematic Review
- Computational Social Science
- Participatory Action Research
- Statistics in Health and Medicine with R
Course Schedule:
- One-year program
- Lectures, seminars, and practical classes
- 12 hours of contact time per week
- Dissertation completed during the summer term
Assessment:
- Examinations
- Written assignments
- Oral presentations
- Dissertation
Teaching:
- Mixture of lectures, seminars, and practical classes
- Small group teaching and focused discussion in seminars
- Practical workshops for hands-on experience with statistical tools
- Dissertation supervised by a member of staff
Careers:
- Research psychologist
- Developmental psychologist
- Clinical psychologist
- Educational psychologist
- Consultant
- Human resources professional
- Talent manager
- Business analyst
- Market researcher
- Public relations professional
- Marketer
- Administrator
- Manager
- Civil servant
- Coach
- Trainer
- Teacher
Other:
- Program provides excellent support and opportunities for conducting independent research.
- Students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources.
- Department has passionate and committed teachers who encourage collaboration and discovery.
Full Time Fees
Tuition fees
Home students £10,400 per year EU students £24,750 per year Island students £10,400 per year International students £24,750 per year The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
