Program Overview

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MSc Behaviour Change

Overview

Our MSc Behaviour Change programme is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to design, deliver, and evaluate interventions that promote positive behaviour change in various contexts.

Course Description

This course is an original and topical programme that challenges assumptions about behaviour change. It is aimed at professionals who want to gain new knowledge and skills to support their work, and at graduates from a broad range of disciplines who would like to specialise in behaviour change and add social science to their skill set.

What You Will Study

The course is made up of three stages: Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and MSc.

Postgraduate Certificate

In year one, you'll study three modules:

• Psychology for Behaviour Change: You will learn about psychology as a science and explore psychological approaches to learning, cognition, individual differences, and social factors in order to critically reflect on how research in these areas is relevant to an understanding of behaviour.
• Theories and Models of Behaviour: You will learn about the major models, theories, and approaches to behaviour. You will critically consider how intentions, attitudes, values, and other factors shape behaviour and behaviour change. Factors impacting on behaviour will be considered including the individual, the social environment, and the physical environment, and both short-term and long-term aspects of behaviour and behaviour change.
• Applied Behaviour Change Interventions: You'll gain the knowledge and skills required to propose, design, and evaluate an evidence-based workplace or community behaviour change intervention.

Postgraduate Diploma

In your second year, you'll study a further three modules:

• Quantitative Research, Evaluation and Behaviour Change Application: You'll analyse, report, and evaluate empirical quantitative research and behaviour change interventions in applied contexts.
• Qualitative Research, Evaluation and Behaviour Change Application: You'll design, conduct, report, and evaluate empirical research in an applied leadership context using text-based data and a qualitative approach. Qualitative approaches add rich insights to the evaluation of interventions in real-world settings.
• Sustaining Behaviour Change: For the final taught module, attention shifts to considering the psychological and contextual conditions for sustaining behaviour change in the realities of organisational settings. This will draw on systems thinking and research and be considered against the context of established and emerging areas of behaviour change application including Positive Psychology, Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety, and Organisational Culture.

MSc

At this final stage, you only study one module which runs over three terms:

• Research Project in Behaviour Change: You'll identify a research issue related to behaviour change in your chosen area, review existing literature, formulate novel research questions, and test these questions.

How You Will Learn

You'll be taught by a dedicated team of research-active psychologists and ergonomists who all have expert knowledge of psychological theory, practice, and research. You'll benefit from exchanges with students across our behaviour change areas, thus increasing your multidisciplinary outlook. As part of the course, you'll undertake your own research project, specialising in an area of behaviour change that particularly interests you and that is relevant to your current work or career aspirations.

Careers

Our MSc Behaviour Change course could be your stepping stone to employment and promotion opportunities in areas, such as the health sector, local government, environmental, and occupational health and safety roles.

Entry Requirements

You will need an undergraduate degree (lower second or above) or equivalent in a relevant subject or substantial professional experience.

Fees and Funding

2025/26 (August 2025 - July 2026)

• UK: Part-time £1,080 per 20 credits
• International: Part-time N/A

Additional Costs and Optional Extras

• Accommodation and travel costs to attend nine days of on-campus block study each academic year
• Textbooks to supplement resources available through the library
• Printing costs of course materials if hard copy is desired
• BPS membership if desired

How to Apply

Please look at our application deadlines before you apply.

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