Program Overview

MRes Psychology

Course Description

Our new Master of Research (MRes) programme aims to offer you the finest possible preparation for undertaking original research in psychology.

What You Will Study

You'll study modules such as:

• Advanced Qualitative Analysis for Psychology (20 credits)
• Advanced Quantitative Analysis for Psychology (20 credits)
• Philosophy of Science in Psychology (20 credits)
• Conducting Psychological Research in the 21st Century (20 credits)
• Methodological Strategies for Reviewing Contemporary Research (20 credits)
• Independent Research (80 Credits) (MSc) or Research Project Diploma Exit (20 credits) (PG Diploma)

Research Themes

Research themes include:

• Religious Belief/Experience
• Paranormal Belief/Experience
• Music Psychology
• Nature Connectedness
• Maths Anxiety
• Emotion
• Eating Behaviours
• Compassion
• Rural Living
• Dual Process Theories of Thinking
• Experiences of Nursing and Carers
• Cyberpsychology
• Pain
• Autism, Asperger’s and ADHD
• Belief and Development
• Dark Tetrad of Personality
• Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Potential Projects

Potential projects available:

• Assessing the effectiveness of expressive writing on reducing mathematics anxiety and increasing performance
• Understanding drug calculation anxiety among non-medical prescribers
• Investigating the reasons why students choose, or do not choose, to study psychology at degree level
• Reasoning fast and slow: dual process theories of thinking
• Female nurses’ constructions of male nurses: a Foucauldian discourse analysis
• Male nurses’ experiences of working in a female-dominated environment: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
• Public perceptions of male nurses
• The psychology of problematic social networking use
• Associations between personality and problematic technology use
• The dark tetrad of personality and paranormal experience
• The dark tetrad of personality, schizotypy and synaesthesia
• Avoiding confounds? An exploration of priming when using emotional measures
• Visual Imagery – can it bolster performance?
• The influence of personality and compassion on emotional functioning in disordered eating
• Emotion skills training to prevent the development of eating disorders

Entry Requirements

• Entry requirements for UK students: Applicants should normally have or expect to obtain at 2:1 honours degree in psychology or a closely related subject with good coverage of undergraduate research methods.
• Entry requirements for EU/international students: Applicants with overseas qualifications are strongly advised to establish the UK equivalence of their qualifications.

Fees and Funding

• 2025/26 (August 2025 - July 2026)
  • UK: Full-time £9,720 for the full course*, Part-time £1,080 per 20 credits
  • International: Full-time £16,900 for the full course, Part-time N/A

How to Apply

• UK students: Apply directly to the University.
• International students: Apply directly to the University.

Additional Information

• Download programme specification
• Teaching hours: Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm.
• Minimum numbers: Please note that this course is subject to minimum numbers in order to run.