Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Research
- Duration
- 1 Year Full Time
- Entry requirements
-
We require an honours degree (minimum Upper Second) or overseas equivalent in psychology, including competent research methods knowledge and evidence of a research project/dissertation. A degree in which psychology forms a major component may be acceptable.
You do not need to provide a research proposal with your application.
- How to apply
- Please apply via our online application form.
- Select MRes Psychology when applying and then select MRes Experimental Psychology with Data Science on the next screen.
See the application and selection section for details of the supporting documents we require. We recommend that you apply as early as possible. We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full.
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRes | Y | N | N | N |
Course overview
- Prepare for a successful career in psychology research in academia or industry.
- Receive comprehensive training in critical thinking and experimental methods.
- Practise research skills in a major project tailored to your interests, supervised by experts in experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, and neuropsychology.
- Gain experience of specialist laboratories and equipment.
- This course can form the first year of Research Council-funded 1+3 postgraduate PhD studentships.
Open days
The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and find out more about our facilities and courses. On this day, you will find out more about the course and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have. For more information, see Open days .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MRes (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £14,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £33,000
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies. All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK students (fees are typically fixed for international students for the course duration at the year of entry).
For general fees information please visit postgraduate fees. Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
- Contact name
- Admissions team
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 529 4563
- pgtaught.neuro@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/psychology/
- School/Faculty
-
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require an honours degree (minimum Upper Second) or overseas equivalent in psychology, including competent research methods knowledge and evidence of a research project/dissertation. A degree in which psychology forms a major component may be acceptable.
You do not need to provide a research proposal with your application.
English language
International students must demonstrate English proficiency through a secure and approved testing system. We ask for English language proof if you are from non-majority English speaking countries (a list of majority English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Home Office, can be found on the GOV.UK website ). Specifically, we require a minimum of:
- IELTS: minimum 7.0 overall with 7.0 in writing and 6.5 or above in the remaining components
- TOEFL: 100 internet-based with 25 in writing and 22 or above in the remaining components
See further information about requirements for your country.
We may also accept evidence of a confirmed place on a University Pre-sessional English language course, if your current IELTS scores are:
- Minimum 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing plus enrolment and attendance on the 6-week pre-sessional course (PS6)
- Minimum 6.0 overall with 6.0 in writing plus enrolment and attendance on the 10-week pre-sessional course (PS10)
Please note, we must approve this before you apply for the English course.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Application and selection
How to apply
- Please apply via our online application form.
- Select MRes Psychology when applying and then select MRes Experimental Psychology with Data Science on the next screen.
See the application and selection section for details of the supporting documents we require. We recommend that you apply as early as possible. We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full.
Advice to applicants
We require the following documents before we can consider your application:
- Transcript of your studies to date.
- Degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
- A personal statement or statement of purpose which includes the title of your research project or dissertation.
- An academic reference. You will be required to provide the name and contact details of one referee during completion of the application form. Your referee will be contacted directly and asked to provide a letter of reference. When providing referee details, you must ensure the email addresses are accurate and official, typically ending with an institutional domain. We do not accept references provided from a personal email address, eg Hotmail or Gmail.
If any of the supporting documents is not in English, you must also provide us with an official or certified English translation.
We may ask for additional information in some cases. Each case will be judged on an individual basis.
If English is not your first language, we also require proof of your English language ability. If you have already taken an English language qualification, please include your certificate with your application. We may be willing to consider your application without this document, but if we choose to make you an offer, the conditions will include IELTS (or equivalent qualification).
How your application is considered
Overseas (non-UK) applicants
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Re-applications
If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.
Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.
Course details
Course description
Our MRes Experimental Psychology with Data Science course will prepare you for a successful research career in experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience and data science.
You will undertake a year-long research project, supported by taught units for comprehensive research skills training.
The major advantage of this course is that you will put the acquired research skills into practice by working with experts in the field for the entire year.
Our supervisors have a wide range of expertise and we will ensure your research project is always tailored towards your research interest. View a list of project examples (PDF, 390KB).
Through the taught units, you will receive a strong grounding in the theoretical understanding and practical experience of key research paradigms, research designs and statistical techniques used in experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and data science.
You will also develop transferable skills training for careers outside academia, including science communication, and patient, public and business engagement.
We have a long tradition of producing internationally renowned research and high-quality research training.
Our MRes course is endorsed by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and constitutes the first year of ESRC 1+3 postgraduate PhD studentships awarded through the ESRC Northwest Doctoral Training College for full-time, part-time and CASE students.
PhD with integrated master's
If you're planning to undertake a PhD after your master's, our Integrated PhD programme will enable you to combine your postgraduate taught course with a related PhD project in biology, medicine or health.
You can also visit this page for examples of projects related to integrated master's courses.
Teaching and learning
Our teaching is delivered using a combination of in-person and online lecture-seminars, workshops and problem-based learning exercises in small groups, allowing for individual support and feedback.
You will receive substantial research training through learning by designing, running and analysing studies in close coordination with supervisors.
You are encouraged to participate in research seminars, meetings and workshops within our active and vibrant research community. If needed, you also have the opportunity to supplement your training with research and career management skills courses provided by the University's Careers Service, a teaching assistant/demonstrators course, and language courses provided by the University's Language Centre.
Key academic staff
- Dr Garreth Prendergast – Programme Co-Director
- Dr Anna Woollams – Programme Co-Director
Coursework and assessment
Course unit details
Full-time MRes students take six taught course units. Typical taught course units include:
- Contemporary Research Skills
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Advanced Data Skills, Open Science and Reproducibility
- Mixed Models, Hackathon and Bayesian Statistics Workshop
- Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
- Scientific Programming, Computational Tools, and Machine Learning
You will work collaboratively with your supervisor(s) to produce a high-quality dissertation using qualitative, quantitative or mixed research methods. Dissertation work is supported by taught sessions including topics such as literature review, experimental design, critical thinking and data analysis skills.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Data Skills, Open Science and Reproducibility | PCHN63101 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Mixed Models, Hackathon and Bayesian Statistics Workshop | PCHN63112 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Research Methods in Experimental Psychology | PCHN63122 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Contemporary Research Skills | PCHN63151 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Dissertation | PCHN63160 | 90 | Mandatory |
| Scientific Programming, Computational Tools and Machine Learning | PCHN63162 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Qualitative Research Methods | POPH63121 | 15 | Mandatory |
Facilities
You will be able to access a range of facilities throughout the University.
Specialist research labs using techniques such as MRI, fMRI and TMS are not typically accessible for research dissertations conducted on this course.
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Our course is designed primarily for students wishing to pursue research careers in experimental psychology and data science. It is also likely to be attractive if you wish to extend your training, with an emphasis on research methods and data science, and if you work in social or health services, or in marketing and related disciplines. Past careers and destinations of our MRes students have included:
- PhD Researcher
- Graduate Market Researcher
- Psychology Assistant
- Independent Mental Health Advocate
- Research Assistant
- NHS Financial Management Graduate Scheme
- Human Resources
- Clinical Psychology Doctorate
- Technical Analyst at NICE
- Data Scientist in the Tech Industry
- Project Manager in Medical Electronics
- Graduate Researcher