Fees and funding

Fees

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

  • MRes (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): £14,700
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £34,700

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

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).

Course unit details:
Contemporary Research Skills

Course unit fact file
Unit code PCHN63151
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Offered by Division of Psychology Communication and Human Neu
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

This unit provides comprehensive training in contemporary research skills for careers in academic, clinical and industrial settings. Students will develop and apply essential research skills in experimental design, critical thinking, scientific writing, and working in clinical and industrial settings.  They will also learn to situate research in a broader context, communicate science, engage with society and carry out their social responsibility.  Students will produce a portfolio of work to demonstrate the skills they have acquired and to support their career aspirations in academia or industry

Aims

  • To equip students with a good understanding of the research process;
  • To equip students with research skills required for academic, clinical and industrial settings.

These includes:

  • The skills to conduct an effective literature review, critically evaluate existing research and write a research proposal in different areas of psychology,
  • The skills to use contemporary academic software and tools to facilitate research,
  • The understanding of ethics, governance and data management in psychological research,
  • The skills for science communication, public engagement and social responsibility,
  • The professional skills for different careers.

 

 

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course unit, students will be able to:

  • carry out a thorough review of the relevant literature as part of the dissertation research work and write-up,
  • understand the importance of critical evaluation of peer reviewed publications of relevance to dissertation research work,
  • understand the issues of ethics, governance and data management in psychological research
  • use a collection of academic software and tools to facilitate their own research,
  • write a scientific report of their research project in the style appropriate for a peer-reviewed journal in their chosen areas of psychological sciences,
  • communicate research findings to researchers and to the general public,
  • plan their careers and create a portfolio of work to support their career plans.

 

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and Learning Methods

Semester 1, weekly 2-hour seminars or workshops, providing an explanation of each research skill and practical training.

Assessment methods

Students will amass a portfolio of work demonstrating their acquired research skills and supporting their desired careers. The portfolio will consist of five skill components, selected from the core skill components (e.g., a PhD/grant proposal, a business plan, a social enterprise proposal, a job application) and from the auxiliary skill components (e.g., a book review, a research impact document, a data management plan, a public engagement event proposal, an article for science communication, a poster for public engagement, a product design specs, professional web presence / blog, etc.)

 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Seminars 20
Independent study hours
Independent study 130

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Karen Lander Unit coordinator

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