MSc Psychology in Education
Conversion programme
Develop the knowledge and skills to begin training for a career as a practising psychologist or a psychological researcher
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
Learn to apply psychological methods and approaches to educational policy and practice.
This BPS-accredited conversion course is ideal if you want to pursue a career in psychology, but didn't study Psychology at undergraduate level, or studied on a non-accredited programme.
You'll study core areas of psychology and key debates in the psychology of education, while developing your research skills.
Accreditation
This MSc is a conversion course which provides Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
GBC is a prerequisite for many BPS-accredited postgraduate and doctoral programmes which lead to full Chartered Psychologist status.
Course content
This course will develop your understanding, knowledge and skills in a variety of theoretical and applied approaches to psychology and educational psychology.
You'll study compulsory modules to equip you with foundational knowledge of topics such as cognitive development, neuropsychology, differential psychology and psychology in society. In Semester 2 you'll choose an option module to develop a specialism or explore a new avenue of learning.
Throughout your course you'll develop essential research skills, which you'll draw on later in the year when you design and carry out an empirical research project leading to a final 12,000-word dissertation.
Modules
Core modules
- Development and Cognition
- Individuality and its Roots
- Research Methods for Psychology in Education I
- Research Methods for Psychology in Education II
- Psychology in Society
Option modules
You will also study one option module:
- Child & Adolescent Mental Health
- Embodied Cognition in Learning & Development
- Genetics & Education
- Has Neuroscience Entered the Classroom?
- Intelligence
- Positive Psychology in Education
The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course. For further information please get in touch.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
Dissertation
In the Summer Term and summer vacation you'll focus on an independent research project, leading to a 12,000-word dissertation. You'll identify a research question and construct an empirical investigation to address it. This is the chance to put your psychological knowledge and skills into practice and, potentially, to make an original contribution to knowledge in your area of expertise.
You'll be able to take advantage of dissertation workshops which cover study design, ethical approval, data collection, and extended academic writing. You'll draw on the skills you've learned from the Research Methods module, and receive bespoke training from your personal supervisor in techniques that are specific to your project.
Learning outcomes
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
Learning outcomes for this course
- Explain and recommend the most appropriate psychological approaches for addressing specific educational questions, based on rigorously evaluating competing techniques and research in terms of their validity, reliability and utility.
- Make decisions about the most appropriate experiments, psychometric tests or surveys to apply to specific educational situations based on focused evaluation of contextual factors and a broad knowledge of educational psychology practice.
- Plan and implement effective and efficient research processes - from defining precise research questions and selecting methodologies to presenting data-supported conclusions.
- Identify and apply appropriate techniques to analyse and present different types of data using conceptual and methodological knowledge of statistics, approaches to qualitative analysis and data visualisation strategies.
- Operate in an ethical and reflective manner with regard to complex psychological and educational practice, based on knowledge of pertinent debates and adherence to ethical approval processes.
- Communicate complex ideas confidently, effectively and in a professional manner, making use of oral, written and visual formats.
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2025/26
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
Additional costs
There are no mandatory additional fees, but we do recommend that you set aside some money for photocopying. Course books will be available from the Library and online reading packs are available for most modules, but you may wish to buy your own copies. Each book typically costs £20 to 40.
Funding information
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
Funding opportunities
Chevening Scholarships
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
Departmental scholarships
We offer a number of departmental scholarships and funding opportunities. View our departmental funding options.
Teaching and assessment
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
Teaching format
You will be taught through a combination of formal lectures, seminars, practical exercises and workshops.
You will spend time working on your own, reading assigned texts and researching supporting materials, as well as working with others in seminars to discuss and present your work.
There will also be opportunities to attend seminars from visiting scholars on a wide variety of topics in Education.
A member of teaching staff will act as your supervisor throughout the degree to help guide your studies and monitor your progress.
Teaching location
You will be based in the Department of Education on Campus West. Teaching for this course takes place at various locations on Campus West, including Alcuin and Derwent Colleges, the Department of Biology, the Library and the Spring Lane teaching building.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
Assessment and feedback
We use a number of assessment types including:
- Research reports
- Online exams
- Poster presentation
- Dissertation
Throughout your course you'll complete assignments and exercises which don't count towards your final grade. The marks and feedback you receive for these will help you understand your strengths and identify areas for improvement.
Careers and skills
Successfully completing this course provides you with the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). GBC is a requirement for training as a professional psychologist in clinical, educational, counselling, occupational, health or forensic psychology.
The course covers a wide range of topics which will introduce you to areas of work which you may not have previously considered. You'll also have opportunities to discuss potential careers with psychology and education practitioners. Volunteering opportunities allow you to explore new career paths and gain valuable experience.
Career opportunities
- Chartered psychologist
- Teacher
- Youth worker
- Mental health worker
- Educational policy officer
- Researcher
Transferable skills
- Presentation
- Peer-teaching
- Problem-solving
- Team work
- Time-management
- Self-guided personal development
- Design and completion of original research
- Taking a leading role in seminars and group work
- Using a range of ICT to research information, manage data and present work
- Communicating complex ideas clearly, both verbally and in writing
- Assimilation, analysis and evaluation of complex information
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent in any subject. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate relevant previous academic or work experience in a relevant field eg education / psychology in education / research skills. This is a conversion programme and does not require prior knowledge of psychology. As a Psychology conversion programme, this degree is not suitable for applicants who already have an undergraduate degree in Psychology. The only exception to this is if the degree was not accredited by the British Psychological Society and you need the Graduate Basis for Chartership of the BPS in order to progress to professional training. If this is the case, please indicate so clearly on your application form. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
English language
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 136, minimum 126 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 478-509, with 444-477 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
If you haven't met our English language requirements
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
Next steps
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