Alongside our very successful undergraduate level courses, the Psychology Department has a strong postgraduate research programme. We supervise Masters in Research in Psychology (MRes), MPhil and PhD students in the same way as at other universities - on a face to face basis. We encourage full-time registration for these degrees. Part time students are unable at the current time to take the master in research course.

Our research environment for postgraduate students

Our postgraduate student community that forms an important part of our research culture with strong links into cross-departmental research centres. Our students are valued members of this department, and are encouraged to collaborate with research-active academic staff based on campus in Milton Keynes, as well as with other staff and students in the Social Science Faculty. Our students are expected to participate in the full range of on-campus research events ranging from relaxed forums where academics and students can discuss topics such as the practicalities of fieldwork and thesis writing, to more formal seminars given by invited external academics.

Along side attendance at conference, we actively encourage postgraduates to organise events to build networks with students and academics from other departments and universities. For example, Praxis is an informal student-run conference that takes place twice a year for students working in the Social Sciences, and is a space where theory meets practice, where students catch up, present and discuss research issues and share experiences. In addition we encourage our postgraduates to apply to gain valuable teaching experiences through our unique summer schools for undergraduate psychology.

Supervision

Our supervision process involves the allocation of two supervisors for the duration of studies. Supervisors meet regularly with students, acting as academic advisors, providing guidance on research topics, on the skills needed to successfully complete a research degree, on planning research and on writing a thesis. They read and discuss students’ work, helping to develop ideas, and encouraging critical and independent thinking. We have strong expectations of postgraduates disseminating their findings, through conferences, but importantly also through journal publications during their studies.

Staff represent a wide range of research interests and will consider supervising topics in many different areas. For an idea of current research being undertaken by our research students, visit the current PhD students page.

Students who have recently completed a research Masters or PhD with us have gone on to further post-doctoral research, or to permanent academic posts.

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