Are you interested in doing a master’s degree in psychology after your undergraduate degree? If so, there are many things to consider, including the type of degree to do. Generally speaking, at master’s level psychology, there are taught degrees (MSc, a Master of Science) and research degrees (MPhil, MRes). Note: MRes stands for Master by Research and MPhil stands for Master of Philosophy.
Overall, choosing a postgraduate degree can be personal to your career goals and aims, what your financial situation is, and which university you want to go to. I hope this blog helps to clarify what an MRes degree is and some pointers as to what to expect from my experience of doing an MRes course.
Taught postgraduate degrees
A taught undergraduate degree in psychology provides you with a dense overview of psychology as a topic, whereas taught masters degrees in the UK are typically designed to be more specific to what you’re interested in comparison. Taught masters degrees, such as Master by Science (MSc) degrees, are likely to be specific to Forensic Psychology, Educational Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and many more, across many UK universities. The nature of a taught degree at master’s is that it primarily involves lecture and workshop time provided by your lecturers or clinicians, they may also allow for a placement module to practice any skills learnt. Because these degrees involve more lecturer-student contact, they usually cost about the same as an undergraduate degree (approximately £9,300), but are shorter than an undergraduate degree. They may last a year full-time or two years part-time, though some may last two years full-time — this really depends on the university you choose to attend.
Research postgraduate degrees
An alternative degree to a taught master’s is a research-based degree, where you carry out a research project for the duration of your course. An MRes degrees are usually one year full-time (or two years part-time) and approximately half the price of a taught master’s degree in the UK. Some can even be fully-funded. The reason they are usually cheaper is that they generally require fewer lecture-student contact time. Being research-based, you carry out a research project for the duration of your course, with the support of a supervisory team. You may have some modules to attend to, but the primary source of your credits and grade will come from your research project (e.g. a research proposal, your dissertation, and a presentation). In other words, an MRes degree is basically doing another dissertation for the equivalent of a year.
Advantages of an MRes degree
* Enjoyable and learn a topic you’re interested in in more detail. If you enjoyed your undergraduate dissertation, you will probably enjoy an MRes. You have much more freedom to choose and carry out your research project, exploring a topic your interested in in more depth, across one larger study or two smaller studies.
* Hone research skills and contribute to the published literature. It’s a great opportunity to hone your research skills and potentially gain a first-author publication. Because it is a research project, you have the opportunity to learn how to do good science: you have an opportunity to learn new statistical analysis techniques or use more sophisticated qualitative analyses, learn new research software, and gain experience using different study designs in psychology. With this comes an opportunity to publish your research, with the support of your supervisory team.
* Research career. These degrees are great if you’re interested in working as a researcher, whether in industry or as an academic, as you can emphasise your developed experience as an independent researcher. This is not to say that they aren’t great experience for those interested in a clinical psychology degree, as you can explore clinically-relevant topics and research is part of a DClinPsy qualification course later on. They are also a great opportunity to figure out if you want to do a PhD later on, or as a stepping stone to get onto a fully-funded PhD course, as they are essentially the equivalent to the first year of your PhD. The nature of the PhD being that you don’t have any taught courses, you have a supervisory team, and it is completely research-focussed.
* Cheaper. With the postgraduate loan in the UK, this does not fully cover living costs for the duration of a taught course. Since the MRes is usually half the price, the postgraduate loan covers more of your living costs, meaning you may have less financial pressure throughout your masters.
Another type of research degree in psychology is an MPhil. These are very similar to an MRes, expect there is usually the chance to extend your course into a PhD later on. Because of this, you don’t get the supplementary taught modules that you may get with an MRes.
Some disadvantages of an MRes degree
*Not all universities have MRes courses. To my knowledge, not all universities run an MRes course in Psychology. This means it may be difficult to not only find a university where you would like to study at postgraduate level, but it can also be difficult to find a supervisor who has enough experience in the topic you’re interested in to be your supervisor.
* It can be difficult to find a topic you’re interested in. Unless you have a clear research interest, perhaps extending your undergraduate dissertation topic, it can be difficult to sign up to an MRes course. Usually in the application process, you will need to submit a short research proposal explaining what you are hoping to do for your project. I would usually suggest doing some investigation and reading into what research you could do and at which university. You will then be able to see whether any lecturers in that university would be happy to support your MRes degree.
* Independent project. As this is not a taught degree with less time in lectures, and I would say that not many people choose to do MRes courses yet, it can be hard to socialise. Your independent project will be mostly you leading a research project. That’s really exciting, but it’s also worth noting that you may spend a lot of time on your own day-to-day reading around a topic, collecting data, and so on. This is not to say that you will be alone for the whole year — most universities have research groups and societies that may be specific for postgraduates that you can join, but you may need to seek out social events rather than being able to socialise and meet people easily in lectures.
What to expect in the application process:
*To apply for an MRes, you will usually need to submit a research proposal outlining your project for the course and then be interviewed by a small panel to assess your suitability for the degree. The interview sounds daunting, but they are usually informal and are mostly for your supervisors to have a chance to meet you before you start (even if you studied at that university for your degree). Please note: this may differ between universities and whether you are a self-funded or applying to a fully-funded project.
– Rosie
Rosie Psychology: Your online tutor 