Psychology of Social Relations

This Masters will examine when and why humans develop social relations with other individuals or social groups, and the psychological consequences of these social relations.

The programme offers a social-developmental psychology training that will advance the careers of anyone who's interested in the people professions – diverse careers related to education, work, health, government and non-profit organisations.

Humans have a fundamental ‘need to belong’ and form relationships. Positive relationships lead to higher well-being, personal development and well-functioning societies, whereas a lack or dysfunctional relationships lead to poor psychological well-being, unhealthy development and conflict or violence within society.

The programme will teach you about the different psychological approaches to studying social relations in children, adolescents and adults, drawing from different areas of study within psychology (eg social and personality psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, clinical psychology, social neuroscience).

These approaches are relevant to anyone interested in understanding social relations between individuals (ie families and friendships) and social groups within a variety of settings (eg schools, the workplace, social movements). The programme will also introduce different strategies aimed at improving social relations between individuals and groups (eg intergroup contact, bullying interventions, mentoring schemes).

Research methods training
The programme will offer ESRC recognised research methods training, which will be useful for students wishing to pursue doctoral training or work in careers where such skills will be appreciated by employers in private and public sectors.

Diverse career opportunities
Given the importance of social relationships for motivation and well-being and given societal issues that arise out of social and racial inequalities and conflicting cultural values, this programme will offer useful insights for diverse careers related to counselling, education, businesses, and government/non-profit organizations. Moreover, you will benefit from conducting research in cosmopolitan London, where diverse socio-cultural groups co-exist in relative harmony.

This Masters will examine when and why humans develop social relations with other individuals or social groups, and the psychological consequences of these social relations.

The programme offers a social-developmental psychology training that will advance the careers of anyone who's interested in the people professions – diverse careers related to education, work, health, government and non-profit organisations.

Humans have a fundamental ‘need to belong’ and form relationships. Positive relationships lead to higher well-being, personal development and well-functioning societies, whereas a lack or dysfunctional relationships lead to poor psychological well-being, unhealthy development and conflict or violence within society.

The programme will teach you about the different psychological approaches to studying social relations in children, adolescents and adults, drawing from different areas of study within psychology (eg social and personality psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, clinical psychology, social neuroscience).

These approaches are relevant to anyone interested in understanding social relations between individuals (ie families and friendships) and social groups within a variety of settings (eg schools, the workplace, social movements). The programme will also introduce different strategies aimed at improving social relations between individuals and groups (eg intergroup contact, bullying interventions, mentoring schemes).

Research methods training
The programme will offer ESRC recognised research methods training, which will be useful for students wishing to pursue doctoral training or work in careers where such skills will be appreciated by employers in private and public sectors.

Diverse career opportunities
Given the importance of social relationships for motivation and well-being and given societal issues that arise out of social and racial inequalities and conflicting cultural values, this programme will offer useful insights for diverse careers related to counselling, education, businesses, and government/non-profit organizations. Moreover, you will benefit from conducting research in cosmopolitan London, where diverse socio-cultural groups co-exist in relative harmony.

Department: Psychology

Qualification:

MSc

Qualification Level:

RQF Level 7

Requirements:

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in Psychology or a closely related social science discipline (eg sociology, health sciences, education etc) with a research component.

You might also be considered if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

If English isn’t your first language, you’ll need to meet our English language requirements of IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.5 in the written test and no individual test lower than 6.0) to study with us.

Assessment Methods:

You will be assessed through a variety of different methods - coursework, exams, oral presentation and dissertation.

Modules:

Four core modules: Critical Issues in the Psychological Study of Social Relations, Statistical Methods, Research, Design and Analysis, Independent Research Project of your choice, supervised by leading experts in the field.

Two core optional modules from Social-Moral Development, The Interpersonal Self and Social Psychology of Social Problems.

Three other optional modules may be selected from a range offered in the Department of Psychology, and the Institute of Management Studies. These will dependent on timetable and staff availability.

Source: the courses data has been supplied by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.