Studying a Master's degree in Psychology
Frances Jackson talks about why she came to Lancaster to study a Master's degree in Developmental Disorders.
Advertising is everywhere. Always transient, sometimes trivial, yet it can be incredibly powerful in changing our perceptions, our beliefs and our behaviour. Through this programme, you will develop an advanced understanding of how advertising affects the human mind, giving you unique and valuable insight into the industry.
This unique course provides an interface between theory and practice, understanding and skills, by giving you a thorough grounding in the psychology underpinning persuasion, in the context of how it is applied – and how it might be applied more radically – in the communications industry.
The course combines small-group ‘knowledge-exchange’ with innovative student-led teaching, built around our outstanding expertise in cognitive, developmental, social and neuropsychological aspects of advertising. You will benefit from perspectives and contributions from academic researchers, seasoned advertising practitioners, and original commercially-oriented research.
Studying a combination of skills and theory-based modules, you will develop a high-level of technical understanding of the discipline. You will have the opportunity to practise and develop analytical and interpretation skills alongside modules that will enhance your ability to conduct and present psychology research.
Your knowledge and understanding of the psychology of advertising and advertising theory will also develop as you engage with specialist modules focused on these topics. Studying the relationship between advertising and the human mind, and applying your learning to advertising strategy, positioning, brand, and marketing communications will prepare you for the competitive world of advertising and marketing. The advanced skills and knowledge you develop through these modules will be invaluable as you progress into a career or further research.
During the year, you will also complete a dissertation project, supported by an academic supervisor. This will be an opportunity for you to demonstrate everything that you have learnt and put theory into practice. You will develop your data-handling skills as well as your ability to accurately and appropriately present your research.
In addition, your dissertation can be completed in parallel or sequentially with an industry placement. This would give you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, while applying your skills and knowledge to address a real-world, industry-focused challenge. This practical, relevant experience of working for an external organisation (and the networking opportunities this brings) is hugely beneficial when applying for jobs at the end of the course.
This course is designed for graduates who come from a wide range of disciplines and plan to pursue a career in advertising or communications, or who wish to refresh their skills or shift focus to a more planning-based trajectory. It is also suitable for those who wish to undertake further research into the psychology of advertising and related fields at PhD level.
2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Psychology, Marketing, Advertising, Communications, Media, Journalism, Consumer Behaviour, or another related degree subject.
We also consider non-standard applicants, and particularly encourage applications from those with relevant practical experience, please contact us for information.
If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.
We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 7.0, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.
If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.
Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
An advanced understanding of concepts, models and theories relating to advertising and marketing, in addition to general skills in the critical analysis of theoretical concepts will be covered in this module.
Students will develop their knowledge in a broad range of areas within marketing, such as advertising strategy and positioning, integrated marketing communications, brand equity, global marketing and advertising and the importance of planning. In addition to developing a critical awareness of cultural issues and global marketing, students will learn how to critically evaluate theories and models relating to advertising. Regularly assessed coursework will enable students to engage in writing critical analyses of theoretical concepts and learn the process of synthesising points, ideas and arguments into a structured narrative.
Expanding upon previously taught skills, students will delve deeper into theories which they may already be familiar with, whilst harnessing new skills that are crucial to role of marketing and the essence of advertising, including an advanced understanding of how advertising works. Marketing communication such as brand promotion and general advertising will also be explored throughout the course.
A range of analytical techniques, both written and practical, that are standard in professional practice in psychological research will be taught. With emphasis on quantitative observation, students will explore a core set of analytic methods through a combination of lectures and practical workshops, and will learn how to apply statistical tests, such as ANOVA, correlation and regression, and t-tests, in a variety of settings. Problem solving skills will be honed by learning how to define the link between observed outcomes and psychological effects in a wide range of contexts.
Students with be equipped with the capacity to confidently identify the appropriate technique for analysing data across a wide range of investigation types, applying the R statistical software to their own research. They will reinforce decision making and evaluation skills through examining different forms of evidence, and gain experience in presenting and interpreting findings effectively in a journal-style short report.
Students will apply and enhance their quantitative and qualitative research in a real-world environment, with potential to explore areas of ethical sensitivity and issues associated with advertising research, such as catering for vulnerable audiences, sensitive markets, regulation, codes of conduct and the collection and use of behavioural data.
The writing process will progress in stages, where students will be able to communicate views and opinions in both writing and discussions, and support these views and opinions with well-reasoned arguments. In addition to this, students will develop the ability to conduct and manage an advertising project throughout all of its key stages and demonstrate skills in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods by addressing research questions as part of a real-world advertising project.
Assessment will be both through focused practical work (market analysis and research, in addition to strategy development) and expert review sessions, offering professional feedback and advice from tutors and commercially based practitioners.
This module offers an exploration into a wide range of research approaches used in contemporary psychological research. It enables students to expand their existing knowledge of theoretical ideas, emphasising research techniques as well as their implementation. Students will develop a professional writing style in accordance with the American Psychology Association, learn how to write an ethics proposal associated with a particular research design and gain a working knowledge of how to implement different types of research procedure. In addition, the module will enhance students’ ability to differentiate between the benefits of qualitative and quantitative design, as well as understanding the staples of psychological research, including reliability and validity, importance of ethical issues and research methods such as oculomotor, questioning and observation.
All elements of this module are assessed through a range of coursework, with a large portion deriving from article writing. Due to its literary nature, participation in this module will help increase the student’s probability of becoming a published author in psychology.
Paired lectures and seminars will cover a wide range of indicative topics, including auditory and visual languages, psycholinguistic programmes and the subliminal power of advertising such as non-conscious effects, persuasion and emotional appeals.
Students will advance their skills in the critical examination of empirical evidence and theoretical arguments. They will examine the main cognitive psychological factors that impact on advertising success, ranging from lower-level perceptual, attentional and memory processes through to higher-level interpretational and inferential processes.
In addition, this module provides an understanding of the psychology of advertising from both a developmental and adult perspective, while also examining methodological issues associated with the study of child and adult cognition.
This module builds on 'Analysing and Interpreting Psychological Data I' by further developing the ability to conduct and present quantitative data analysis techniques through a combination of lectures and workshops, using R statistical software. Practical exercises will draw upon observations taken from real psychological data to develop flexibility and the capacity for critical thinking in the application of analytic skills. Statistical techniques will include modelling approaches such as (general) linear models and (generalised) linear mixed-effects models due to their power, flexibility and accuracy across the widest range of applications in psychological science.
This module involves a self-directed literature review, undertaken by the student on a psychological topic of their own choosing, under expert supervision. Students will be encouraged to develop an in-depth knowledge of a specific area of psychological research. This will include both classic theories and studies in the area, as well as up-to-date knowledge of current approaches and recent research findings.
Students will engage and develop skills in literature searching, in addition to the understanding they will gain in evaluating evidence, summarising findings from primary sources, and drawing conclusions on the basis of existing research. Students will obtain the practical knowledge and experience required to use electronic and other forms of library resources to identify published research in psychology, and will be aware of different traditions of theory and research in their chosen topic area.
A range of contemporary theories in social psychology will be explored, with students gaining familiarity with key methods and debates concerning core social psychological constructs. They will develop an understanding of the ways in which social psychological theory, findings, and methods can be applied to contemporary social problems. The aim is to get students thinking like independent researchers,by encouraging them to engage critically with issues relating to the practicality, ethics and political issues of real-world application. Students will be empowered with the ability to address social psychological questions in the real-world via applied work in social psychology.
This module will equip students with the skills required to critically evaluate social psychological theory and research, with a view to questions of methodological adequacy, theoretical integrity, and the quality and quantity of empirical evidence.
Location | Full Time (per year) | Part Time (per year) |
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Home | £13,600 | £6,800 |
International | £29,150 | £14,575 |
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
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For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, the tuition fees for subsequent years of your programme are likely to increase each year. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.
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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.
Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.
Join our on-campus open day this February to talk to students and lecturers and find out how and when to apply.
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