Welcome to your Psychology course

Welcome to University of Staffordshire

We know you're already passionate about your subject, which is why we're excited you've chosen University of Staffordshire as the place to turn possibility into reality.

To give you an insight into what life as a Psychology student is like, your course leaders have prepared introductions to the course and further activities.

A warm welcome from the MSc Psychology (Conversion) team here at Staffordshire University! Our Psychology MSc conversion course covers all core areas of psychology as defined by the BPS, and successful completion of the course will make you eligible to apply for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) from the BPS. You will also be able to choose a specialist option module.

We understand that starting a new course can be both exciting and daunting, therefore, we want to help you prepare in advance and know what to expect when you get on-campus. We have also included some tips to support your transition to the University.

First activity

Your induction sections will take place on:

Wednesday 25th September, 1pm-2pm. Welcome and introduction to the course.

Wednesday 25th September, 2.15-3pm. Library Induction talk.

Wednesday 25th September, 3pm-4pm. Introduction to the core areas of Psychology and questions.

Thursday 26th September, 10-11am. What to expect from the course.

Thursday 26th September, 11.30am-1pm. Getting started and planning for the year ahead.

Module Options

When you enrol on your course, you will also enrol for the modules that you will be studying in your course (or its first year, if you are a Part-Time student). You have a choice to enrol on a Psychology subject specific module. Your options for this year are: Children and Pictures, Health Psychology, and Psychology of Oppression and Empowerment. You will not need to enrol on this yet, but you will need to decide early in semester 1. Once you have access to our MSc Psychology Blackboard site, please check our introductory materials on these modules (under ‘Resources’) so you can start thinking about what the best choice for you would be.

For more information on module enrolment, please see: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/current/student/modules/

For more information on module enrolment, please click here

Introductory Reading

Have a look at the first two chapters from the book below. These will provide with an Introduction to Psychology as a field and to Research Methods in this discipline. You are also welcome to check any other chapter that might be of interest.

Martin, G. (2017). Psychology. Pearson Education.

The book is available at our library. Please see: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/staffordshire/detail.action?docID=5561273

Please click here

Free Downloadable Software

There is a variety of software which can be downloaded from the University’s website and can also be accessed via the button below. This software is free for all of our students, as we understand to reach your full potential and succeed in your degree you need the tools to help you. The software available is;

Microsoft Office 365
Microsoft Teams
SPSS and AMOS
Maple
NVivo
Sophos Antivirus
Asure Dev Tools for Teaching
VMWare
Free Training

Free Software: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/support_depts/digital-services/software.jsp

Ahead of your first teaching week, we would strongly recommend you to download SPSS, Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams.

Please click for free software

Join a Society

Getting involved in a student group can enhance your time at University. It’s a great way to make new friends and connections, learn from other students and develop new skills whilst having some fun at the same time. Whether you want to join a group as a member, get involved in running a group as part of a committee or help run an event or organise your own – your Students’ Union is here to make it happen! Please check out the Students’ Union website for more information on all of our groups, volunteering and other opportunities, or get in touch with the Students’ Union if you have more questions.

Click here for a list of the current clubs and societies run through the Students’ Union

Social Media

Follow the Psychology Department on Twitter and Instagram

Meet the team

Dr Louise Humphreys

Senior Lecturer

I am a Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Psychological Research Methods. I am the course leader for the MSc Psychology (conversion) course.

Louise's profile

Dr Romina Vivaldi

Senior Lecturer

Romina's research interests are focussed on symbolic development as it relates to pictures and occupational gender stereotypes.

Romina's profile

What to expect on Welcome Week

We're so excited for you to join us on campus and to welcome you to where you matter. During your welcome week you'll be able to meet our friendly student services teams, connect with new friends, join societies, explore on-campus venues attend club nights and much more.