PgD PGDip MA Social Research (Social Work And Professional Practice)

Applicants should have obtained a good Honours degree (at least 2:1 or equivalent) in Psychology or a related discipline and have gained at least a 2:1 (or equivalent) in the research dissertation (i.e., experience of planning and conducting research and analysing data).

Applicants who do not meet our requirement for a 2(i) in their final-year research project, but who have gained significant research experience in a psychology research lab(s) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Guidance for Personal statement

(approx. 500-words in total)

The personal statement should describe research experience and research interests, supporting the applicant’s reasons for applying and demonstrating the motivation for studying the MSc.  The personal statement should include the following key information:

Section 1: Research Experience

1. Briefly describe the research project you completed in the final year of your undergraduate degree.
2. Briefly describe any other projects you have worked on as a volunteer or paid research assistant.
3. Do you have any experience of programming? If Yes, briefly describe your experience.

Section 2: Research Interests

1. What are your research interests? Briefly describe how your research interests fit within the areas of research expertise in the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham.
2. What research methods and analysis techniques would you like to use or develop as a student on the MSc?
3. What are your future research/career plans? How will a place on the MSc help you to achieve your future research/career plans?
4. Please state the names of three academics within the School that, given the opportunity, you would like to work with.  Please note: If you are offered a place on the MSc, we will contact you about identifying relevant, available supervisors before the course starts.  When allocating a supervisor, we will take your preferences into account, but there are a number of other factors we consider, so your supervisor may not be one of the academics you have listed. 

Section 3: Other Experiences (maximum 200-words)

Provide details of voluntary work experience, other aspects of your CV, and/or other points of achievement

A personal statement template is available to help you ensure your personal statement  meets our requirements. Failure to include the requested information in the personal statement will result in delays to processing the decision on your application.

• Template for the Personal Statement

Examples of research interests in the School can be found on the following webpages:

• Our research page 
• Doctoral research opportunities page

Learn more about entry requirements

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more