MSc Social Psychology

The MSc Social Psychology stimulates interest in a wide variety of research areas. Below is a list of recent dissertation titles, to give you an idea of the range of subjects and environments studied on the programme:

• A qualitative exploration of accounts of ‘deradicalisation’ and ‘disengagement’ among former prisoners jailed for terrorism-related offences in Indonesia
• Reactions of Irish people to outcomes of puberty suppression in children with gender identity disorder: the effects of general identity, psychological wellbeing and sexual orientation
• Exploring language and identity through the reflective accounts of second-generation Asians: a qualitative study
• Attitudes of UK citizens towards the enforcement of security measures, their results and their consequences: a conjoint analysis
• Social memories of the Second World War: exploring the relationship between British identity and the European Union
• Construction of national identities and the other in political discourses in the context of the intergroup conflict resolution in Cyprus
• Explicit and implicit methods for measuring gender differences in sexual prejudice
• Sexism and feminism: a not-so-ambivalent relationship
• Constructing America: a qualitative analysis of presidential inauguration speeches

These are just a few of the questions explored and researched by the social psychologists at the University of Surrey:

• Does gossip distinguish humans from animals?
• Why can some people resolve conflicts but others cannot?
• Why do people kill and die for their national identities?
• Why do women seem to have gender more than men do?
• How is society transformed by new genetic technologies?
• Why do right-wing groups tell their most loyal members that they hate themselves?
• How is ‘social integration’ described when ‘multiculturalism’ is debated in the media?

As psychologists, we study human action, emotion, cognition and discourse. As social psychologists, we understand human behaviour to be inseparable from its social context. We use a range of methodologies, including experiments, questionnaires, interviews and archival analyses. Our work is organised around investigating novel, surprising, creative explanations of the ways that people are. As the anthropologist Michelle Rosaldo put it, ‘social beings first, and individuals only second’.

The MSc Social Psychology features specialist modules which draw on classic and contemporary research, to allow you to engage with a diverse range of methodological practices and draw on the programme team’s diverse professional skills.

The School of Psychology at the University of Surrey is one of the most active and highly regarded psychology departments/schools in the country. We specialise in applied and policy-oriented teaching and research within a strong theoretical context. The international, interdisciplinary, policy and applied strengths of the School mean that students’ theoretical and methodological research puts them at the cutting edge of the discipline.

We are one of the highest ranked departments in the country for graduates entering employment, and also one of the largest providers of postgraduate training in the UK.
The University of Surrey’s School of Psychology has been the centre for many cross-national studies and has attracted funding from research councils and local and national government departments, such as ESF, Defra, the MoD, the Home Office, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency, Surrey County Council and the EU.

If you choose to study psychology at the University of Surrey, you will be provided with a combination of opportunities that would be hard to match elsewhere. We offer you a degree that provides a thorough grounding in the theories, methods and practice of contemporary psychology.

Our programmes lay particular emphasis on the application of psychology to real-world problems, and also consider issues related to professional practice in preparation for your career as a professional psychologist. The basis of good postgraduate courses is the research activity of staff, the incorporation of current research programmes in teaching material and a reciprocal relationship between theory development and applied research in everyday contemporary issues. We believe in involving all postgraduate students in the research life of the School through active participation in one of the research groups, attendance at research seminars and, where possible, an attachment to ongoing research projects. As a student of the School of Psychology, you will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year.

The Social Psychology programme aims to:

• Provide you with advanced knowledge of the history and philosophy of social psychology, and a competent understanding of classic and contemporary theories, findings and methodologies in the field
• Train you to engage in the practices that make up both ‘pure’ and ‘applied’ research
• Engage and expand your ability to think critically and to discuss theories and findings about the social nature of human beings
• Train you to formulate research problems, to select and apply appropriate methodologies, to interpret resultant quantitative and qualitative data, and to communicate your research effectively to a diverse range of audiences
• Develop your interpersonal, technical and communication skills
• Raise your awareness of related disciplines including sociology, anthropology, cognitive science and history to assist your engagement in cross-disciplinary dialogue
• Enable you to link social psychological theories and empirical findings to social issues, with a view to understanding the practical policy implications of research, and research-led interventions in public life
• Inform you about the procedures and practices of ethical research conduct

These educational goals are realised through teaching and learning strategies on both the taught modules and the individual dissertation, which aim to enhance your ability to become an active member of the social psychology profession.

The social psychologists at the University of Surrey have an international reputation in research and teaching. Students on the MSc in Social Psychology are encouraged to participate in the School of Psychology’s ongoing activities, particularly research seminars.

The social psychologists at Surrey have undertaken research for the EU, UK research councils, government departments and agencies, industry and commerce, and the charitable sector. They have attracted a large number of research projects to the School, including:

• Social and behavioural consequences of AIDS/HIV (ESRC)
• Cross-national studies of the social and psychological determinants of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours (EU)
• The 16–19 initiative project on the political and economic socialisation of 16–19 year olds (ESRC)
• Monitoring and modelling consumer perceptions of food-related risks (MAFF)

There is no requirement for you to have read up on social psychology prior to commencing the programme. However, when compiling your application, you will be asked what relevant reading you have done and you may find it useful if you are invited for interview.

The most important journals in which social psychologists tend to publish their work are:

• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
• Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
• Personality and Social Psychology Review
• Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
• British Journal of Social Psychology
• European Journal of Social Psychology
• Discourse and Society
• Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology