Environmental Psychology MSc — 2027 entry

This module provides students with an advanced understanding of current theories and conceptualisations of social change and influence, including facilitators of and constraints on change. It offers a critical engagement with these theories and an application of them to a range of social issues that are a focus of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals. The applied aspect includes a consideration of the value of psychological conceptualisations of social change and influence for policy making, public health, and equality. This core module will allow students to build knowledge and skills that will prepare students for the rest of the programme and the optional modules.

This module introduces students to the core principles and practices of qualitative research and provides the skills needed to design, conduct, and critically evaluate a small-scale qualitative project. Students will learn a range of qualitative data collection methods and analytic approaches, and will develop an understanding of how these methods are applied within psychological research.The module is suitable for those with little or no prior experience, while also offering opportunities for more experienced students to deepen their knowledge. Advanced captured content on SurreyLearn enables students to explore additional analytic methods, and those with prior experience are encouraged to extend their practical skills by applying a new analytic procedure in their project.Students will also develop reflective skills to consider how their cultural background, social identity, gender, experiences, and prior knowledge influence data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The module prepares students to undertake a qualitative dissertation project, should they choose to do so.

The module introduces students to some of the key questions which currently guide research and practice in environmental psychology. The module addresses issues around architectural psychology as well as global and local environmental problems facing our world today. It provides an insight into the psychology of environment-behaviour issues focusing on built (residential, work and public) and natural environments. The main focus of the module will be to provide an insight into the research and theory development to date and to familiarise students with the practical and multidisciplinary nature of the field. By the end of the module students should have an advanced understanding of the nature and scope of some of the principal theoretical and methodological developments in this area of research and an understanding of the application of psychological theory and concepts to an important area of everyday life.

This module introduces students to psychological perspectives on understanding and addressing environmental and sustainability challenges. The module provides an overview of theoretical formulations and research evidence related to 1) people’s understandings and perceptions of environmental risks, 2) environmental and materialistic values, 3) environment and wellbeing, and 4) pro-environmental behaviour change. The module is based on the research-practitioner model and aims to enable students to develop an understanding of how psychological research can help tackle environmental challenges by drawing on empirical research evidence. By the end of the module students should have an advanced understanding of some of the principles and theoretical and methodological developments in the area, and understand the value of this knowledge for helping to tackle environmental challenges.

This module builds on the knowledge gained in semester 1 modules, such as PSYM137, by addressing key topics and concepts in Environmental Psychology research. This time the concepts are grounded within architecture and planning, thus practical implications and the application of the research will also be discussed. This will extend your practical understanding of how people's cognitions, emotions, and planned behaviours influence how they interact with built environments and simultaneously why these responses may occur due to different architectural designs and urban planning systems.Students will have the opportunity to incorporate information learnt from semester 1 and 2 methodology modules to help evaluate built environments. Overall, through providing students with conceptual underpinnings that inform their research and practice approaches, the module enables students to apply their knowledge to assess and design better places for people and the planet, thereby enhancing their employability.Each week a different topic or concept is discussed (e.g. affordances, privacy) or specific behaviours in certain conditions or environments are examined (e.g. crime and the environment). Indeed theoretical concepts and behaviours are explored across a range of environments including residential environments, work environments, hospitals, and public spaces, with research and examples from across the globe to enhance cultural capabilities. In class activities and discussions, along with the workshop offer a practical component to examining the issues presented in class lectures and suggested reading.

This module is offered to students on specialised MSc programmes in the School of Psychology, who are required to take either this advanced module or PSYM188 Fundamentals of Quantitative Data Analysis depending on the extent of their prior statistics training. This module is designed to extend students' skills by equipping them with a range of advanced quantitative methods and associated statistical techniques that are used in research in psychology and closely related social science disciplines. This will help students to develop a broader and more advanced analytical skillset which enables a greater flexibility in how they can approach research datasets. These skills will be very good preparation for using quantitative techniques in doctoral research, professional psychology training, and/or careers that use data analysis (e.g., research, social statistics), enhancing students' employability in these sectors. This module is a suitable option for students who already have a good grounding in statistics from their undergraduate/prior studies, as this module assumes familiarity with basic statistical concepts and mainstream tests such as ANOVA and regression. Students who do NOT have a strong grounding in statistics from their prior studies should instead choose PSYM188 Fundamentals of Quantitative Data Analysis.

This course is a lab-based, practical introduction designed for students with little or no prior experience in statistics. It focuses on developing foundational skills in data analysis using the freely available jamovi software, alongside an understanding of the underlying concepts. Students with more advanced statistical knowledge should consider PSYM187 - Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis instead.

It is a requirement of the University that taught postgraduate programmes include a dissertation and/or major project module. For this module, students will conduct their own piece of empirical research in an area relevant to their Masters course under the supervision of a member of the academic staff. For the assessment, students will write either a qualitative or mixed-method research report of a comparable length to a published single-study journal article.Overall student workload: 600 hoursThis includes 12 hours of tutor supervision. These hours will include development of theoretical framework, aims and hypotheses, recruiting samples, fieldwork and liaison with key personnel as appropriate, data recording and analysis, interpretation and writing up. Specific times for these subsections cannot be given as they vary from project to project.

The module introduces students to some of the key questions which currently guide research and practice in environmental psychology. The module addresses issues around architectural psychology as well as global and local environmental problems facing our world today. It provides an insight into the psychology of environment-behaviour issues focusing on built (residential, work and public) and natural environments. The main focus of the module will be to provide an insight into the research and theory development to date and to familiarise students with the practical and multidisciplinary nature of the field. By the end of the module students should have an advanced understanding of the nature and scope of some of the principal theoretical and methodological developments in this area of research and an understanding of the application of psychological theory and concepts to an important area of everyday life.

This module builds on the knowledge gained in semester 1 modules, such as PSYM137, by addressing key topics and concepts in Environmental Psychology research. This time the concepts are grounded within architecture and planning, thus practical implications and the application of the research will also be discussed. This will extend your practical understanding of how people's cognitions, emotions, and planned behaviours influence how they interact with built environments and simultaneously why these responses may occur due to different architectural designs and urban planning systems.Students will have the opportunity to incorporate information learnt from semester 1 and 2 methodology modules to help evaluate built environments. Overall, through providing students with conceptual underpinnings that inform their research and practice approaches, the module enables students to apply their knowledge to assess and design better places for people and the planet, thereby enhancing their employability.Each week a different topic or concept is discussed (e.g. affordances, privacy) or specific behaviours in certain conditions or environments are examined (e.g. crime and the environment). Indeed theoretical concepts and behaviours are explored across a range of environments including residential environments, work environments, hospitals, and public spaces, with research and examples from across the globe to enhance cultural capabilities. In class activities and discussions, along with the workshop offer a practical component to examining the issues presented in class lectures and suggested reading.

This module is offered to students on specialised MSc programmes in the School of Psychology, who are required to take either this advanced module or PSYM188 Fundamentals of Quantitative Data Analysis depending on the extent of their prior statistics training. This module is designed to extend students' skills by equipping them with a range of advanced quantitative methods and associated statistical techniques that are used in research in psychology and closely related social science disciplines. This will help students to develop a broader and more advanced analytical skillset which enables a greater flexibility in how they can approach research datasets. These skills will be very good preparation for using quantitative techniques in doctoral research, professional psychology training, and/or careers that use data analysis (e.g., research, social statistics), enhancing students' employability in these sectors. This module is a suitable option for students who already have a good grounding in statistics from their undergraduate/prior studies, as this module assumes familiarity with basic statistical concepts and mainstream tests such as ANOVA and regression. Students who do NOT have a strong grounding in statistics from their prior studies should instead choose PSYM188 Fundamentals of Quantitative Data Analysis.

This course is a lab-based, practical introduction designed for students with little or no prior experience in statistics. It focuses on developing foundational skills in data analysis using the freely available jamovi software, alongside an understanding of the underlying concepts. Students with more advanced statistical knowledge should consider PSYM187 - Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis instead.

This module provides students with an advanced understanding of current theories and conceptualisations of social change and influence, including facilitators of and constraints on change. It offers a critical engagement with these theories and an application of them to a range of social issues that are a focus of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals. The applied aspect includes a consideration of the value of psychological conceptualisations of social change and influence for policy making, public health, and equality. This core module will allow students to build knowledge and skills that will prepare students for the rest of the programme and the optional modules.

This module introduces students to the core principles and practices of qualitative research and provides the skills needed to design, conduct, and critically evaluate a small-scale qualitative project. Students will learn a range of qualitative data collection methods and analytic approaches, and will develop an understanding of how these methods are applied within psychological research.The module is suitable for those with little or no prior experience, while also offering opportunities for more experienced students to deepen their knowledge. Advanced captured content on SurreyLearn enables students to explore additional analytic methods, and those with prior experience are encouraged to extend their practical skills by applying a new analytic procedure in their project.Students will also develop reflective skills to consider how their cultural background, social identity, gender, experiences, and prior knowledge influence data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The module prepares students to undertake a qualitative dissertation project, should they choose to do so.

This module introduces students to psychological perspectives on understanding and addressing environmental and sustainability challenges. The module provides an overview of theoretical formulations and research evidence related to 1) people’s understandings and perceptions of environmental risks, 2) environmental and materialistic values, 3) environment and wellbeing, and 4) pro-environmental behaviour change. The module is based on the research-practitioner model and aims to enable students to develop an understanding of how psychological research can help tackle environmental challenges by drawing on empirical research evidence. By the end of the module students should have an advanced understanding of some of the principles and theoretical and methodological developments in the area, and understand the value of this knowledge for helping to tackle environmental challenges.

It is a requirement of the University that taught postgraduate programmes include a dissertation and/or major project module. For this module, students will conduct their own piece of empirical research in an area relevant to their Masters course under the supervision of a member of the academic staff. For the assessment, students will write either a qualitative or mixed-method research report of a comparable length to a published single-study journal article.Overall student workload: 600 hoursThis includes 12 hours of tutor supervision. These hours will include development of theoretical framework, aims and hypotheses, recruiting samples, fieldwork and liaison with key personnel as appropriate, data recording and analysis, interpretation and writing up. Specific times for these subsections cannot be given as they vary from project to project.