We often talk of ‘a positive frame of mind’, or ‘looking on the bright side’. This Master’s in Positive Psychology is your opportunity to take that to a whole new level. The modular postgraduate programme takes you deep into the concepts and theories of Positive Psychology, and supports your theoretical and research-based contributions to the subject.

Key information

Award:

MSc

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

18 months

Location:

University of Bolton

Start date:

To be confirmed

Course Details

Our Master’s in Positive Psychology takes you on an immersive journey into this relatively new subject area within psychology. The programme’s modular nature allows you to take a flexible and fairly autonomous approach to learning, theorising, reflecting and researching.

You’ll get the chance to learn, debate and critically evaluate Positive Psychology’s new techniques and research. You’ll also have the opportunity to evaluate developing theories and applications in Positive Psychology, supported all the way by experienced and enthusiastic teaching staff with an excellent knowledge base. We offer expert training in research techniques, helping you to conceptualise, design and implement an independent research project that explores new ideas and approaches at the forefront of this increasingly popular subject.

Successfully completing a Master’s in Positive Psychology should put you in a highly favourable position for seeking employment in relevant care professions, educational institutions, and for securing a place on a specialist psychology-related higher degree or doctorate programme.

Highlights

We’ll support you as you develop an in-depth and advanced knowledge of this emerging field of psychology, and develop your own research projects.
Many of our teaching staff for this programme are involved in significant and ongoing research in this subject.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to develop highly sought-after skills in critical evaluation and reflection relating to theories and research techniques in Positive Psychology.
Focused research training is designed to support and guide you in conceptualising, designing and implementing your own independent research in Positive Psychology.
The programme is designed to enhance your employability, particularly in the care professions – or to help you progress to further studies in psychology.

Key Features

An enthusiastic, dedicated and supportive teaching team delivers this pioneering programme.
The course curriculum gives you the opportunity to explore issues from a diverse range of perspectives – all underpinned by a research-informed knowledge base.
Learning and teaching is student-centred, with small group sessions and one-to-one tutorials. This is supported by the University’s virtual learning environment.
We’ve designed the programme to encourage and support your unique approach to research and critical enquiry.
You can enjoy contributions from expert guest speakers on a range of subjects covered in this exciting postgraduate programme.
By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.

You should have an Upper Second Class (2.1) Honours degree (or higher) in Psychology, which is accredited by the British Psychology Society for Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
If you have a Lower Second Class (2:2) Honours degree in Psychology, then you may be accepted on to the programme following a successful interview. We may also ask you to provide a portfolio of your work, as part of the application process.
Relevant work experience can also provide an advantage.
We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
This course does not confer Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) with the British Psychological Society (BPS) – if you're seeking to achieve GBR, please consider applying for our MSc Psychology (Conversion) programme.
If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The MSc in Positive Psychology focuses on the scientific study of happiness, wellbeing, purpose and strength. It looks at the impact of positive emotions on a person’s wellbeing and looks at what makes people thrive.

The course is designed to develop your intellectual and thinking skills, problem solving, interpersonal awareness, communication skills, your ability to develop arguments supported by relevant evidence, and team work, IT and data handling skills.

What can I do with this qualification?

Positive Psychology can be used in a wide variety of job roles within education and training, business, healthcare, charities and government agencies. As a graduate, you could even use the techniques to transform a business or help develop the potential of a group, community or institution.

If you’re a qualified clinical psychologist, counsellor, life skills coach, wellbeing practitioner, or psychotherapist, the theory and transferable skills you could learn should also benefit your clinical work. Teachers, youth workers and educators can also use Positive Psychology expertise in their work.

Some graduates choose to continue their education by completing a PhD. Continuing your education would give you the opportunity to develop your skills further and research your area of interest.

Alternative career options

Graduates can use the qualification to enter a range of other careers, and for some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:

Teaching and education
Careers guidance
Human resources
Probation services
Prison services
Social work
Counselling
Family mediation and support
Nursing
Police
Media and advertising
Communications
Sport and recreation
Brand consultancy
Advertising
Child protection
Sales
Youth work

Course fees

Useful information

Please note, the total course fee for a Home student starting this course in 2021/22 will be £5,400. As this is an 18 month course, the fees are £3,600 for the first year and £1,800 for the final semester.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance eligibility 2021-2022 policy on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

Course application details are unavailable at present

We use a diverse range of teaching methods, designed to complement each other and help you achieve the course’s intended learning outcomes. We offer lectures, seminars, workshops and one-to-one sessions – but you’ll also be expected to undertake significant independent reading and investigation, as well as completing seminar-related work and preparing for workshops, presentations and group discussions. Some modules will require you to follow up taught sessions by using online resources and completing complementary tasks.

Assessment methods are also varied, allowing you to demonstrate your learning in a range of ways. For example, module assessments may require you to complete reports, essays, presentations, literature reviews, or review journal articles, write up case interventions, treatment evaluations, complete short question and answer sessions relating to statistical analysis, and present reflective journals.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

Psychological and Social Research: Review, Evaluation and Design
Quantitative Inquiry 1
Quantitative Inquiry 2
Qualitative Inquiry
Foundations of Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology in Practice
Critical Positive Psychology
Psychology Dissertation

Assessment methods

Level	Assesment method
Level one	Coursework 100%

Learning activities

Level	Learning activity
Level one	Guided independent study 85%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 15%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.