University of Kent
Explore the relationship between political and psychological processes to develop an advanced understanding of the psychological roots of political behaviour. Our Master’s degree gives you an excellent grounding in political psychology and can lead to a career in survey and consumer research, marketing, public relations, political communications and government.
There is a growing interest among researchers and policy makers in the psychological underpinnings of individual and group behaviour in the political arena. This postgraduate degree is one of the few political psychology courses in the UK and explores how people engage with politics and the psychology behind this behaviour.
Our Political Psychology Research Group is actively researching the consequences of conspiracy theories, the impact of identity rhetoric, and how public opinion on social policy develops and changes over time, and how it shapes society.
Entry Requirements
A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with:
a. Adequate level of academic achievement
A final degree classification (grade average) of at least a 2.2 or Merit in the UK system. Results from institutions in other countries will be assessed individually according to this standard. However, applicants who do not meet this criterion are still welcome to apply, and their individual circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis.
Applicants with undergraduate degrees in psychology or political science are preferred and those with related social sciences or science degrees are also considered. If it is in a different subject, or if it is not accredited by the British Psychological Society, please ask your academic referee to complete the Pro forma for Political Psychology and email it to psypgadmissions@kent.ac.uk.
b. Statistics and research methods training in the social sciences
This programme includes a one-year statistics sequence which you must normally pass in order to receive your award. The teaching assumes that you are familiar with the following topics:
Means and standard deviations
Distributions, hypothesis testing and statistical significance
t-tests
Correlation coefficients
Variables and measurement
Therefore, your existing degree transcript should note that you have taken and passed a minimum of one term each in statistics and social science research methods courses (or two terms of a joint statistics and research methods course).
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
International students
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
English language entry requirements
The University requires all non-native speakers of English to reach a minimum standard of proficiency in written and spoken English before beginning a postgraduate degree. Certain subjects require a higher level.
For detailed information see our English language requirements web pages.
Closing Date
26.09.2022