Master of Research in Psychology and Health Inequalities

at Keele University United Kingdom

Keele’s Biochemistry programmes offer broad and stimulating coverage of modern biochemistry. Whether you choose to study as combined honours or single honours, you’ll be studying life at the molecular level, investigating some of the most exciting areas of contemporary life science and medical research.

You might explore the secrets of the human genome, or the individually tailored molecular therapies of the future. Particular emphasis is placed on human and mammalian biochemistry, especially relating to health and disease. 

The Human Biology element of this course is ideal if you’re interested in biology but are looking for a particular focus on the human body and how we’ve adapted to our environment. This course provides a broad understanding of the physiology of the body’s major systems as well as human health and disease and the relationship between the human body with the environment. You might explore the impact of nutrition and the environment on health, how humans in turn impact on the environment, and specialised topics such as human parasitology and human evolution.

Keele’s multidisciplinary approach puts human biology in context, so you’ll have input from a range of experts which may include clinicians, physiotherapists, nutritionists, geographers and conservation biologists. You may engage in additional opportunities which might include studying abroad and work experience. 

You’ll learn to use technology to create new opportunities and to solve a wide range of problems, benefiting every aspect of society from the home to business, government and beyond.

Our teaching is informed by our cutting-edge research, and we also reflect what’s happening now in industry. There’s a strong emphasis on programming – but don’t worry if you don’t have Maths A-level, because the course covers what you need to know. You’ll have access to our own computing labs, based on Microsoft Windows and Linux, plus a wide range of software. Our excellent central location is ideal for industrial placements, with over 40 companies situated on the Keele Science Park alone.

Technical expertise allows developers to understand problem situations and undertake developments in these technical areas, however, to actually create high quality systems requires effective management of software engineering activities. The Software Engineering specialism therefore equips you with the techniques and processes to undertake team-based agile development of software systems, based on the needs of clients and users.

You’ll learn to use technology to create new opportunities and to solve a wide range of problems, benefiting every aspect of society from the home to business, government and beyond. Our teaching is informed by research and also reflects what’s happening now in industry. You’ll have access to our own computing labs, based on Microsoft Windows and Linux, plus a wide range of software.

The course may cover a set of modules providing a specialism in information systems, evolutionary systems, or creative computing. There’s a strong emphasis on programming – but don’t worry if you don’t have A Level Mathematics, because the course covers what you need to know. 

Geology is a science fundamental to modern day living, with geologists discovering society’s major resource needs including metals, minerals, energy and groundwater. The combined honours Geology course covers a range of topics which may include looking at rocks, minerals and fossils and geological processes. Geology is a practical subject with applied problem-solving laboratory classes and field courses where you will learn how to interpret and map geological features, and explore for future geological resources. 

Immerse yourself in literary texts from the English Renaissance to contemporary American graphic novels. As an English and American Literature student at Keele, you'll examine the full chronological range of English and American literature, considering their direct intersections from the nineteenth century onwards. You might study poets like Lord Byron, Derek Walcott and Allen Ginsberg, dramatists including Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and Tennessee Williams, and novelists such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry James and Jackie Kay. Our intellectually stimulating and engaging approach to exploring a wide variety of literary genres  produces intelligent, perceptive, socially aware and compassionate individuals who are able to make a real impact.

The MSc in International Diplomacy offers you the chance to study in-depth the evolution, practice, and theories of diplomacy in international settings. It is suitable for students and practitioners with an interest in deepening, extending or challenging their understanding of diplomacy and diplomatic practices, broadly defined as the practice of political interactions and contestations between states; between states and non-state actors; and between citizens and states. As such, it offers critical examination of the evolving field of diplomatic studies; and both practitioners and those with an interest in the subject will complete the programme with a fuller understanding of how diplomacy works; when, where and how it occurs and what diplomacy means to different audiences and in different contexts.

International Business will help you to appreciate the diversity of international work cultures and acquire the skills to help manage them. You’ll learn about the global business environment, international business strategies, supply chains and cross-cultural management. In Marketing you will learn how to plan and implement successful marketing strategies. There are exciting opportunities to explore branding and digital marketing and how to implement these in the context of international business. There’s also a firm grounding in the wider social context of organisation and a broad reflection on the ethics of business and marketing. The variety of optional modules available on this course will also enable you to further develop your skills and insights. 

This course broadly follows the Single Honours Psychology modular structure with additional modules focusing on counselling theories, skills and personal development, delivered by School of Psychology staff with expertise in Counselling and Counselling Psychology.

The psychological content of the course will develop your critical thinking and research skills with an emphasis on how psychology impacts on everyday life. You will learn how to design and conduct your own psychological studies in our well-equipped labs using a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Our students graduate ready to use their psychology skills and knowledge to make a real difference.

The Counselling element of the course guides you in exploring concepts and debates in counselling, as well as developing practical skills in effective listening, communication, self-reflection and the theory of person-centred counselling.

Please note the course is not a practising qualification but provides the first steps towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist or Counselling Psychologist. It will help students meet the entry requirements for the MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Keele or elsewhere.

Media and Sociology is a distinctive combined degree which enables you to explore the sociological implications of social media, popular culture, and the mass media, whilst offering opportunities to engage in creative media practice such as film-making and photography.

You will attend lectures led by an interdisciplinary team of experts in their field, participate in seminars, and get hands-on experience of media production including pre- and post-production techniques. You will have access to media production facilities and the opportunity to try a range of media forms including photography, digital video, magazine production, newsmaking and social media.

The media modules combine a distinctive balance of theory and practice so you can develop as a critical and thoughtful practitioner. You will study the role of media in society, the impact of the political economy on media content and the relationship between content and audiences. You will analyse popular cultural forms such as TV, memes, film and news, think about their meaning in contemporary social life and explore your ideas through media production.

Studying this course will allow you to cover the forensic process from the collection of evidence at the crime scene, to its presentation in court. You will explore key forensic areas such as genetics, anthropology, toxicology, ballistics and arson, alongside newer fields such as digital forensics. You will also develop your analytical science skills, so that you are able to analyse a wide variety of evidence types. This is complemented by additional emphasis on professional practice and an understanding of the roles of the crime scene investigator and the forensic scientist as an expert witness in the court.

You will study educational topics such as the nature of learning, the history of education, and educational policies and practices that aim to promote inclusion and social cohesion. Studying Education at Keele, either on its own or with another subject, will help you explore the many ways that education can change and effect modern society.
The course further examines topics such as changing ideas around childhood and learning, digital technologies, citizenship, race, play, work, the political nature of schools, and the impact of poverty on both the results and experience of education.
You may also have opportunities to explore these issues abroad by doing an International Year, which can lead to an enhanced degree title in BA (Hons) in Education with International Year.