MPhil/PhD in Psychology (2023 Entry)
Find out more about our Psychology MPhil/PhD.
The Department of Psychology offers high quality doctoral training and supervision experience in the fields of Behavioural Science, Language and Learning, and Lifespan Health and Wellbeing. Under the guidance of enthusiastic and motivated academic staff, our MPhil/PhD students undertake exciting research in their chosen fields of study and complete a tailored programme of training courses and professional development opportunities.
Course overview
Our MPhil/PhD degree in Psychology is awarded for a thesis reporting original research by a student under the supervision of, typically, two members of staff. Very occasionally, the department is also able to take on a student undertaking a PhD by Published Work.
PhD students are initially registered for an MPhil (PhD Track) with the expectation that their registration will be upgraded to the full PhD contingent upon satisfactory progress. Such upgrades normally take place at the first annual review 9-12 months into your studies (18–24 months for part-time students).
Our MPhil/PhD programme can enable postgraduate training for a career as an academic researcher, but also serves as excellent preparation for a career as a professional psychologist (e.g., clinical, organisational, or school psychologist), or as a consultant or professional in different fields of industry.
In addition to subject-related knowledge, our MPhil/PhD degree provides valuable transferable skills in data analysis and management, written and oral communication, teamwork and time management.
Teaching and learning
All our MPhil/PhD students are strongly encouraged to engage with the Departmental and University-wide advanced training offered. Such training opportunities will be discussed with supervisors and will form part of the annual review process.
Our MPhil/PhD students are also offered an opportunity to gain teaching and marking experience during the course of their doctoral studies.
General entry requirements
Minimum requirements
2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Psychology or a related subject.
English language requirements
You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:
- Band B
- IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.
International qualifications
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.
Additional requirements
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Our research
Behavioural Science
- Economic and consumer psychology
- Judgement, risk and decision-making
- Psychology and the law
- Computational modelling of human behaviour
- Attention, visual processing and emotional processing
- Folk economics, inequality, and behavioural political science
Language and Learning
- Reading; word recognition
- Computational approaches to language processing
- Historical language change
- Structure of the lexicon across life-span
- Big Data research on language
- Language and gesture development in infants and children
- Second language learning
- Language learning and change
- Gesture and non-verbal communication in adults and children
- Development of social cognition
- Animal (e.g., orangutangs, chimpanzees, birds) communication and cognition
- Language evolution
- Sleep and language learning
- Socio-economic status and child language development
- Language development and socio-economic status
- The role of prediction in language processing and learning
- The role of surprise and curiosity in second language learning
- Experimental approaches to the study of turn-taking and dialogue
Lifespan Health and Wellbeing
- Longitudinal epidemiology
- Resilience and protection after preterm birth
- Experimental psychology and clinical studies, with common interests in the factors that determine and/or the mechanisms that underlie healthy living
- Child and adolescent development and mental and physical ageing
- Mental health, sleep and pain
- Disaster recovery
- Culture, relationships, beliefs, personality, and well-being
Full details of our research interests are listed on the Psychology web pagesLink opens in a new window.
You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.Link opens in a new window
Find a supervisor
Find your supervisor using the link below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.
Explore our Psychology Research Directory where you will be able to filter by research group.
You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.
Taught course fees Research course fees
Fee Status Guidance
The University carries out an initial fee status assessment based on information provided in the application and according to the guidance published by UKCISA. Students are classified as either Home or Overseas Fee status and this can determine the tuition fee and eligibility of certain scholarships and financial support.
If you receive an offer, your fee status will be stated with the tuition fee information, however we are awaiting guidance from the UK government regarding fee status for EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members living in the UK for academic year 2021/22 onwards. We are not able to confirm the fee status for these students until the relevant eligibility criteria have been confirmed. Once we have received further information from the UK government, we will provide you with an update on your fee status and let you know if any additional information is required. If you believe your fee status has been incorrectly classified you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire (follow the instructions in your offer) and provide the required documentation for this to be reassessed.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provides guidance to UK universities on fees status criteria, you can find the latest guidance on the impact of Brexit on fees and student support on the UKCISA website.
Additional course costs
Please contact your academic department for information about department specific costs, which should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below, such as:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and financial support
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Living costs
Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.
Psychology at Warwick
A playground for the mind
Our research-driven department can offer you the kind of physical and intellectual environment that’ll inspire you to succeed. We pride ourselves on being a friendly, inclusive academic community offering a stimulating, intellectual environment to students and staff. We’re large enough to provide excellent resources and education, but also small enough to know who you are and provide one-to-one support.
Find out more about us on our website.
Our Postgraduate courses
Taught course applications
Here is our checklist on how to apply for taught postgraduate courses at Warwick.
Research course applications
Here is our checklist on how to apply for research postgraduate degrees at the University of Warwick.
After you’ve applied
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Applicant Portal
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Admissions statement
See Warwick’s postgraduate admissions policy.
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Postgraduate Open Day
Our Postgraduate Virtual Open Day will help you find out more about your course of interest, as well as general topics like applying to Warwick, accommodation, careers and funding.Postgraduate fairs
Throughout the year we attend exhibitions and fairs online and in the UK. These events give you the chance to learn about our Master's and PhD study routes, and the wider context of postgraduate study.
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Departmental events
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