MSc Psychology (Conversion) Online
Course Overview
If you're looking to pursue a psychology-related career or further professional training in psychology and your first degree is not a psychology degree but in an area related to psychology, the University of Bolton's highly regarded conversion course is ideal. Maybe you're considering a future in educational, occupational or clinical psychology but don't have enough credits in psychology at the undergraduate level. Or perhaps your psychology degree didn't come with eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society*. Either way, this course is a great solution as the first step towards your career as a psychologist, especially if you need the flexibility of online study.The programme modules cover specific areas of psychology equivalent to those in the British Psychological Society's qualification exam and will give you an opportunity to achieve a firm understanding of psychological theories, approaches and research methods.
Psychology courses at Bolton benefit from excellent facilities and committed, enthusiastic staff – many of whom are involved in leading research that will support your studies.
(*Application for BPS accreditation has been submitted)
Highlights
- You can enjoy support from approachable staff with a diverse range of research interests.
- Our well-equipped department is home to innovative methods of teaching and assessment.
- You'll have the chance to learn how to apply advanced critical analysis and evidence-based reasoning to current research and methodology.
- We'll support you in developing many sought-after transferable skills as you prepare for postgraduate employment or training.
Key Features
- The Department of Psychology at Bolton is well established. Our undergraduate degree is one of the oldest in the country, and we have offered conversion provision since 2001.
- You'll benefit from a carefully balanced mix of pre-recorded content (that you can access at a time and place convenient to you), and live sessions where you can ask questions, check your knowledge, and receive feedback.
- We have submitted an application for accreditation of this course to the British Psychological Society. If accredited, studying this course will offer you the chance to achieve the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership.
- Our excellent facilities include a fully equipped observation and psychophysiology laboratory.
Entry Requirements
- You should have (a) at least an upper second-class honours degree (2.1) in a relevant subject; for instance, social science or science, OR (b) a 2:2 class degree in a relevant subject AND at least two years of relevant professional experience.
- You must also have Mathematics GCSE at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent).
- You’ll be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
- As this is an online course, you'll need access to a computer with the appropriate software and accessories, including a webcam, microphone, and a sufficient broadband connection. You'll also need basic IT skills. In particular, you'll need to be able to access and use the University of Bolton's virtual learning environment, Moodle. Please contact the programme leader for details if you are uncertain that you'll be able to meet these requirements.
- 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.
- Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
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.
Career Opportunities
The MSc Psychology (Conversion) Online is a conversion course for graduates who wish to pursue a professional career in psychology; for instance, in educational, occupational or clinical psychology.
Upon successfully completing the course, you'll possess enhanced intellectual and thinking skills, problem-solving, interpersonal awareness, communication skills and the ability to develop arguments supported by relevant evidence, teamwork and IT and data handling skills.
What can I do with this qualification?
Postgraduate options include further studies at the master's or PhD level. Graduates can also progress to graduate schemes, which are long-term employment contracts, usually with a large corporate company offering advanced training packages.
Alternative career options
Although some psychology graduates become professional psychologists, many others go on to work in related fields. Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers, bearing in mind that some of these roles will require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. 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
- Advertising
- Child protection
- Youth work
Professional Recognition
The University of Bolton's MSc (Conversion) Online degree has been submitted for accreditation by the British Psychological Society (BPS). The BPS is the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK.
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £8,496 for the academic year 2024/25.
International Fees
Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £15,950 for the academic year 2024/25.
Bursaries
Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 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 for EU students web page 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.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
-
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
-
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
-
Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
-
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
-
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
-
Apply online: University of Bolton MSc Psychology (Conversion) online - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
How you apply is determined by your current location and what you are choosing to study:
- Apply direct to the University. Links for the next available intakes of this course are shown below. Please click the link which will direct you to the online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this.
- Apply via one of our approved in-country referral partners. A list of our partners may be found on the International pages of this website.
- Apply via UCAS for courses starting in September only – visit www.ucas.com.
Should you have any queries please contact the International Team on +44 (0) 1204 903110 or email international@bolton.ac.uk
-
Apply online: University of Bolton MSc Psychology (Conversion) online - 22 September 2025
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching and learning on a University of Bolton Psychology course focus on you. We take a student-centred approach and use various techniques to help you acquire and develop key concepts, knowledge and skills as you work towards your study goals. Our emphasis on active learning means you'll have the chance to enjoy practical classes that include opportunities for experiential learning, skills acquisition, and lab-based workshops, as well as seminars, tutorials, and self-directed study.
Designed to cater to your individual needs, this online MSc Psychology (Conversion) programme offers a great balance of pre-recorded and live online learning, ensuring you are well-supported throughout your journey with us. As most lectures are pre-recorded, you can receive and engage with the content in your own time while also benefiting from opportunities to test your learning and check back with your tutors in live online sessions.
Assessment methods are also varied, allowing you to demonstrate your learning in a range of ways. For example, module assessments will include coursework such as essays, research reports, critical reviews, practical reports, statistical assignments, presentations, a course project report and traditional exams. Assessment methods will vary according to each module's content and desired outcome.
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.
- Current Topics in Psychology
- MSc Conversion Research Methods
- Personality and Developmental Psychology
- Social and Critical Psychology
- Biopsychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- MSc Psychology (Conversion) Dissertation
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 75% Practical exams 25% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 82% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 18% |
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.
