Awards
Target Award
Programme Offerings
Full-Time
Educational Aims of the Course
Positive Psychology focuses on the scientific understanding of the factors that contribute to a meaningful, happy, fulfilled and socially engaged life. It uses this understanding to develop and implement approaches that promote and preserve these factors. This MSc takes a balanced approach to theory, psychological mechanisms and evidence-based practice to develop the skills and understanding needed for applying positive psychology approaches in a broad range of contexts.
Specific programme aims are:
- To provide an academically rigorous framework through which students can study scientifically, the psychological, biological, social and spiritual processes involved in psychological health and wellbeing
- To develop an awareness and practical understanding of applied approaches that promote and preserve the factors that contribute to a meaningful, happy, fulfilled and socially engaged live.
- To introduce strength-based self-reflection that empowers students to engage their individual strengths in their academic and professional work
- To support students in developing a sustained mindfulness meditation practice.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Lectures and directed independent reading are used to introduce core knowledge. These are supplemented by seminar, workshop and practical activities in which students can explore ideas in more depth and contribute to, and benefit from, peer learning. These activities also provide opportunities for the development of declarative knowledge regarding positive psychology themes, with feedback from tutors and peers. Practical engagement with mindfulness meditation and other positive psychology applications will allow students to develop a felt sense of engaging in positive psychology interventions. Many of these learning activities will be tied to critical reflection, allowing students to develop their self-reflection skills.
In addition, students are expected to cover substantive course content through their own directed reading. These approaches are consistent with the learning outcomes of each specific module within the programme. While a number of course texts will be utilised to introduce students to the core concepts, critical examination of these concepts using primary sources including journal articles and reports will form a major component of the teaching strategy. Individual supervision meetings support students in developing, conducting and reporting an empirical investigation in positive psychology.
In line with the Positive Psychology perspective of the programme, a diagnostic strength-based approach integrated into module delivery will furthermore support students in identifying, applying and intentionally developing their personal strengths in relation to their academic work.
The assessment strategy aims to foster in-depth and active learning to achieve an appropriate match between teaching and learning methods and assessment tasks. It includes the provision of summative, formative and peer feedback, an appropriate balance of assessment tasks over the programme, and inclusivity of a range of student approaches to learning. A variety of assessment methods is therefore utilised across the programme.
Workshop activities provide opportunities for formative feedback from both peers and tutors. Similarly, dedicated coursework preparation seminars and online discussion forums within modules and individual tutor support during the preparation of coursework assignments provides opportunities for formative feedback and general guidance.
Coursework assessment is used to provide timely and detailed summative assessment. Individual tutors also build in opportunities for formative assessment during modules, and take advantage of opportunities to provide formative assessment that arise from students' work and engagement with the tasks. Assessment methods include essays, critiques, reports, reflective portfolios, presentations, practical demonstrations, research proposal and dissertation.