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What Is a Psychology Conversion MSc? How to Become a Psychologist
It's never too late to start your new career in pscyhology
Perhaps you studied business, English, law, biology, education or another completely different subject at university. Now, several years later, your interests – and possibly your career ambitions – have changed.
If psychology is where you want to go next, the good news is that you do not necessarily need to start again with another undergraduate degree.
A Psychology Conversion MSc is specifically designed to give graduates from other disciplines the academic foundation in psychology needed to move into the field. For those hoping eventually to pursue professional psychology training in the UK, choosing a programme accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) can also provide an important first step towards that goal.
UH Online's 100% online MSc Psychology (Conversion) is designed for graduates without a previous psychology degree and can be studied part-time over 24 months, allowing students to begin changing direction without necessarily putting their existing career on hold. The programme is BPS accredited and, subject to meeting the programme's required academic criteria, provides eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).
Changing direction later in your career is far from unusual. Dr Karen Irvine has written for Herts about her own career change, having started her working life in the insurance industry in the City before turning to psychology through further study. She went on to complete postgraduate research training and a PhD and now manages the Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Hertfordshire. Her experience illustrates an important point for prospective conversion students: an established career in another field does not necessarily close the door to psychology.
But what exactly does a conversion degree involve, and how does it fit into the journey towards becoming a psychologist?
What is a Psychology Conversion MSc?
A Psychology Conversion MSc is a postgraduate degree designed primarily for people whose first degree was not in psychology, or whose previous psychology studies do not provide the academic basis required for further professional psychology training.
Rather than assuming that you already have an undergraduate-level psychology education, a conversion course introduces you to the core areas of the discipline while allowing you to study at Master's level.
The aim is not simply to provide an introduction to psychology. A BPS-accredited conversion course is designed to develop the breadth of psychological knowledge, scientific understanding and research skills needed to establish a recognised academic foundation in the subject.
In broad terms, a Psychology Conversion MSc allows you to move from:
Your existing undergraduate degree → Psychology Conversion MSc → GBC eligibility → further specialist training → professional psychology career
The precise later stages depend on the branch of psychology you decide to pursue.
Psychology is also much broader than any one profession or specialism. At Herts, that breadth is reflected in research spanning areas including applied psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive neuropsychology, learning and memory, mind and body, forensic psychology and the public understanding of psychology.
As Professor Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, explains:
“I am passionate about exploring how academic psychology can improve people’s lives.”
His work at Herts has explored areas including self-help, luck, deception, magic, humour and paranormal belief, demonstrating just how varied the questions investigated through psychological science can be.
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Who is a Psychology Conversion MSc for?
Psychology conversion courses are particularly relevant to graduates who have developed an interest in psychology after completing their first degree.
That might include someone working in education who has become fascinated by how children learn and develop; a manager interested in motivation and behaviour at work; a professional working in healthcare or public services who wants to understand the psychological dimensions of wellbeing; or simply someone whose career has helped them realise that understanding human behaviour is where their real interest lies.
Your previous degree does not have to be closely connected to psychology.
For example, entry to UH Online's MSc Psychology (Conversion) requires a Bachelor's degree at a level equivalent to a UK second-class Honours degree. The programme itself is specifically tailored to graduates moving into psychology from other academic backgrounds.
That makes a conversion Master's fundamentally different from many specialist psychology postgraduate programmes, which may expect applicants already to have completed accredited psychology study.
What do you study on a Psychology Conversion MSc?
Psychology is far broader than any single career or area of human behaviour. A conversion MSc therefore needs to give students an understanding of psychology across several interconnected disciplines.
Importantly, psychology does not exist only in textbooks or laboratories.
The University's Applied Psychology Research Group describes applied psychology as:
“Research that starts with real problems, engages with real people, and tries to be useful, honest, careful and compassionate.”
That commitment to connecting psychological research with real questions and real lives can be seen throughout psychology at Herts.
It is also reflected in the breadth of the MSc Psychology (Conversion), where students explore different perspectives on human thought and behaviour.
Social Psychology
Explore how individuals influence – and are influenced by – other people, including social influence, attitudes, stereotypes, relationships and group behaviour.
Developmental and Cognitive Psychology
Examine psychological development alongside complex cognitive processes such as memory, language and decision-making.
The Biological Basis of Psychology
Investigate relationships between the nervous system, brain, cognition and behaviour, including areas of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology.
Individual Differences
Explore psychological theories surrounding personality, intelligence, cognitive styles, motivation and emotion, as well as the ways in which psychologists seek to understand and measure human differences.
Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Gain an introduction to psychological approaches to mental health alongside the application of psychology within forensic contexts, including offender behaviour, criminal investigation and judicial decision-making.
Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology
Understand how psychology has developed as a discipline and critically examine influential perspectives including behaviourism, cognitive psychology and humanistic approaches.
Alongside these areas, there is a strong emphasis on research methods. Students develop experience with research design, quantitative and qualitative methods, statistics and data analysis before bringing those skills together through an independent Advanced Psychology Project.
Why are research skills so important in psychology?
Studying psychology involves much more than learning theories about why people behave in particular ways.
Psychology is a scientific discipline. That means continually examining evidence, testing ideas and being prepared to reconsider conclusions when new evidence emerges.
As Dr Daniel Gurney, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, explains:
“Science is an ongoing pursuit of knowledge and that doesn’t stop when we find that the results of a study do not replicate.”
His discussion of replication in psychological research highlights why psychologists need to examine not only the conclusions of studies, but how those conclusions were reached and whether the evidence continues to withstand scrutiny.
Psychology students therefore learn to ask questions such as:
- How strong is the evidence supporting a particular claim?
- How was a study designed?
- Was the sample appropriate?
- Could another variable explain the result?
- Does correlation demonstrate causation?
- Can the findings be generalised?
- Are there ethical concerns about how the research was conducted?
Developing this ability to interrogate evidence is one of the most important parts of postgraduate psychology education.
These skills are also valuable far beyond professional psychology. Critical thinking, data interpretation, research, communication and evidence-based decision-making can be applied across healthcare, education, business, research, policy, charities and the public sector.
Psychology MSc vs Psychology Conversion MSc: what is the difference?
The word “conversion” is important.
A specialist Psychology MSc may be intended for someone who already has a psychology background and wants to deepen their expertise within the discipline.
A Psychology Conversion MSc has a different purpose: it enables graduates from other disciplines to establish the broad academic grounding in psychology that they did not acquire through their undergraduate degree.
So, if you are asking “Can I become a psychologist if my first degree isn't in psychology?”, a BPS-accredited conversion programme can provide the academic bridge that allows you to begin moving towards that goal.
Why does BPS accreditation matter?
If your goal is simply to learn more about psychology, there are many different programmes available.
If your longer-term ambition involves professional psychology in the UK, however, accreditation becomes particularly important.
The British Psychological Society accredits psychology programmes that meet its academic standards. Completing an appropriate BPS-accredited undergraduate psychology degree or conversion programme can establish eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) when the necessary academic requirements are met.
UH Online's MSc Psychology (Conversion) is BPS accredited. Students who successfully complete the programme with an average grade of 50% or higher and achieve the required pass in the research project meet the programme requirements for GBC eligibility.
This distinction is important because completing a Psychology Conversion MSc does not, by itself, make you a Chartered Psychologist.
Instead, it provides the academic foundation from which you can progress towards further specialist professional training.
How to become a psychologist if your first degree isn't in psychology
If your undergraduate degree is in another discipline, your pathway can broadly be understood in five stages.
1. Complete a BPS-accredited Psychology Conversion course
The first objective is to establish the required academic foundation in psychology.
A BPS-accredited online MSc Psychology (Conversion) allows graduates from other disciplines to develop this foundation without returning to university for another full undergraduate psychology degree.
At UH Online, the programme is delivered 100% online and part-time over 24 months, making it possible to continue working and managing other commitments while studying.
2. Meet the requirements for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership
GBC is an important academic milestone for many professional psychology pathways.
It demonstrates that you have completed recognised study covering the required foundations of psychological science.
Think of GBC as the academic foundation, rather than the end of the journey.
3. Build relevant experience
Depending on the branch of psychology you want to pursue, your next step may involve gaining relevant professional or research experience.
Someone interested in clinical psychology, for example, may seek relevant roles within mental health, healthcare or psychological research before applying for further professional training.
Someone interested in educational psychology may instead build experience working with children, young people or educational services.
There is therefore no single post-conversion career route. The experience you seek should increasingly align with the area in which you hope to specialise.
4. Complete the required specialist postgraduate training
The next stage depends on which kind of psychologist you want to become.
Potential routes following appropriate foundational study can include further specialist training in areas such as:
- Clinical Psychology
- Counselling Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Occupational Psychology
- Sport and Exercise Psychology
Each professional pathway has its own postgraduate qualifications, practical experience and professional requirements.
The conversion Master's should therefore be understood as the first major academic step towards these specialist pathways, rather than the final qualification required to practise.
5. Gain the appropriate professional registration or recognition
It is also important to distinguish between BPS accreditation, Chartered status and professional registration.
Several practitioner psychologist titles in the UK are legally protected and regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), meaning that additional approved professional education and training is required before somebody can practise using those titles.
For anyone starting from a non-psychology undergraduate degree, the important thing is to see the journey as a series of stages rather than expecting one conversion degree to provide the entire professional pathway.
Which area of psychology could be right for you?
One advantage of studying a broad conversion degree is that you may discover an area of psychology you had never previously considered.
You might find yourself particularly interested in:
Clinical psychology, exploring psychological difficulties, mental health, assessment and intervention.
Forensic psychology, applying psychological knowledge to offending, criminal behaviour and the justice system.
Educational psychology, focusing on learning, development and the experiences of children and young people.
Occupational psychology, applying psychological science to work, organisations, performance, leadership and employee wellbeing.
Counselling psychology, combining psychological theory, research and therapeutic practice.
Sport and exercise psychology, applying psychology to performance, motivation, wellbeing and participation in sport and physical activity.
You do not necessarily need to know your eventual specialism before starting a conversion Master's.
Studying psychology across multiple areas can help you understand where your interests and strengths lie before deciding which professional or research direction to pursue.
Psychology research at Herts
Studying psychology at postgraduate level also means becoming part of a wider academic discipline in which research continues to challenge assumptions and shape practice.
The University's Centre for Research in Psychology and Sports brings together research spanning applied psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive neuropsychology, learning and memory, mind and body, health and wellbeing and other fields. Its researchers have collaborative links with organisations including the NHS, universities, businesses and charities.
Herts is also joint 1st in the UK for research impact in the Centre of Psychology and Sports Sciences, based on the Research Excellence Framework 2021. You can explore postgraduate psychology and research at Herts.
For students beginning a conversion degree, this wider research environment helps reinforce an important idea: psychology is not a fixed collection of theories to memorise. It is a developing scientific discipline shaped by new evidence, new questions and changing social challenges.
Can you use a Psychology Conversion MSc outside professional psychology?
Absolutely.
Not everybody who studies psychology ultimately becomes a practitioner psychologist.
Psychological knowledge can be valuable anywhere that understanding people, behaviour, decision-making, communication or evidence matters.
Graduates may use the knowledge and transferable skills developed through psychology within areas such as research, human resources, organisational development, education, marketing and consumer behaviour, public services, charities, policy, health and wellbeing.
Research skills can be particularly transferable. Learning to analyse complex information, interpret data, assess evidence and communicate conclusions clearly can support careers well beyond psychology itself.
Can you study a Psychology Conversion MSc online while working?
For many career changers, this is one of the most important questions.
Leaving employment for full-time study is not realistic for everyone – particularly if you already have professional responsibilities, family commitments or an established career.
UH Online's MSc Psychology (Conversion) is delivered 100% online over 24 months on a part-time basis.
The programme combines independent online study with structured learning periods and assessment deadlines. Students can also take part in online discussions and activities, with optional live faculty drop-in sessions and focused tutorials available to support their learning.
This makes it possible to begin building a new academic and professional direction while continuing with the life and career you already have.
Is a Psychology Conversion MSc difficult?
A conversion Master's is academically demanding.
You are entering a new discipline at postgraduate level, which means developing unfamiliar subject knowledge while learning how psychologists approach research, evidence and scientific argument.
Statistics and research methods can sometimes be unexpected for students attracted to psychology primarily because of an interest in people.
But those elements are fundamental to psychology.
Being interested in human behaviour is the starting point. Learning how to investigate it scientifically is what turns that curiosity into rigorous psychological study.
A successful conversion student therefore needs curiosity, organisation, independent-study skills and a willingness to engage with both qualitative and quantitative research.
Is a Psychology Conversion MSc worth it?
That depends largely on what you want it to achieve.
If you already hold a non-psychology degree and want to pursue professional psychology in the UK, a BPS-accredited conversion course can provide something particularly valuable: a route into psychology without starting your university education again from the beginning.
It can also offer a structured way to explore psychology before committing to a particular professional specialism.
And even if your eventual career takes a different direction, the combination of psychological knowledge, research capability, data analysis, critical thinking and understanding of human behaviour can be valuable across a wide range of professions.
The important thing is to view a conversion MSc realistically. It is not an instant qualification as a practitioner psychologist. It is the foundation from which your next stage can begin.
Start your journey into psychology
Your first degree does not have to determine the direction of your entire career.
Dr Karen Irvine's career story at Herts is one example of how an initial career in an entirely different industry can ultimately lead towards psychological research. Across Herts today, researchers are exploring questions ranging from mental health and cognition to behaviour, decision-making, forensic psychology and the application of psychological science to everyday life.
If your own interests have changed and you now want to understand the science behind human thought, behaviour and development, postgraduate conversion study can provide a route into psychology while building on the experience and perspective you already have.
The University of Hertfordshire's online MSc Psychology (Conversion) is designed specifically for graduates from other disciplines. It is 100% online, part-time and BPS accredited, combining core areas of psychology with research methods and an independent research project.
If becoming a psychologist is your long-term ambition, this could be the first step towards getting there.
Explore the MSc Psychology (Conversion) programme
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