Awarding MPhil Psychology of Counselling

Students who have completed the required academic and research papers outlined for the first two years to the satisfaction of the examiners and who, for whatever reason, do not intend to proceed to the thesis stage are permitted to submit their completed work for examination at MPhil level.

It is important to note that this qualification will not enable the student to apply to the HCPC to be placed on the register of practitioner psychologists.

Students wishing to take this course of action will need to submit one bound thesis for examination no later than 12 months following the submission of the third research paper.

They also need to submit all outstanding documentary evidence requirements within this time frame too. The thesis must include the following:

1. An introduction which provides some background, context and rationale for the previous research and academic papers, together with an account of the research training the student has undergone.
2. The academic/ research papers along with the feedback sheets from the examiners.

You should also include a comprehensive concluding section in which you should critically consider the following: 

• how the research papers contribute to theory and knowledge in their field;
• whether and to what extent they make a contribution to understanding and developing new and innovative research methodologies;
• implications/suggestions for further research;
• the impact of the research on their professional practice;
• how the research undertaken has helped them to develop their skills and knowledge as an academic and researcher.

In writing this summary students are expected to pick up on the points raised by the internal/external examiners who examined the research papers and build these into their critical analysis.