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Teaching
The course is composed of two key elements:
- the research methods training course
- the "Psychology and Education" thematic route
Teaching time is split between the two elements, with 16 hours of teaching being given to research methods and 32 hours being given to the subject-specific content per year. The course is taught through a mixture of lectures, smaller group seminars such as practicals and journal clubs, and supervisions.
| One to one supervision | A total of 4.5 hours of supervision with an experienced member of academic or research staff per year. These comprise a mixture of small group and 1:1 discussions over the year. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision. |
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| Seminars & classes | The course involves 96 hours of face-to-face teaching over the two years. This is made up of a mixture of lectures and small group seminars including practicals and journal clubs. Teaching sessions take place in the Faculty, on a wednesday afternoon in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. There is only a small amount of teaching in the Easter term when students are writing up their dissertation. |
| Posters and Presentations | In the Lent term, students are invited to give short unassessed presentations with slides about their research. |
Feedback
Throughout the programme, written work is submitted and formative feedback is provided. Students submit two essays and a dissertation. Informally, feedback is also provided through regular supervision. At the end of each term, supervisors write an online report which can be viewed by the student via the Postgraduate Feedback and Reporting System
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The dissertation is up to 15,000 words in length and submitted in August. The final award for the course is based on the dissertation mark alone
The examination shall include an oral examination on the dissertation and the essays and on the general field of knowledge within which they fall; save that the Examiners may, at their discretion, waive the requirement for an oral examination.
Essays
Students are required to submit two essays, one 4000 words and the other 4000-6000 words in length