Psychology Department

Masters Students’ Handbook

2020-21
 Contents
Pages
3-4 Welcome to the Psychology Department
5 Course Administration - Academics
6 Administrators and Technical Staff
7 Term Dates and Attendance
8 Online
9 Student Feedback
10 Postgraduate Community - Events
11 MSc Course Structure
12 Credits, Independent Study and Part Time Study
13 Postgraduate Study – General Aims and Objectives
14 Postgraduate Study – Learning Outcomes
15 Further Opportunities
16-17 Academic Support
18-19 Assessment Submission and Deadlines
20-22 Marking Scheme and Criteria
23 Academic Conduct
24-25 Marking Procedures
26 Postgraduate Degree Classifications
27 Psychology MSc Awards
28 Careers

While every effort has been made to ensure the information

contained in this document is accurate, details are subject to change.
2
 Welcome to the Psychology Department

“I’m delighted to welcome you to our thriving department. I hope

you share our passion for pushing the boundaries in exploring the
human mind and behaviour and look forward to seeing your
contribution to the world of psychological research.
I am very happy that you chose Lancaster and hope that you enjoy
your course and your time with us”

Professor Kate Cain

Head of Psychology Department

“First of all, a sincere welcome to your postgraduate studies in

psychology at Lancaster University. It’s a big decision to do a
masters course, and a big step up from undergraduate studies.
You’ll quickly notice a far greater focus on current research and
independent learning than you might be used to, but as good
students you will be well able to cope with this. While
postgraduate study is intended to be challenging, at Lancaster we
provide a supportive learning environment, and we aim to give
you ample opportunity to prove yourself to the best of your
abilities. Here, you will be taught by experts in their respective fields – as demonstrat-
ed by world-class evaluation of our research outputs – with a real depth of expertise in
all core fields of psychology, as well as excellent provision in research methods and the
psychology of advertising, all supported by top-end teaching and research facilities.
Use your time with us to work hard, to ask hard questions and then to try to
answer them. I wish you the very best for your studies, and I look forward to meeting
and talking with you over the course of the year“

Dr Dermot Lynott
Director of Postgraduate Studies

Find out more about Welcome Week here

https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/welcome/welcome-week/
3
 Welcome to the Psychology Department
“Welcome to the Masters programme at Lancaster. You
will encounter learning experiences that are more
challenging at the postgraduate level, but you will find
strong support to help you to grow and meet the
challenges. You have chosen an MSc programme that is
tailored to your interests and ambitions, in Advertising, in
Developmental Psychology, Developmental Disorders, or
Psychological Research. In specialist modules, you will be able to focus
on developing an understanding of advanced thinking in your
chosen area of study.
In core modules, shared across postgraduate study at Lancaster, you will get
together with the students from every programme in classes designed to
develop advanced skills and understanding in the research and presentation
skills that you will rely upon in your future careers. Our aim is to help you to
fulfil your goals as individual scholars but we will work with you to help you
to experience learning in a warm and supportive community.”
Dr Rob Davies, Director of Postgraduate Taught Courses

This handbook provides basic but important administrative information.

Further details may be posted on Moodle or the main university pages.
4
 Course Administration — Academics
MSc Psychological Research Methods
MSc Developmental Psychology
MSc Developmental Disorders
Course Director: Prof Gert Westermann
g.westermann@lancaster.ac.uk

MSc Psychology of Advertising

Course Director: Mr Leslie Hallam
l.hallam@lancaster.ac.uk

Module Coordinators All modules have a named module coordinator, but each
session may be led by a different academic. These staff are normally named on the course
specific literature, which comes separately from this general handbook and this
information can also be found on Moodle. If you have a query or problem about a module,
please contact the Module Coordinator directly. If you have a query about a specific
session led by one of the academic tutors, it is best if you contact them directly to ask
them for suggestions or advice. Queries about a particular piece of coursework should be
addressed to the person who set the work in the first instance, unless it is a request for an
extension (see section in handbook below).

Your Course Director takes the role of your mentor throughout your
MSc, although we may invite other members of staff to assist if
required.
An up to date list of the contact details of all members of staff can be
found at: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/about-us/people/

5
 Administrators and Technical Staff
Teaching Coordinators
Nadine Wilson is the Postgraduate Administrator for Taught (MSc)
Courses. She works Wednesday to Friday and is currently working from
home. Nadine is the first person you should contact for queries about
coursework deadlines and other general enquiries about the course.

Clare Race is Postgraduate Administrator for Research (PhD) Students

and Postgraduate Admissions and can assist in with MSc issues (also
working from home Monday to Wednesday).

If you have any questions or concerns, please initially contact us by

emailing the shared Postgraduate email postgraduate.psychology@lancaster.ac.uk .
We are happy to respond by email, or to arrange an appointment to speak with you
through Microsoft Teams, Monday-Friday, 10am- 1pm and 2pm-4pm.  If you would like to
talk to a specific person, please indicate this in your email request .

Technical Staff
We have a team of technicians and a Technical Assistant. In the first instance, you should
email psy-technical@lists.lancs.ac.uk for laboratory, computing or equipment related
issues (including borrowing equipment). If they cannot resolve your query they will be
able to refer you to the right person. You may need permission from your dissertation
supervisor for certain borrowing.

Remember: when emailing the Postgraduate Office please use

postgraduate.psychology@lancaster.ac.uk and if possible quote your student ID
6
 Course Administration
Term Dates
Term one Monday 5th October to Friday 11th December
Term two Monday 11th January to Friday 19th March
Term three Monday 19th April to Friday 25th June (undergraduate term
end). Summer term continues for MSc students, until submission in early
September.
Attendance and Engagement Monitoring
We will be recording attendance at in-person events; students check in with
the iLancaster app. Our pastoral responsibilities require that we check that
students are engaged, online. University regulations may require attendance
monitoring but we will likely see cases where students are unable to engage
because of connection problems.
Reporting and Requesting an Absence
You can report an absence via Online Student Services, but you may also need to
inform the tutor and administrator, particularly if this has an effect on group
work or a similar event. You may need to provide a doctor’s note or complete a
self-certification form. Please contact the PG Office as soon as you can and we
will advise.
Attendance regulations cover the whole course, other than the full Christmas and
Easter vacation periods. If you need to be away from Lancaster over the summer
to complete your dissertation, you will need permission from your supervisor
plus Visa Office, if appropriate). Please see the dissertation information which
will be posted on Moodle in the first term for further guidance.

If you have symptoms of Covid-19

• You must use the Connect Lancaster app to inform the University.
• You should also arrange to have a test for Covid-19. Details can be found on
the National Health Service website.
• If your test is positive, you must report this using the student coronavirus testing re-
port form

7
 Course Administration — Online
Core University Information: www.lancaster.ac.uk/current-students/

Email
Whenever possible, please use your Lancaster email address when writing to us so that we can verify your
identity. It is often helpful to include your student ID number and MSc course, for those times when we
need to access information in the student record system.
We will use email to communicate with individuals directly. Please check your Lancaster account often.

Moodle and Teams

We will tell you about classes, share resources and administer assessments through Moodle. We will
present/share synchronous events or hold group or individual meetings through Teams. You can access
Moodle via the student portal. The key information for each of your taught modules will be posted here.
The amount and type of material that is available will vary for each of the modules and their sessions.
Among the types of material you may expect to find are recorded sessions, lecture slides, associated
reading material, further reading material, video clips, and self test questions. Moodle also hosts sites for
asking questions and sharing viewpoints, and it allows users to have live discussions. Please check
Moodle regularly for announcements; these may include important information about a particular
module, MSc issues in general, or job/studentship opportunities which we think might interest you.

Moodle is an interactive system. You should collectively use the system to help one another make the
most of the course. Mutual support and collaboration will help you through your studies. For example, if
you read a helpful article on an issue, share it with others on Moodle, together perhaps with your
summary or opinion. If you have a question about course content, post your query first on Moodle
making clear whether you would like an academic (e.g. For attention of L-J Stokes) or other students (for
students on PRM) to reply in the subject header. This is a more effective way to communicate ideas than
through individual emails to staff. There are online user guides and help pages available to guide you
through using Moodle.

As well as Moodle pages for each module, there is a ‘Psychology Masters’ page (linked at
the top of each module page and in the ‘Dashboard’) where general information is posted.
Please check this regularly.
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 Student Feedback
Staff Student Meetings
Students’ views on the course are always welcomed. Students are encouraged to raise any
issues that concern them, or which might be useful for the module tutors and the Course
Director to know about, as they occur. You can contact the appropriate member of staff by
email, or make an appointment to speak to them via Teams. If you feel unable to speak
with the module tutor or your Course Director, please contact the Postgraduate
Administrators or Rob Davies, as overall MSc Director to discuss your concerns. We will
meet with student reps regularly online as well as holding a staff-student meeting, also on
Teams, once per term.
Course Representatives are elected at the start of the year. However, all students and
academic staff are invited to attend the meetings and discuss any issues arising. We
understand that this may result in more work for you in an already busy schedule, but it
can be rewarding and we are able to mention this contribution when writing references.
"Being a student representative provided me with the
opportunity to play a proactive role in departmental
decision-making. I gained valuable transferable skills and
benefited from training sessions by adding knowledge and
enhancing my general involvement with the university's social
networks and systems"
Anastasia Kordoni, MSc Course Representative

Module Evaluations
The university collects formal feedback on all of the course modules when they have
finished. We would be very grateful if you could complete these as soon as you get them as
they are very informative to help our ongoing review of teaching provision as well as to for
our end of year formal Teaching Review. The university will ask you to complete an
evaluation of your experience of postgraduate teaching overall at the Department of
Psychology at Lancaster. These evaluations are another important source of information in
our work to develop the best learning experience for our students. Please complete the
evaluations when you receive the invitation (around the end of the summer term).
Your comments will inform our decisions.

Course Ambassadors
We may invite you to represent our Department's 'Postgraduate Taught' community through
helping out at Open Days or writing student testimonials for our publicity material. More formal
Course Ambassador roles, to assist applicants and incoming students, may be advertised via
Moodle, so look out for those if you are interested.
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 Postgraduate Community—Events
Postgraduate Conference
The department holds an annual Postgraduate
Conference, organised by the students, for Research
Students who are taking PhD degrees. All of our
doctoral students are required to take part. You are
strongly encouraged to engage with this activity if your
schedule permits.

This conference provides a useful forum in which you can pick up tips on oral presentation
skills, and will give you a good idea of the kind of research currently being undertaken in
the department. Details will be announced via Moodle when the event has been set.

Visiting Speakers
In the departmental seminar series, well-known
academics are invited to present a research seminar.
Details will be announced on Moodle regularly.

Internal Speakers
In the internal seminar series, academics and PhD students in the department give talks
about their own research. They will also be advertised on Moodle and the psychology web-
site. You’re very welcome to join these and get involved with the discussion.

Lancaster Psychology Department was established in 1972. From the early days of the
department, there has been an interest in applied as well as pure research. There are
currently around 40 academic staff, whose interests fall into the following areas: Infancy
and Early Development, Language and Literacy, Perception and Action, Social Processes.
Our department has been consistently rated amongst the top Psychology Departments in
the UK and has an international reputation for teaching and scholarship. As members of
the department, students on the MSc are actively encouraged to participate in regular
activities, particularly seminars and visits from researchers from other institutions.
10
 MSc Course Structure—Modules

MSc Psychological Research Methods, MSc Developmental Psychology and

MSc Developmental Disorders students will do five taught modules (55%)
and a Dissertation (45%).

MSc Psychology of Advertising students will do six taught modules (67%)

and a Dissertation (33%).
Each course is slightly different…

MSc in MSc in
Psychological Research Methods Developmental Psychology
80 credit dissertation plus: 80 credit dissertation plus:

Compulsory Plus two options Compulsory Plus one option

401, 402, 403 401, 402, 403, 505

MSc in MSc in
Developmental Disorders Psychology of Advertising
80 credit dissertation plus: 60 credit dissertation plus:

Compulsory Plus one option Compulsory

401, 403, 505, 515 401, 403, 481, 482, 483

Plus one option

Please see the Module Handbook for further information about the options
available for each MSc group—ask if you are unsure!
11
 Postgraduate Study: MSc and PGDip
Credits
The MSc is a 180 credit scheme. Most students complete five taught modules (total 100
credits) and a Dissertation (80 credits). Psychology of Advertising is 120/60 credit scheme.
The Postgraduate Diploma is a 120 credit scheme. 120 credits can be achieved in differ-
ent ways. For example, 120 credits could include 5 taught modules plus the literature re-
view module. See section on Degree Classification for other combination possibilities.

Independent Study
Students taking postgraduate taught courses are expected to engage in more independent
learning than is normally the case at undergraduate level. In
all of your modules you will be expected to undertake some
form of self-directed study. This may involve project work,
reading and library research. Even when you are not re-
quired to do additional reading for your assessed work, you
will get more out of your course if you are prepared to put
in additional effort.

Students should expect to spend up to 200 hours working on each 20-credit module.
So, for example, if a module involves 20 hours of contact time with a tutor (e.g. in practical
sessions, lectures, tutorials), you should expect to spend up to 180 additional hours on
independent study. This may include preparation such as background reading before
lectures, in-depth reading of seminar material, checking your understanding with wider
reading after contact sessions with guidance from a reading list and your own literature
searching, and preparation of presentations, coursework, etc. Your dissertation should
normally involve about 600-800 hours of independent work.
Part Time Study
Although many students take our MSc courses as a full-time course (over 12 months), it is
possible to take the course part time (over 24 months). Part time students have some
flexibility in deciding which taught modules to take in their first and second years, however,
you will normally take three taught modules in your first year, and two taught modules
(plus the dissertation) in second year. All classes are taken alongside full-time students.
You should note that postgraduate level courses do not have a long summer vacation
(part-time students; this applies in year two). Furthermore, students are expected to
engage with their studies independently during the Christmas and Easter vacations.

12
 Postgraduate Study—Aims

General Aims and Objectives

To provide postgraduate students with the research skills required for
research at a doctoral level.
To equip students with a range of practical skills used for planning and
conducting psychological research in professional settings.
To enable students to apply psychological theory to a range of research and
applied questions.
To provide students with knowledge of quantitative and qualitative
approaches to research design and data analysis.
To enable students to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of different
research techniques and different types of data, and to evaluate their
appropriateness for different kinds of research problem.
To enable students to formulate testable research questions, and to design
appropriate studies, consistent with British
Psychological Society ethical principles.
To provide students with opportunities to engage
with advanced-level research in substantive
areas relevant to their own research and
professional interests.
To provide students with opportunities to
develop their oral communication skills, and
writing skills, including the conventions used
for reporting psychological research.

See here for a University statement of principles

for Learning, Teaching and Assessment
13
 Postgraduate Study—Aims

Learning Outcomes
An understanding of, and ability to use, a range of methods used in
contemporary psychological research.

An advanced understanding of the relationship between psychological

theory, method and research design.

An understanding of various means of collecting and generating data for

psychological research.

Proficiency in summarizing and evaluating evidence and synthesising and

comparing theoretical arguments.

Proficiency in analysing and interpreting qualitative and quantitative data.

The ability to utilize a range of library and

electronic resources.

The ability to design, conduct and report a

substantial piece of independent empirical
work.

The ability to communicate information, ideas,

arguments, research designs and findings
with confidence and clarity both orally and
in writing.

The BASE is an enquiry desk to help you with a wide range of personal and
academic issues. At the moment, there are student hubs around campus.
14
 Further Opportunities
The Lancaster Award
The Lancaster Award rewards you for taking part in those extra-curricular
activities outside your academic studies that supplement the excellent
education you receive at Lancaster University. Developed in partnership with
employers, the certificate rewards you for making the most of your time at
Lancaster, and enhances your future job prospects by encouraging you to
acquire new skills valued by employers. You will undertake a variety of
activities and reflect on the skills you have developed. Deadline for Masters
students is end of June.

Further information
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/careers/students/the-lancaster-award/#

The Psychology Employability Programme

The community-based part of the Psychology Employability Programme is
due to be available for Masters students for the first time this year. Research
Assistant roles in this programme will be for undergraduates only, but there
are usually opportunities advertised on our course pages for students to
apply for short term research assistant roles related to projects happening in
the department.

Further information
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/study/employability/

See here for a University statement of opportunities

for students on all programmes at Lancaster University
15
 Postgraduate Study—Academic Support
Learning Developers in FST
Additional writing and study support for all students is available from Dr
Louise Innes who is the Learning Developer for this Faculty. Her aim is to help
students achieve their full potential through effective study practices and good
scientific writing.

Learning Development provides:

Consultations and writing clinics in which you can discuss your writing and study strategies
Scientific writing workshops (in departments) and scientific writing courses (for
International students)
Resources on writing and study

For up to date information and to book study/writing consultations and sign up for courses, please visit
the Learning Development FST Moodle:https://modules.lancaster.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=282

Louise is normally located in the Science & Technology Building A32 and can be contacted via: learn-
ingdevelopmentFST@lancaster.ac.uk

English Language development is available for international/EU students from

Dr Helen Hargreaves. Email her at englishlanguagedevelopment@lancaster.ac.uk

Library Services
The Library is open 24/7 during term time and has a range of study space to suit
different ways of working. Information to help you get started with the Library is at
www.lancaster.ac.uk/library/information-for/students/

You can access OneSearch to search the Library’s book and journal collections at
http://onesearch.lancaster-university.uk/

The Library also provides a range of specialised resources for Psychology and the
sciences including PsycINFO, PsycArticles and Medline. The subject guide for psy-
chology has links to these resources and more: http://lancaster.libguides.com/psychology

Lesley English (pictured here) is the Academic Liaison Librarian who works with the Faculty of Science and
Technology. You can contact Lesley if you have any questions or need any help with library resources for
psychology. One-to-one appointments are available. Contact Lesley via academicliaison@lancaster.ac.uk

Note, you can also download .pdfs of research articles directly, through Google Scholar.

The Learning Skills website has information about a wide range of learning opportunities
at Lancaster to help you develop your academic and digital skills:
www.lancaster.ac.uk/learning-skills/
16
 Postgraduate Study—Academic Support
What if you encounter problems?
Support from inside the department:
If you are experiencing problems that are affecting your academic work
you should discuss them with your Course Director as soon as
possible. If you would prefer to discuss issues with another member of
staff, then please contact Rob Davies, as Postgraduate Teaching Director
of Studies.
You are of course free to approach other members of staff, but your Course Director and
Rob are the people most able to offer help and advice in terms of your academic
progress. Please note that such meetings are likely to take place on Teams/Skype while
social distancing measures are in place.
It is possible in exceptional circumstances to receive extensions on coursework deadlines,
and to register mitigating circumstances that enable assessors to consider your
circumstances when marking your work. You should notify the Course Director and the
Postgraduate Office as soon as possible of any circumstances that negatively affect your
work and may require an extension in mitigation. You may be asked to submit
documentation to support your case, such as a medical certificate to the Postgraduate
Office. Further information, including forms to be completed, can be found on the Moodle
page for Psychology MSc students (there is a link to this on each of the module pages).
Support from outside the department:
The Wellbeing, Counselling and Mental Health Services are available to all Lancaster
students and provide confidential, professional and practical support. Anna Lewis is the
Wellbeing Officer for Graduate College gradwellbeing@lancaster.ac.uk

Nightline is a confidential student-led service 01524 594444 nightline@lancaster.ac.uk

The Disability Service supports the institutional aim to provide an inclusive teaching
environment for all students. Please do contact disability@lancaster.ac.uk for advice if you
think they can help (other methods of contacting them are available, see the website
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/student-based-services/disability/contact/)

The University provides a number of teams who can offer you administrative and personal
support during your studies. Please check Core Information Pages or ask us.
17
 Assessment— Submission
All coursework, and the dissertation, must be uploaded to the appropriate
Moodle submission area no later than the deadline for the piece of work.
Each submission area will appear on the
relevant module page around two weeks
before the deadline, and any additional
instructions or information may be posted
there for you to read before you submit.
Coursework should be presented in double
line spacing and the first page should
include your ID number, the module ID,
essay question (or other relevant title), and
a word count. It must be submitted in .pdf format. It is advisable to keep a
copy for your own reference and records.
Word Limits
The following are not normally included in the word count:
Abstract; reference list; appendices; tables of data,
or transcript extracts used in the text.

There is no penalty for work that is under-length. However, you should be

aware that not using the maximum number of words allowed for a particular
assignment may mean that your assignment is not as fully developed as it
might be.
Submissions that exceed the maximum word length will attract the following
penalties:
Work exceeding the word limit by 10% or more, but by less than 20%, will
have 10 marks deducted
Work exceeding the word limit by 20% or more will have 20 marks
deducted

Every module has a Moodle page with an area to submit each piece of work.

18
 Assessment— Deadlines
Extensions
Information about requesting an extension will be posted on the Masters
Moodle page. If you are permitted an extension, you will be informed of the
new deadline.

Late Submissions
Work submitted up to three days late without an agreed extension will receive
a penalty of 10 percentage points (for example a mark of 62% would become
52%) and zero (non-submission) thereafter.
Saturdays and Sundays are included as days in this regulation. However, when
the third day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, students will have until 10.00 a.m.
on Monday to hand in work without receiving further penalty.
Work submitted more than three days late without an agreed extension will be
awarded a zero and considered a non-submission, and treated according to the
standard procedures for failed work.
Where exceptional circumstances may have led a student to miss a stipulated
deadline (which may be an already extended deadline), the student should
make those circumstances known to the department. They should inform the
department within 48 hours of the missed deadline unless prevented from
doing so by acceptable circumstances in which case students should inform the
department as soon as possible. Students should provide the department with
evidence of the exceptional circumstances as soon as they are able.
In this context, exceptional circumstances are defined by University regulations
as actions or events outside the control of the student which result in any
circumstances which are thought reasonably to have caused an individual
student to fail to complete all the required assessment for a programme or
contributing module by a stipulated deadline (e.g. missed exam or coursework
deadline).

A list of deadlines will be provided separately and published on Moodle.

19
 Assessment—Marking Scheme
The MSc is assessed through a combination of coursework assignments, class tests, and
the dissertation.
We use a categorical marking scheme for most assignments and the dissertation:

MARK CATEGORY
95 Outstanding Distinction
85 Good Distinction
75 Distinction
68 High Merit

65 Merit
62 Low Merit
58 High Pass
55 Pass
52 Low Pass
48 High Compensatable Fail
45 Compensatable Fail
42 Low Compensatable Fail
37 High Fail
25 Fail
12 Bad fail
0 No Attempt

All marks on all pieces of work are provisional until finalised at the degree exam board,
usually in October.
In the rare case where there is a problem over the mark given to a piece of work, every
effort will be taken to alert students to the problem as soon as possible.
20
 MARKING CRITERIA
These guidelines are intended to explain the kinds of criteria that are used to assess written
work.
• Clarity and precision of expression, including the use of correct grammar, punctuation, and
spelling.
• Correct use of stylistic conventions, e.g., correct use of the APA system of referencing, and
APA style for empirical reports.
• Relevance of work to the title of the essay or assignment.
• Clarity and relevance of introduction and conclusion.
• Evidence of comprehension of issues or problems under discussion.
• Evidence of knowledge of theories or studies relevant to the problem or question.
• Evidence of practical mastery of relevant methods or analytic techniques.
• Critical insight and ability to evaluate different sources of information appropriately.
• Clarity and depth in the analysis of theory, data and questions under discussion.
• General coherence of argument.

75; 85; 95 (Distinction)

Work of exceptional quality, demonstrating a high level of conceptual ability and an extremely
thorough and conscientious approach to study. Work in this range will clearly demonstrate the
capacity to proceed to a higher research degree. It is distinguished by:
• Skilled use of grammar and sentence construction, correct punctuation, and spelling;
• Skilled use of APA referencing or APA stylistic conventions;
• Clear conceptual structure;
• A thorough understanding of the topic and its implications;
• A clearly expressed and convincing argument that is used to develop a coherent and logical
answer to the question and is effectively based in existing theory and research;
• Substantial evidence of independent research;
• The absence of irrelevant material;
• An insightful argument showing evidence of original thinking;
• Mastery of analytic techniques or methods.

62; 65; 68 (Merit)

Work of a very good standard demonstrating comprehension, clarity of thought and expression
Work in this range displays an ability to handle the relevant literature in an analytical manner.
This work will generally show less independence of thought and mastery of detail than is
required for a mark in the Distinction range. There may be some errors or misjudgments with
regard to issues that are not central to the argument. Work in this range will normally
demonstrate the capacity to proceed to a higher research degree. It is distinguished by:
• Good use of grammar and sentence construction, correct punctuation and spelling;
• Competent use of APA referencing or APA stylistic conventions;
• Clear conceptual structure;
• A good understanding of the topic and its implications;
• Demonstration of a general familiarity with the relevant literature;
• An ability to select and organize material to provide a clear and logical line of argument;
• Some evidence of independent thought;
• The avoidance of irrelevant material;
• General competence in analytic techniques or methods.

21
 MARKING CRITERIA (continued)
52; 55; 58 (Pass)
Work of a moderate to good standard, generally equivalent in level of attainment to a low to
medium 2i mark at undergraduate level. This work will usually involve a good, accurate,
description of relevant theories or research, or may display a basic competence in the application
of research methods or analytic techniques. It is distinguished from work in the Merit category by
the level of analysis displayed and by the coherence with which the material is organized. There
may be some errors, misjudgments or omissions of important details. A mark in this range would
not normally demonstrate the capacity to proceed to a higher research degree. It is characterized
by several of the following features:
• Reasonably but not fully accurate use of grammar and sentence construction, correct
punctuation and spelling with some errors;
• Competence in APA referencing or APA stylistic conventions, with some errors;
• A reasonably well-structured account of the key information, concepts or findings;
• A partial but substantially accurate understanding of the topic and its implications;
• Basic familiarity with relevant literature;
• Evidence of an attempt to answer the question or address the topic;
• Little evidence of independent thought, or of independent research;
• The inclusion of some irrelevant material;
• Basic competence in analytic techniques or methods, with some minor errors or omissions.
42; 45; 48 (Fail - with the possibility of condonation)
Work in this category shows evidence of engagement with the question or topic, but has
inadequacies which mean that it does not reach the level required of Masters work. Work that
receives a mark in this range will normally involve a poorly written account, displaying an
inconsistent argument, unsubstantiated assertions, and a lack of awareness or understanding of
the relevant literature. It may include significant errors and misunderstandings in the use or
description of particular methods or analytic techniques. It is likely to be characterized by several
of the following features:
• Poor grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction;
• Poor referencing and/or major errors in the use of APA stylistic conventions;
• A poorly structured account which is difficult for a reader to follow;
• A superficial understanding of the topic and its implications;
• Significant gaps in familiarity with relevant literature;
• Little evidence of independent thought, or of independent reading;
• The inclusion of irrelevant material;
• Significant errors in analytic techniques or methods.
Marks below 37 (Fail - without possibility of condonation)
Work in this category is clearly below the standard expected for a Masters degree, with
superficial coverage of a subject and serious errors and misunderstandings. It is likely to be
characterized by several of the following:
• Very poor use of grammar sentence construction, punctuation and spelling with frequent
errors ;
• The inappropriate use of technical terms, or general evidence of conceptual
misunderstanding;
• Poor referencing and inadequate attempt to use APA stylistic conventions;
• Poor conceptual structure this is difficult for a reader to follow;
• Little relevance to the question or problem set;
• Little evidence of understanding of the general topic or its implications;
• Few sources cited, and little evidence of basic familiarity with relevant literature;
• The inclusion of a significant amount of irrelevant material;
• Several significant errors in descriptions of past studies or the use of analytic techniques or
methods.

For excellent information concerning writing style for various forms of coursework, consult
the owl@purdue site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
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 Assessment— Academic Conduct
Plagiarism and Academic Malpractice
Please be aware that any submitted coursework should reflect your own individual
and independent work. Students are encouraged to contact their course tutors if they have
any questions or doubts about the given coursework requirements.

The Psychology department follows the university’s policy regarding plagiarism and
cheating, and it takes any offences very seriously. Plagiarism, among others, includes:

i. Collusion, where a piece of work prepared by a group or pair is represented as if it

were the student's own.
ii. Commission or use of work by the student which is not his/her own and representing
it as if it were: purchase of a paper from a commercial service, including Internet
sites, whether pre-written or specially prepared for the student concerned,
submission of a paper written by another person, either by a fellow student or a
person who is not a member of the university.
iii. Duplication, where the same or almost identical work is submitted in whole or in part
for more than one module, includes the direct use of work that has been submitted
for a taught module as part of the dissertation.
iv. The act of copying or paraphrasing a paper from a source text, whether in manuscript,
printed or electronic form, without appropriate acknowledgement.
v. Submission of another student's work, whether with or without that student's
knowledge or consent.
vi. Submission of work written by the student for some other degree (e.g. BSc) as part of
whole of a piece of coursework for the MSc.
For more information and a full copy of the university’s policy please see:
https://gap.lancs.ac.uk/ASQ/Policies/Pages/PlagiarismFramework.aspx

The Department’s Academic Officer for Plagiarism is Dr Eugenio Parise

The penalties for plagiarism are serious. It is therefore crucial for you to
familiarize yourself with university rules, and, if in doubt, to seek advice.
In case of further questions you can contact the Student Union

https://lancastersu.co.uk/advice
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 Assessment—Marking Procedures
Coursework
Coursework is normally marked by the member of staff who set the work. It is then
moderated by a second member of staff, who examines a sample of work (5 scripts, or √n,
where n is the number of scripts, whichever is the larger). If the second marker agrees
with the distribution and overall level of marks, no further action is taken. If the second
marker agrees the distribution, but believes the overall level is too high or low, this is
discussed with the first marker in order to reach agreement on whether scaling is
appropriate. Finally, if there is a discrepancy in just a few scripts, full second marking of all
the scripts will take place, with agreement by discussion occurring on a script-by-script
basis (note that this rarely occurs).

The Postgraduate Administrators will release feedback to you

through Moodle and update your online transcript (Online
Student Services). You can normally expect to have your work
marked within four weeks, but there will be occasional
exceptions due to staff illness and extended university closures
(e.g. over the vacation periods) that prevent the first and second markers from meeting to
discuss marking distributions etc. Please note that due to the constraints of staff
timetables, it will not usually be possible to return work that is submitted late (including
work for which an extension has been received) within the usual turnaround times.

Dissertations
Dissertations are marked independently by your
supervisor and a second marker. Once a provisional mark
has been given and recorded by each marker, the markers
meet to agree a final mark. You receive your dissertation
mark after the Exam Board has convened (usually
by early November).

External Examiners for MSc/PGDip

All coursework, marks and feedback will be made available to External Examiners prior to
the Exam Board, along with syllabus information, moderator reports etc.
Further information about the MSc External Examiners, who they are and what their role
is, can be found on the Moodle page for Psychology Masters students.

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 MSc Assessment—If a fail mark is awarded
Failure of Taught Modules
If you fail a module, you have the right to resubmit some or all of the coursework for this
module once, in order to obtain a maximum pass mark of 50%. According to the Lancaster
University regulations, you cannot be awarded an MSc if the mark for any module falls
below 40%. However, the Board of Examiners can condone up to two failed modules if the
mark for each module is above 40%, and if the overall average of the taught modules
constituting the MSc is 50%. If you fail your dissertation (i.e. obtain a mark of less than
50%), you have the right of one resubmission. However, such a failure would preclude
graduation within the normal 12 months of the full-time MSc, so if the resubmission
obtained a pass of 50%, graduation would only be possible after the marks were finalised
at the following year’s exam board.

Any resubmission is marked on a Pass/Fail basis (i.e., 50%), but you will receive an
indication of what kind of mark it would have been awarded had it been a first submission.

Failure of Late-Submitted Coursework

If you are required, or wish, to resubmit a piece of work which has received a fail mark in
part (or wholly) due to having incurred a late submission penalty,

EITHER

The course coordinator will set a new/revised piece of coursework.

(This would normally be the case if you failed to submit a particular piece of work)

OR

(in cases where the mark falls below 50%) You will be required to revise the
original version of your CWA in the light of the marker’s feedback, and to resubmit
the revised and corrected version.

Please note that, other than the dissertation, all work to be examined in the 2019-20
session needs to be available to the external examiners in the early summer.
For this reason, the latest possible date at which coursework can be submitted is the end
of Term 3. Any work submitted after this date may, at the discretion of the department, be
deferred for consideration at the 2021 examinations board.
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 MSc Degree Classification
The final degree classification is calculated on the basis of coursework marks
from the taught modules plus the dissertation

The requirement for a Pass is a mean of 50-59.9% overall

The requirement for a Merit is a mean of 60-69.9% overall
The requirement for a Distinction is a mean of 70% or above overall

In the event of a student not meeting the requirements for a Master’s degree having
exhausted all reassessment opportunities, the exam board may exercise discretion in
awarding a subsidiary award (e.g. PGDip).
Condoning fails: Provided that: (a) the mark for a taught module is not below 40%, and,
(b) the average mark of the taught modules is greater than 50%, up to two failed modules
can be condoned by the board of examiners. (Note that this does not mean that a board
of examiners will automatically condone such a fail.)
If a Dissertation fails to obtain at least 50% it may be resubmitted once at the discretion
of the board of examiners. The dissertation resubmission deadline would be set at the
discretion of the Board of Examiners, in order that the student can be considered at the
2019 exam board. If the resubmission obtains a Pass, and the overall average across
modules and dissertation is 50% or above, then graduation could take place in December
2019.

Regulations for the Award of Postgraduate Diploma

In order to qualify for the award of PGDip, you will need to obtain a mean mark of 50%
over 120 credits (with no individual module mark below 40%).
120 credits can be achieved in different ways. For example, 120 credits could include 5
taught modules plus the literature review module. Alternatively, students may qualify for
a PGDip by combining a pass mark for an 80 credit dissertation and a pass mark in two
other modules (or three modules if the dissertation is worth 60 credits).

All University regulations relating to Postgraduate Study can be found

on the university Core Information Pages
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 Psychology MSc Awards
At the MSc Psychology Exam Board, members will award the following prizes
and commendations. Successful students will be notified as soon as possible.
MSc Certificates and Transcripts are posted to your home address by the Base
after Senate has confirmed marks awarded by the Exam Board. It is therefore
essential you keep your contact details up to date throughout this period.

The Ed Chronicle Memorial Prize and certificate for best

overall performance (grade) on an MSc in the year.

This is presented at the Graduation Ceremony Reception organised by

the Faculty of Science and Technology Graduate School.
We also award the following certificates:
Commendation certificate for the student with the best overall
performance (grade) in their coursework (taught modules).
Commendation certificates for those gaining 85% in their dissertation.

The Graduation Ceremony for students finishing in

September 2021 is usually in the following December.
Please see the Ceremonies Page for more information.
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 Careers
The Department’s Academic Employability Champion is
Dr Helen Nuttall h.nuttall1@lancaster.ac.uk

The University has an excellent careers service on campus, where

you can also register for part time work.

If you are interested in doing a PhD with us, please visit our webpage
for advice, or contact Clare Race or Dermot Lynott.
We will post any other information sharing events or funding opportunities for Lancaster
and elsewhere on Moodle.
You may find the following contacts useful when thinking about future employment or
study:
British Psychological Society website
Jobs.ac.uk—jobs in research, science, academic and related professions, and adverts for funded PhDs
Prospects—website for information on postgraduate study and graduate employers
Target Jobs—Graduate employment and training opportunities
Job Vacancies at Lancaster University
Psychology Postgraduate Affairs Group—this site is primarily aimed at postgraduate research students,
and aims to support, inform and represent your views in the wider psychological community.

Reference Requests
Normally, academic staff will be happy to act as referees for you when you apply for work,
PhD places or for further training. However, before naming an individual as a referee, you
should check that the member of staff concerned is indeed willing and able to act in this
capacity. In addition, you should plan ahead to ensure that your referees are given
sufficient forewarning before a reference is required.
You should note that reference requests often require a referee to comment on the
candidate’s motivations and extra-curricular activities, as well as their performance on
assessed coursework. Since it can be difficult to write references without up-to-date
information concerning your career aspirations and work experience, we would ask that
you keep your referees informed of your experience after leaving Lancaster.

Please stay in touch: we like to hear from you!

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