Psychology and Behavioural Analytics

MSc

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year

Overview

Digital data now dominates our world. Almost every human activity leaves a digital trace. Our smartphones, our card purchases, our social media activity, the cameras that record us in public spaces, can all be used to analyse our behaviour. We already use this data in the business sector, the health service, the public sector, the leisure industry, politics, and government. But being able to analyse digital data is not the same as understanding why people are behaving in the way that they do. That requires knowledge of the psychology of behaviour. Our MSc will teach you how to integrate psychological insights with digital data – giving you a unique set of skills for any career that involves behavioural analysis or further research at PhD level.

You don’t need a psychology degree to study this programme. It is suitable for those with a range of backgrounds such as computer science, data science, business and management, sociology, criminology, social geography, digital humanities and more.

With a unique blend of data science and psychology-orientated modules, you will learn how to work with digital visual data (like CCTV, body-camera footage, social media videos), natural language data (like blogs, social media posts and forum data), and mobile sensor data (like movement, sound, and technology use logs). We will teach you how psychology can help you make sense of this kind of complex data; how psychology can help you ask better questions of your data, and how psychology can help you predict and evaluate behaviour change.

We teach both quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, so you will learn how to use digital data to understand the experiences of individuals as well as large scale groups. You will see how generating qualitative analysis of digital data can be just as useful as analysing large, collective datasets.

In addition to developing your analytical skills, we introduce you to a toolkit of core psychological concepts to help inform your analytical conclusions. These will include theories relating to behaviour, such as identity, personality, and cognitive decision-making. With a practical and applied approach to the integration of theory and skills, you will learn about – and have to grapple with – applied ethics in the acquisition of data. You will also think about the limitations and bias in existing data sets, and the principles of responsible research and innovation.

In the final term, you will conduct an extended placement-based dissertation project. This might be working in an organisation with one of our placement partners, or pursuing your own research idea within the Department. Whichever you choose, you will get hands-on experience with digital data from a psychological perspective. Support is provided to those seeking an external placement opportunity as we guide you through the application and interview process. Upon graduation this practical experience will be hugely beneficial to employers and help you stand out when applying for jobs.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Psychology, Data Science, Computer Science, Sociology, Criminology, Human Geography, Politics, Law, Management and Marketing, Linguistics. Your degree needs to have covered some Research Methods and Data Analysis modules.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 7.0, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

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Optional

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home £14,140 n/a
International £30,310 n/a

General fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

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Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.