The University of Birmingham is a public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham, and Mason Science College, making it the first English civic or 'red brick' university to receive its own royal charter. The University have a long and proud history of firsts, at the University of Birmingham; they were the first – and are now one of the largest - civic universities in the UK.

At Birmingham, the institution teach and research across the full breadth of academic disciplines, creating a vibrant community with multi-disciplinary opportunities for research and education. The University is a truly international community consisting of more than thousands of staff, students, and alumni. The student community is not only one of the largest of any UK university, it is highly diverse, with 82 per cent of home undergraduate students from state schools, 32 per cent from a BAME background, and 35 per cent in the first generation of their family to attend university.

You will take the Philosophy of Cognitive Science as a core module. You will then choose to take either 'Research Methods and Skills in Psychology' or 'Research Methods in Mental Health', and either 'Philosophy and Mental Health' or 'Philosophy and Ethics of Mental Health and Wellbeing’. This will ensure you acquire a thorough grounding in the three areas that form the core of the programme.

You will then choose three optional modules and have a choice of independent research focussing on either Philosophy, Psychology or Mental Health.

Core modules
You will study three core modules:

Philosophy of Cognitive Science
This module covers a range of advanced topics in philosophy of cognitive science. Main foci include the Computational Theory of Mind, perception, and modularity, issues that have been central in the formation and development of cognitive science since its inception in the 1950s.
Assessment: One or two written assignments totalling 4,000 words

Either

Research Methods and Skills in Psychology
This module will cover how to systematically approach and conduct research. It will also require acquisition of a key practical skill in an area chosen by the student in consultation with their supervisor. Topics for the course will include methods and analysis techniques; understanding and gaining exposure to research and reporting it effectively in writing; training in IT and administrative skills useful for research activities (e.g., file management); and key issues in psychology and neuroscience research.

Assessment: Written assignment, online practical and a practical report.

Or

Research Methods in Mental Health
This module will provide an advanced understanding of the main types of research methodology in mental health. The module will focus on theory as well as practice so that students acquire the requisite skills to apply this knowledge and are able to demonstrate the application of research skills. Examples of research methodology that will be covered include:

Quantitative skills development in: epidemiology and statistics, clinical trials, evidence synthesis and meta-analysis, neurosciences
Qualitative skills development in: evaluation methods, ethnography, thematic analysis, realist methods
Assessment: Open book exam and 2,000-word essay

Either

Philosophy and Mental Health
This module provides an overview of contemporary debates in philosophy, psychiatry and Mental Health. In each seminar a new issue will be investigated, but there will be three interrelated threads throughout the module. One is about the nature of psychiatry. The second is about the sense in which psychiatric disorders are disorders of the self. The third is about how we should respond to people with psychiatric disorders, considered from a wide range of perspectives, including interpersonal, clinical, ethical, legal and public health policy. These themes will be addressed by reference to different aspects of psychiatry (classification, diagnosis, aetiology, research, treatment, etc.) and different psychiatric disorders (addiction, anorexia, dementia, dissociation, schizophrenia, personality disorders, psychopathy, etc.) and different disciplinary frameworks. The module will also have a practical element involving structured, outcome-focussed deliberation about difficult cases highlighting these threads and their interrelations.
Assessment: One or two written assignments totalling 4,000 words

Or

Philosophy and Ethics of Mental Health and Well-being
This module will serve as a research-led introduction into important conceptual issues in mental health. Key topics will include the nature of mental disorder, wellbeing and mental health, the ethics of early intervention and prevention, stigma and justice in mental health, ethics of psychiatric research and clinical practice, and important areas of philosophical psychopathology. The module will also include an introduction to phenomenological approaches to mental health.

Assessment: 2000-word essay and 2000-word reflective case study

Optional modules
You will also choose three optional modules. Options typically available include:

Philosophy of Mind
Epistemology
Philosophy of Language
Metaphysics
Bioethics
Fantastic Beasts and how to Understand Them: Topics in the philosophy of biology
Adolescence: mind and brain
Higher cognitive functions in children, adults and nonhuman animals
Translational cognitive neuroscience
The neurobiology of mental illness
Cognitive neuroscience methods and applications
Introduction to data science
Development and neurodiversity
Dissertation or research project
In addition to your taught modules, you will conduct a piece of independent research with the support of a
supervisor. There are three options available for you to choose from:

Independent research in Philosophy. This option involves working 1-1 with a supervisor in the Department of Philosophy, and write a 15,000 word dissertation.
Research dissertation in Mental Health. Students who take this option will undertake a research dissertation placement working on a current research project embedded in a research laboratory linked to the Institute for Mental Health at the University of Birmingham.
Supervised research project in Psychology. This will involve group-based research, leading to a 6,000-word research thesis. See some of the recent projects undertaken by students on the course.
Please note that the optional module information listed on the website for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.

You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it