MSc Cognitive Development and Disorders

Year 1

(Award available for year: Master of Science)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year/programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:

demonstrate a sophisticated, in-depth, and critical understanding of theory, assessment and intervention regarding cognitive development and its disorders;
demonstrate a sophisticated and critical understanding of how cognition changes across the lifespan;
demonstrate a specialist working knowledge of the different forms of cognitive disorder and how to assess, support, and/or rehabilitate people with disorders;
apply research methods to novel research questions on cognition and its disorders;
critically appraise brain-behaviour relations in healthy individuals and individuals with disorders;
exhibit mastery in the exercise of advanced generic and subject-specific intellectual abilities;
demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship
take a proactive and self-reflexive role in working and to develop professional relationships with others;
proactively to formulate ideas and hypotheses and to develop, implement and execute plans by which to evaluate these
systematically survey and review relevant literature in a critical and reflective manner;
produce a piece of independent research.

Transferable (key) skills

Masters (taught), Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate students will have had the opportunity to acquire the following abilities, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

the skills necessary to undertake a higher research degree and/or for employment in a higher capacity in industry or area of professional practice;
evaluating their own achievement and that of others;
self direction and effective decision making in complex and unpredictable situations;
independent learning and the ability to work in a way which ensures continuing professional development;
critically to engage in the development of professional/disciplinary boundaries and norms.

Assessment

Achievement for the degree of Master (taught programme) will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:

evidencing an ability to conduct independent in-depth, critical enquiry on topics relating to cognitive development and its disorders;
demonstrating the ability to apply breadth and depth of knowledge to a complex specialist area;
drawing on and evaluating a range of perspectives on an area of study;
reviewing and critically evaluating received opinion;
making reasoned judgements whilst understanding the limitations on judgements made in the absence of complete data;
appropriately identifying and applying research methodology and statistical analysis;
conducting a piece of independent research.

Assessment methods include essays (long and short), reports, presentation, group presentation, essay based and MCQ exams, research synthesis, problem based learning tasks. Assessments support the achievement of learning outcomes as they are based on learning objectives, are clearly linked to module content and require students to engage with academic content at the appropriate level. Assessments are submitted for approval to the School's exam sub-committee and to external examiners. Specific assessments for each module are outlined in the module descriptions.