MSc Psychology Conversion graduate, Olivia Barker-Williams, was fascinated by the subject of psychology during her time at sixth form college and was inspired to complete a BSc Combined Philosophy and Psychology degree.
After graduation, she started to explore ways to specialise in her career and decided that the clinical psychology route was perfect. This was directly aligned with her love of all things people.
One of the barriers that Olivia faced on her journey towards her dream career was gaining a Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). Unfortunately, her undergraduate degree did not cover sufficient psychology content to gain a Graduate Basis Membership. She was triggered to explore ways to achieve this status by studying at a higher level.
"The fact that the British Psychological Society accredits the course ensured me that I was being taught on a high-quality programme that could open doors and further my career progression within psychology"
— Olivia Barker-Williams, MSc Psychology Conversion graduate
Olivia knew that any master's level course would be challenging but she said that she never felt ‘left in the dark’. She commented: “All my tutors were helpful and genuinely motivated to make students the best they could be”. In particular, during the dissertation element of the course, Olivia worked with our expert psychology academic, Andy Morley, to perfect her research. She is now set to be published in CLOK, UCLan's academic journal, in partnership with Andy. She described this as one of her ‘proudest moments.
As part of her studies, Olivia won the UCLan School of Psychology and Computer Science awards for the best research project. Olivia also won the academic excellence award for best overall performance in her cohort.
"Without my MSc I would not be in the job I am today. It has broadened my opportunities and has been great for my personal development."
— Olivia Barker-Williams, MSc Psychology Conversion graduate
To learn more about our MSc Psychology Conversion course or discover more about studying at UCLan, visit our psychology subject page or call us on +44 (0)1772 892400.