MA Political Psychology

The MA Political Psychology at Bournemouth University explores how psychological mechanisms—such as emotion, identity, and persuasion—shape political behaviour and ideology. It’s suited for students interested in politics, media, policy, or activism who want to understand the unconscious and cognitive forces influencing political culture. 

Curriculum Structure:
Over the course, students engage deeply with units such as Social Theory & Political Communication, which examines how media, power, and public discourse interact, and The Psychodynamics of Emotion & Political Culture, where psychoanalytic and psychosocial perspectives illuminate political conflict and leadership. They also study Psychosocial Perspectives on Contemporary Politics, applying theoretical models to phenomena like populism, identity politics, and political violence. In The Psychology of Democracy, students explore how emotions, participation, and media impact democratic institutions. The programme culminates in a Final Project (a dissertation or journal-style article) that integrates learning across modules into a substantive piece of scholarly research. 

Focus areas:
“emotion in politics; political discourse; identity & ideology; psychoanalytic and cognitive frameworks; research methods”

Learning outcomes:
“critically apply psychological theories to political phenomena; analyse political culture and communication; understand emotional dynamics in leadership and ideology; design and conduct independent research in political psychology; engage with both cognitive and psychodynamic approaches.”

Professional alignment (accreditation):
This programme is academically focused and suits research, policy, or consultancy careers; it does not provide a route to professional psychologist accreditation.

Reputation (employability rankings):
Bournemouth University is well regarded in media and political studies; this MA prepares graduates for careers in research, campaigning, policy-making, or doctoral study.