Media Psychology and Applied Communication
Full-time
Part-time
Distance Learning
One year
Two year
September 2026
In a nutshell
International applicants: please check the international intakes page for the latest information and application dates.
The MSc in Media Psychology and Applied Communication gives you a unique opportunity to explore how psychological principles shape the way people interact with media, technology, and communication in a rapidly evolving digital world. Unlike many comparable programmes, this course blends scientific insight with applied, hands‑on training, enabling you to design, test, and improve human‑centred communication strategies across sectors such as consumer behaviour, political communication, education, digital health, and user experience.
Delivered fully online, this course offers the flexibility you need to balance study with professional, personal, or care‑related commitments. You will also take part in a two‑week intensive summer school—available either online or in person at MediaCityUK—where you will accelerate your practical skills in communication design, media production, and creative collaboration.
Throughout the course, you will learn to connect psychological theory with real‑world communication challenges. You will develop the ability to analyse digital behaviour, design and evaluate media content across platforms, and apply evidence‑based approaches to creating effective and ethical communication strategies. With a strong focus on applied learning, industry engagement, and methodological competence, this course equips you to thrive in roles at the intersection of psychology, communication, media, and technology.
You will:
- Analyse why people engage with media and digital technologies through core psychological theories and research
- Apply evidence based insights to design effective, ethical communication for diverse audiences and platforms
- Create and evaluate media content including social media, video, podcasts, and digital campaigns
- Work on professional briefs during an intensive summer school with opportunities for online or in person collaboration
- Gain practical research, analytical, and methodological skills used in UX, marketing, policy, and digital communication
- Collaborate with peers, industry partners, and creative practitioners to solve real communication challenges
students accepted
This is for you if...
You want to blend psychological insight with practical communication skills to shape media in a rapidly evolving digital world
You need a flexible, fully online MSc with an optional summer school at MediaCityUK, a leading UK digital innovation hub
You want to design and evaluate media content across social platforms, podcasts, video, campaigns, and emerging technologies
You aim to build a career in UX, marketing, policy, digital health, media production, or research driven communication
You value hands on experience working on professional briefs with industry partners and creative practitioners
You want an academically grounded, practitioner focused course accredited by expert staff active in media psychology research
All about the course
The MSc in Media Psychology and Applied Communication is a newly redesigned programme that explores the psychological principles shaping how people engage with media, technology, and communication in today’s digital world. It offers students a rare combination of scientific insight and practical skills, preparing them to design, evaluate, and improve human‑centred communication strategies across sectors such as consumer behaviour, political communication, education, digital health, and user experience.
Delivered fully online, the programme provides maximum flexibility for students balancing study with professional, personal, or care‑related commitments. Alongside online learning, the course comprises a two‑week Media Communication Lab – intensive practice, designed to accelerate practical skills in communication design and media production. This can be completed either online or in person at the University of Salford’s flagship facilities at MediaCityUK, one of the UK’s leading hubs for innovation in media and digital technology.
Grounded in a strong academic foundation, the programme introduces students to key theories and research in media psychology while providing hands‑on experience in applying these ideas to real‑world communication challenges. Throughout the course, students will develop the ability to:
- Analyse psychological processes underlying media use and digital behaviour
- Apply evidence‑based insights to create effective, ethical communication strategies
- Design and evaluate media content across platforms such as social media, podcasts, video, and digital campaigns
- Collaborate with peers, industry partners, and creative practitioners
- Gain practical methodological and analytical skills relevant to roles in research, UX, marketing, policy, and digital communication
The applied nature of the programme is embedded throughout: from practice‑oriented methods teaching, to modules that connect psychological theory with specialist areas—such as persuasion, political communication, intergroup relations, digital health, and children’s media—through to the intensive module where students work on professional briefs and produce communication outputs in collaboration with external partners.
Combining scientific rigour, practical training, and industry engagement, the MSc equips graduates with the expertise needed to navigate and influence an ever‑evolving media landscape, and to build careers at the intersection of psychology, communication, media, and technology.
The full course runs full-time over one year and part-time over two years, giving you the chance to exit with the following awards:
Full-time
- Postgraduate Certificate: two modules over four months
- Postgraduate Diploma: four modules over eight months
- MSc: four modules plus a dissertation over one year
Part-time
- Postgraduate Certificate: two modules over eight months
- Postgraduate Diploma: four modules over twenty months
- MSc: four modules plus a dissertation over two years
Got a question?
If you have any questions or queries regarding the programme or programme admission, please contact our programme team using the details further down this page.
Issues in Media Psychology
In this module, you will develop the critical skills to analyse audiences and their media behaviours, gain a systematic understanding of research on the effects of media consumption, understand the use of psychology within media industries and explore issues of ethics and responsibility.
Psychological Methods for Applied Communication
In this module, you are going to develop a toolbox for research in media psychology. In particular, you will learn different methods that can help find answers to questions concerning peoples’ experience when interacting with media.
Psychology of Media Communications
You will learn to apply psychology to understand media communication, persuasion and behaviour change, and to develop effective communication strategies.
Applied Communication Lab
You will develop advanced practical skills in media communication by working on professional briefs that challenge you to apply psychological insights to the design, production and evaluation of real world communication outputs across formats such as video, digital campaigns, social media and audio content
Dissertation
The dissertation module is your opportunity to further investigate an aspect of this course through systematic literature review or research project.
We take a flexible approach to our course delivery that promotes diversity and inclusivity and provides a blended learning experience, which will vary to meet specific programme requirements. This learning time includes formal lectures and interactive activities such as seminars, tutorials, practical sessions, laboratory and studio learning. Smaller classes may be used to support collaborative activities such as project and group work and presentations. A range of different assessments and feedback is offered to meet the needs of both our diverse student body and specific subject needs.
Our postgraduate taught courses are normally made up of 30 credit modules which are equal to 300 hours of learning time, or 15 credit modules which are equal to 150 hours of learning time. A Master’s degree typically comprises 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, and a PGCert 60 credits.
Please note that exact modules and content offered may vary in order to keep content current and, for courses that offer optional modules, may depend on the number of students selecting particular options. When accepting your offer of a place to study on a programme with optional modules, you should be aware that optional modules may not all run each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you can undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.
The School of Health and Society
The School of Health and Society is focused on enhancing the health and wellbeing of patients, service users and athletes and our commitment to public involvement help us retain our strong focus on real-world issues. The school is home to a dedicated Psychology Laboratory.
The Media Psychology course is delivered at our state-of-the-art MediaCity campus so you will be right at the heart of the Northern creative industry. Based at Salford Quays, you will have access to some of the best facilities in the world for digital and media research.
Our facilities
Psychology Laboratories
We provide a comfortable and friendly environment for you to carry out a wide range of research and testing. Our eleven labs include interview spaces, cognitive testing suites, and various specialist labs, all featuring the latest advanced experimental software for online and lab-based data collection. This setup allows us to take an integrated approach across the following areas of psychological interest:
- An eye tracker laboratory using the Tobii x50 eye tracker to monitor conscious and unconscious gaze movements.
- An observation suite with a two-way mirror.
- A video game analysis laboratory for studying the psychological and physiological effects of violent video games.
- A dedicated computer suite with access to a range of psychological programs such as ERTSLab and E-Prime.
Programme tutors
If you have any questions or queries regarding the programme or programme admission, please contact Dr Sharon Coen below:
- Programme and Admissions enquiries: Dr Sharon Coen, Programme Leader and Admission Tutor - s.coen@salford.ac.uk
Dr Sharon Coen
Reader/Associate Professor in Media Psychology
Sharon is an internationally recognised scholar with research and teaching experience in the areas of social and media psychology. Her main interests concern the ways the media portrays and responds to, social and political issues, and how this informs public perception.
What about after uni?
This course prepares you for a wide range of careers where psychological insight and communication expertise are essential. You will graduate with a blend of analytical, creative, and applied skills that enable you to understand audiences, design effective communication strategies, and evaluate how people engage with media and digital technologies. This opens doors across sectors such as marketing, UX and user research, media production, public policy, digital health, education, and research and evaluation.
You could go on to work in roles such as UX researcher, user experience designer, digital communication specialist, behavioural insights analyst, audience researcher, marketing or brand strategist, content designer, policy or communications advisor, political communication analyst, digital health communicator, media researcher, research associate, or consumer insights specialist.
By combining scientific understanding with real‑world application, this course equips you with a versatile skillset that is increasingly in demand across industries seeking to understand and influence behaviour in a digital world.
If you are interested in further study, this course also provides a strong foundation for doctoral research in areas including media psychology, communication, behavioural science, and digital society.
What you need to know
This course is ideal for you if you are curious about how people think, feel, and behave when engaging with media and digital technologies, and you want to apply this understanding to real‑world communication challenges. You might come from backgrounds such as psychology, communication, media, marketing, sociology, politics, education, design, or digital disciplines—but applicants from other areas with relevant interest or experience are also welcome.
You will be a good fit if you enjoy both analytical and creative problem‑solving, are open to interdisciplinary thinking, and want to develop practical skills in designing, evaluating, and improving communication strategies. Professional experience in areas such as digital communication, education, health, marketing, research, or UX is beneficial but not essential.
Most importantly, you should be motivated to explore how psychological principles can shape effective, ethical communication in today’s rapidly changing media landscape.
English language requirements
If you are an international student and not from a majority English-speaking country, you will need IELTS 6.5 with no element below 5.5. We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take our Pre-Sessional English course.
Undergraduate degree
2:1 (or equivalent) Undergraduate degree in: psychology, communication, media, marketing, sociology, politics, education, design, or digital disciplines—but applicants from other areas with relevant interest or experience are also welcome.
International Students
We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.
The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.
Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).
How much?
| Type of study | Year | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time home | 2026/27 | £9,360 per year |
| Full-time international | 2026/27 | £11,700 per year |
| Part-time | 2026/27 | Part-time costs will be calculated on a pro rata basis. |
Additional costs
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. This may include accommodation and living expenses for the Two Week Summer School, if you choose to attend it in person.
Scholarships for international students
If you are a high-achieving international student, you may be eligible for one of our scholarships. Explore our International Scholarships.
All set? Let's apply
Programme enquiries
If you have any questions or queries regarding the programme or programme admission, please contact the relevant tutors below:
- Programme enquiries: Dr Sharon Coen, Programme Leader - s.coen@salford.ac.uk
- Admissions enquiries: Dr Adam Galpin, Admissions Tutor - a.j.galpin@salford.ac.uk
General enquiries
Register for one of our Open Days, or contact our course enquiries team: