INFORMATION BROCHURE: MA (RESEARCH CONSULTATION)

Contents
1. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................. 2 2. SELECTION ........................................................................................................................................... 2 3. COURSE ORGANISER ........................................................................................................................... 2 4. THE COURSE ........................................................................................................................................ 2 4.1 Theory ........................................................................................................................................... 3 4.2 Practical ......................................................................................................................................... 3 4.3 Research ........................................................................................................................................ 4 5. PRESENTATION.................................................................................................................................... 4 5.1 Theoretical and practical training ................................................................................................. 4 5.2 The dissertation ............................................................................................................................ 4 6. EXAMINATION ..................................................................................................................................... 4 7. INTERNSHIP ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Open Rubric

INFORMATION BROCHURE: MA (RESEARCH CONSULTATION)

1. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
A student must hold an Honours degree in Psychology or its equivalent, but subject choice in the Honours course is not of critical concern except that research methodology is compulsory. A student should live within easy reach of the Sunnyside campus of the University for the duration of the course as students are required to be available for training purposes five days a week from 08h30-13h00 sometimes until 17h00.

2. SELECTION
Due to the intensive nature of the course a limited number of students are selected annually. Applicants must be able to appear before a selection committee in Pretoria. Applications must be submitted on the prescribed form which may be obtained from the Department of Psychology or from the Unisa website (www.unisa.ac.za), and these applications must reach the University before the 31th of July of the year prior to the first year of the course. Applications must be sent to:
The Course Administrator MA (Research Consultation) Department of Psychology PO Box 392 Unisa 0003

3. COURSE ORGANISER
Prof M.E. Fourie (Tel: 012-429-8523) Course Organiser: MA Psychology (Research Consultation) Department of Psychology University of South Africa PO Box 392 Unisa 0003 or email the M & D Administrative Officer at mandDpsych@unisa.ac.za

4. THE COURSE
The curriculum covers theoretical, practical and research training, and extends over two academic years which can include the internship if sufficient progress is made with the dissertation in the first year.

4.1 Theory
The following theoretical aspects are covered in weekly seminars and workshops: Qualitative Research: The philosophy behind Qualitative Research; Data gathering; Various fieldwork techniques and Data analysis; The interpretation and reporting of findings. Quantitative Research: The principles of Quantitative Research; Data gathering; Questionnaire Design, Data analysis; Basic and Advanced analysis techniques, and training in the use of SPSS. Research Consultation: The practice and theory of research consultation; Developing consultation skills; How to network effectively; Effective marketing strategies; Creating a personal development plan; Presentation skills. Academic Writing: Writing and interviewing for publication; Writing your research proposal; Writing your dissertation; Presenting papers at a conference. Academic Publishing: Reviewing manuscripts for a peer reviewed journal; Writing for peer reviewed journals; How to edit journal articles. Project Management: Basic project management skills for research. Online Research techniques: The use of online applications in research. Research ethics: Ethical considerations and procedures for effective research consultation.

4.2 Practical
The following practical aspects apply: Students are required to complete two ten week periods of in service training with an organisation as a research consultant. The placement of students at organisations is facilitated by the course coordinator. In service training is aimed at providing students with practical exposure to chosen field of research and to aid networking within this field. Students are required to participate in research projects designed by the tuition team. The projects are aimed at developing research skills under the guidance of the tuition team. Students are required to attend mentorship sessions with selected members of the department for personal development. Students are required to find a supervisor to oversee the progress of the dissertation. Registration as a Research Psychologist is dependent on the completion of an internship year in addition to the two year course work.

4.3 Research
Weekly research seminars addressing students` research designs and research progress. A full dissertation as well as a publishable article are planned and executed in collaboration with a supervisor. Completion of the course depends on acceptance of the dissertation and the accompanying article (by the end of the second year of training).

5. PRESENTATION
5.1 Theoretical and practical training
It is assumed that students are well acquainted with basic theoretical knowledge as a result of their undergraduate and honours studies. In view of this assumption formal theoretical lectures offered in the process of training are of an advanced nature and will not spend an extensive amount of time revising aspects covered during the Undergraduate and Honours year. These weekly theoretical seminars take place during the first year of the course. Relevant literature will be supplied for the seminars and for every aspect of the course. The practical work consists of two ten week periods of in service training. During the in service training students will be exposed to their chosen field of interest within an organisation. Students are required to attend bi-weekly supervision sessions during the in service training periods.

5.2 The dissertation

For the degree to be completed within the prescribed period, the dissertation has to be submitted for examination before the 30th of November of the second year of training. It has to be accompanied by a publishable scholarly article. In order to conform to these requirements it is essential that a dissertation title as well as the research proposal be approved and officially registered by September of the first year of study.

6. EXAMINATION
As part of the evaluation process, students will be expected to submit individual and group assignments, portfolios and other related project reports. A panel assessment of the student will take place at the end of the first year to determine whether sufficient progress has been made to admit the student to the second year of study. Only when the dissertation is accepted and passed by a panel of internal and external examiners is the MA Psychology (Research Consulting) degree conferred.

7. INTERNSHIP
Students who wish to register with the HPCSA as a Research Psychologist will have to register in their first year as Psychology Students with the Board. Once the MA degree is conferred, students must then complete a 12 Month internship with an accredited internship institution. The internship is not part of the MA Psychology (Research Consultation) course, but is a requirement for registration of the HPCSA. Unless the chair of the department rules otherwise, the course and the internship may not be done concurrently.