Psychology MPhil, PhD

Understanding how behaviour and cognition have evolved provides fundamental insights into both human and non-human minds.

We study how humans and other animals perceive, learn, communicate, navigate, make decisions and respond to their physical and social environments. Our work also examines the relationships between species and applies behavioural research to questions concerning conservation and animal welfare.

Our research combines perspectives from psychology, biology, neuroscience and behavioural ecology to investigate the evolutionary mechanisms that shape cognition, behaviour and adaptation across species.

Our research includes:

• comparative cognition and animal behaviour
• the evolution of self-awareness and metacognition
• the role of our senses in everyday life
• social organisations and hierarchies in primates
• social cognition and cooperation
• decision-making and economic behaviour
• social learning and cultural evolution
• navigation and foraging cognition in birds
• neurobiology of stress and stress resilience in birds
• multi-species interactions
• conservation and animal welfare

Doctoral researchers have opportunities to conduct research in laboratories, zoos, farms, wildlife parks and international field sites. Through collaborations with zoological institutions and international research partners, students have opportunities to conduct research in ecologically relevant settings using diverse methodological approaches.

Find out more about Newcastle University Evolved Minds: Behaviour Cognition and Culture Research Group (EVOMINDs).

Our neuroscience and cognition research investigates the cognitive and neural mechanisms that underpin perception, learning, memory, language and decision-making across the lifespan.

By integrating behavioural experiments, cognitive neuroscience and computational approaches, we seek to understand how the brain processes information and supports complex behaviour.

Our research includes:

• visual perception
• auditory and speech perception
• language processing and multilingualism
• attention and cognitive control
• learning and memory
• cognitive neuroscience
• social cognition and face processing
• social cognition, stereotypes and discrimination
• immersive and digital technologies for psychological research
• neuropsychology and cognitive ageing
• consumer behaviour and decision-making

Our applied psychology research applies psychological science to improve health, wellbeing and performance across diverse real-world settings.

We work collaboratively with healthcare providers, educational organisations, sporting bodies and community partners to develop evidence-based interventions that enhance individual, team and organisational outcomes.

Our research includes:

• sport and performance psychology
• physical, mental and social wellbeing
• maternal, infant and family wellbeing
• health psychology and behaviour change
• perfectionism in relation to sport performance and mental health
• patient care and carer wellbeing
• sexual health and inclusive health education

Doctoral researchers have opportunities to work with external partners across healthcare, education, sport and the wider community, conducting research with direct societal impact.

Developmental psychology at Newcastle explores how cognitive, social and emotional processes develop across infancy, childhood and adolescence, and how these shape behaviour throughout the lifespan.

Our research combines experimental, educational and community-based approaches to understand both typical and atypical development, generating evidence that informs education, policy and practice.

We investigate how children learn, think, communicate, make decisions and interact with others, while also examining the developmental foundations of cognition and behaviour across species.

Our research includes:

• cognitive development
• social and emotional development
• language and communication
• mathematical cognition and learning
• decision-making and risk-taking across development
• neurodevelopment, including autism
• developmental comparative cognition
• education and learning
• public engagement with developmental science

Doctoral researchers conduct research in laboratories, schools and community settings, working closely with children, families and educators.

A distinctive feature of developmental research at Newcastle is Science Adventures, our public engagement programme, which brings hundreds of families to campus each year to participate in cutting-edge developmental research. This unique initiative enables doctoral researchers to gain hands-on experience in participant recruitment, study design, data collection and science communication while contributing to impactful research and strengthening links between the University and the local community.

Our mental health research aims to improve understanding, prevention and intervention across the lifespan.

By examining the psychological, biological and social factors that influence mental health and wellbeing, we work to generate research that informs clinical practice, public health and policy while improving outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

Our research includes:

• mental health and wellbeing
• clinical psychology
• health psychology
• psychological wellbeing in long-term health conditions
• behaviour change
• patient safety and healthcare
• health inequalities
• neurodevelopment
• stress, resilience and coping

Doctoral researchers collaborate with NHS partners, community organisations and interdisciplinary research teams to address contemporary challenges in mental health across clinical and non-clinical populations.

Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:

• Thesis
• Viva

Our mission is to help you:

• stay healthy, positive and feeling well
• overcome any challenges you may face during your degree – academic or personal
• get the most out of your postgraduate research experience
• carry out admin and activities essential to progressing through your degree
• understand postgraduate research processes, standards and rules

We can offer you tailored wellbeing support, courses and activities.

You can also access a broad range of workshops covering:

• research and professional skills
• careers support
• wellbeing
• health and safety
• public engagement
• academic development

Find out more about our postgraduate research student support

We are unable to give an exact fee, this is why the fee is shown as a range. This fee range takes into account your research topic and resource requirements.

Your research topic is unique so it will have unique resource requirements. Resources could include specialist equipment, such as laboratory/workshop access, or technical staff.

If your research involves accessing specialist resources then you're likely to pay a higher fee. You'll discuss the exact nature of your research project with your supervisor(s). You'll find out the fee in your offer letter.

For 2026-27 entry, we've aligned our standard Home research fees with those set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).  For 2027-28 entry, we will again be aligning our standard Home research fees with UKRI. They will announce their fees in Spring 2027.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support. You may be eligible for a scholarship worth 25% off the international fee. Search our funding database. 

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance.

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our searchable postgraduate funding page for more information. 

If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.

You can check this in the How to apply section.

If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.

For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.