Behavioural Science

Overview

The Behavioural Science MSc course offered by Durham University has been designed to provide you with an understanding of factors that impact behaviour, including the role of ‘nudging’ in behaviour change, and the research and analytical skills to enable an analysis of business problems from a behavioural perspective. It will provide you with a wide range of knowledge (both of a theoretical and a practical nature) and transferable skills including various professional ways of disseminating knowledge.

This course will prove valuable for those intending to enter the public, private, or third sector, including business, charities and government, local authorities and international organisations, by providing you with the tools to apply behavioural principles to problem-solving and decision-making in these domains. It will provide the behavioural insights to help individuals build confidence, influence others, think and cooperate inter-culturally, set and achieve goals, negotiate mindfully, and teamwork effectively.

Course Learning and Teaching

The MSc Behavioural Science is delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars, practical sessions, workshops and lab placements.

Lectures and seminars provide key theoretical information on general topics such as social cognition, behavioural bias and social influence, and in-depth knowledge of a range of methods and techniques used in behavioural science research (focusing on their strengths and weaknesses). This core knowledge is then enriched by workshops, practical sessions and lab placements.