Psychoanalytic Studies – (M.A.)

The University of Essex is one of the UK's leading academic institutions, ranked ninth nationally for research excellence following the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

How has the notion of 'Freudian unconscious' shaped Western culture and been transmitted around the world? How does the unconscious affect us individually and socially? How is an individual and their culture viewed from a psychoanalytic perspective? Our MA Psychoanalytic Studies will give you a unique and fascinating way of exploring how the unconscious affects both individuals and societies and cultures.

Our course will be relevant to those working in the mental health field or those with an interest in psychoanalysis. It gives you a thorough grounding in psychoanalytic theory through which to explore its application both to the clinical setting and to culture and society.

Starting with the cultural milieu from which psychoanalysis emerged, you begin with Freud and follow on through the development of object relations, focusing on the ‘British School’, including theorists such as Klein, Winnicott, Bion and others. By encouraging your critical attitude, we foster an engagement with psychoanalysis - both historically and comparatively - always keeping in mind its methodological link to the clinical experiences from which psychoanalysis itself was developed. Applications of psychoanalysis are considered in the clinic, the group, and wider settings.

This course is offered one year full-time, two years part-time or modular (up to five years). Attendence of our short pre-sessional course on Freud is compulsory (except under special circumstances). This is a specially designed intensive course in the most important of Freud’s writing which will give you an introductory historical and theoretical overview of the development of Freud's thinking. Our Freud pre-sessional allows students to start the course proper “running” with a firm foundation in Freudian concepts.

Whether you continue to study for a PhD in psychoanalytic studies or go to work in a clinical or non-clinical setting, you will graduate from our internationally recognised Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies having been taught by world-leading scholars and highly experienced practitioners.