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MSc/PgDip; 2 years MSc, 1 year PgDip, part time, one day per week
Drug Use and Addiction
Programme structure and aims
The overall purpose is to provide an innovative and applied programme of postgraduate education on drug use and drug policy for people working or planning to work in the drugs field.
The programme has four aims:
- to meet the regional and national demand for academic training of professionals working with drug users, thus providing them with an accredited qualification to assist entry into the field or to assist progress in their career
- to provide an MSc. programme covering drug use and drug policy across the globe and history, thus extending the broad package of high-quality specialist postgraduate programmes within the School of Psychology and Faculty of Science
- to provide a multi-disciplinary programme of academic study concerning drug issues which recognises the diverse backgrounds of potential candidates (eg. social work, criminal justice, health, academic) - rather than focusing too heavily on particular approaches or models
- to provide students with research skills – the knowledge and ability to design, conduct, analyse and report scientific investigations of drug issues - so that their factual knowledge about drugs is founded in their capacities to critically evaluate research, and to formulate and assess their own questions about drug issues
In addition to its multi-disciplinary approach, the programme is distinguished by its broader foundation in three guiding principles: a focus on the philosophy of harm reduction, consideration of the international dimension of drug use, and an applied research orientation.
Entry requirements
- A good honours degree, preferably in social sciences or a relevant physical science; and/or
- A relevant professional qualification (e.g. medical, nursing, social work, youth work, probation, policing, health education, counselling).
In both cases, clear preference will be given to candidates who have professional or academic experience in the field of drug misuse. In exceptional circumstances, applications will be considered from mature applicants working in the drugs field, who can produce a portfolio of evidence to support their application (e.g. relevant publications, conference papers, course attendance, media work, community work, personal experience, etc.)
Programme structure
| Stage | Credits | Modules | Assessment | Award |
| 1 | 120 | 6 | 4 essays, 4 reports, 1 presentation & 1 exam. | PgDip |
| 2 | 60 | 1 | Research dissertation | MSc |
The programme has two stages, each taking one academic year (September-May). In stage 1, four modules run over one semester and have one assessment task (two in each semester), and two modules run over two semesters and have two or three assessment tasks each. In brief, stage 1 has ten assessment tasks for the six modules undertaken: eight essays/reports, one examination, and an oral presentation. Stage 2 is based on one module with one assessment task (Research Dissertation).
Students taking the first stage only are awarded a Diploma for successful completion of all modules (120 credits), while those taking and successfully completing both the first and second stage are awarded the MSc (for 180 credits). Students completing with a mean mark of 70 or greater are awarded a Distinction.
Module descriptions
PSYDAM015 - DRUG PROBLEMS & DRUG POLICY (30 credits)
This two-semester module examines drug use from within various intellectual paradigms and professional perspectives. It presents the main theories and models underlying contemporary discourse and debate on drug use, incorporating concepts and evidence from such disciplines as psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, medicine, and economics.
This module aims to help students understand and communicate about drug problems in their wider historical and international context, whilst focusing on drug policy and services in the UK. Assessment involves a 5,000-word essay, and an oral and written seminar presentation (2,000 words).
PSYDAM012- DRUGS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (30 credits)
This two-semester module provides formal instruction and practical workshops on methodologies commonly employed in drugs research. The first semester includes sessions on each stage of the research process - design, sampling, data collection, data processing, and statistical analysis – covering both quantitative and qualitative methods.
The second semester opens with sessions on writing research proposals, but is based mainly on SPSS workshops and seminars in which students present their own research proposals. Assessment involves a series of short answer tests, a 3,000 word research proposal and a two-hour examination.
PSYDAM014- PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & DRUG EFFECTS (15 credits)
This second semester module describes the effects of drugs from both a neuropsychological and phenomenological perspective, and explores the relationship between the experience of drug effects and drug-induced changes in neurotransmission. Theory and research on the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs is examined, along with studies of the subjective experience of drug intoxication. The module covers the cognitive, affective, motivational and behavioural effects of drugs, and assesses the evidence concerning drug-induced mental disorders such as cannabis psychosis. It is assessed by a 3,500- word essay.
PSYDAM011 - DRUG LAW & ETHICS (15 credits)
This semester one module provides the student with knowledge of legal and ethical issues relating to drug use and drug addiction, particularly in the UK. It examines historical and current legislation on drug use and misuse; the laws of criminal evidence regarding the drug addict; the legal rules and policies relating to intoxication; the theoretical issues involved in the criminalisation of drug-related behaviour; legal and philosophical debates on issues of law and morality; and social and legal perspectives on punishment, sentencing policy and free will. This module is assessed by a 3,500-word essay.
PSYDAM013 - WORKING IN THE DRUGS FIELD (15 credits)
This semester one module provides first-hand accounts and experience of professional work with drug misusers, and aims to develop critical appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. In the first half, guest speakers from various drug services (e.g. Treatment clinic staff, outreach workers) give presentations on their work with drug users. In the second half, students conduct supervised fieldwork in a drug-related agency. The module is assessed by a 3,000-word report on the fieldwork in which the student assesses the nature of good practice and professional standards in service provision to drug users.
PSYDAM016 - HEALTH COGNITIONS, EMOTIONS & DRUG USE (15 credits)
This semester two module aims to familiarize students with the cognitive and emotional factors implicated in understanding and predicting health behaviours in general, and drug use in particular. The module will address: a) key theoretical models that incorporate constructs such as health beliefs (ie expectancy-value cognitions), anxiety and fear, adaptive and maladaptive coping, symptom perception and mood; b) relevant empirical (theory-based) research focusing on drug use; and c) criticisms of theoretical models including relevant analytic and methodological constraints. It is assessed by two 2,000-word essays.
HUMDAM010- RESEARCH DISSERTATION (60 credits)
This core module comprises the second stage of the programme, and leads to the award of the MSc. Students undertake a supervised, independent, empirical research investigation into a drug-related issue, which will demonstrate the academic and practical knowledge and skills they have acquired on the first stage of the programme – including literature search; designing a scientific and ethical study; selecting a representative sample; applying appropriate data collection methods; processing and statistically analysing data; and reporting and assessing findings and conclusions. The module is assessed by the submission of a 15,000-word Dissertation.
AFTER COMPLETING THE PROGRAMME, STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT DRUG USE AND DRUG POLICY:
- How many people use drugs, and is the prevalence of drug use rising or declining?
- How do people consume drugs – how often, how much, in what settings, etc.?
- What is the nature of addiction and dependence - including tolerance, craving and withdrawals?
- What are the psychological, social and biological causes of drug use?
- How do drugs affect different neurotransmitters in the human brain?
- What are the psychological effects of drugs, and how do people describe their experience of them?
- What are the riskiest forms of drug use, and how are they related to such harmful consequences as disease, deviance and death?
- How are drug use and mental disorder related, and can drugs cause psychosis?
- What are the links between drug use and crime, particularly acquisitive crime?
- What are the aims and targets of current international, European and national strategies for tackling drug misuse?
- What are the laws controlling possession and trafficking of drugs in Britain, and how are drug users dealt with by the criminal justice system?
- What kinds of services are available to people with drug problems, and what constitutes good practice in service delivery and professional standards?
- What are the current ‘fashions’ in the medical treatment of drug dependence in the UK, and how effective is it?
- What are the economic costs of drug use and drug services?
- What are the abstentionist and harm-reduction philosophies in the drugs field?
- What are the alternatives to prohibition, and what are the arguments for decriminalising or legalising cannabis and other drugs?
- How can questions about drug use and drug policy be investigated – what are the best methods for collecting and analysing data?
Further information
Sally Woods, Programme Leader
School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University
Henry Cotton Campus
15-21 Webster Street
Liverpool L3 2ET
Tel: 0151 231-4048
Fax: 0151 231-4245
Email: s.c.woods@livjm.ac.uk
Applicants may also request details, an application form and fees information from:
| How to Apply: | Direct to the Admissions and Information Officer (see below) on a standard University application form. Applicants are normally advised to submit their applications before the end of May for entry in September of the same year. |
| Contact Name: | John McCormack |
| Tel: | 0151 231 4569 |
| Address: | Admissions and Information Officer, School of Psychology |
| Room 4.65 Henry Cotton Building | |
| 15-21 Webster Street | |
| Liverpool, L3 2ET | |
| Email: | j.p.mccormack@ljmu.ac.uk |
Applications should normally be submitted by the end of August in the year that you wish to commence the course. Shortlisted applicants may be invited to interview.