Psychoanalytic Studies

• You will be taught by internationally acclaimed, research-active scholars at the forefront of their field.
• This course has close links with the Institute of Psychoanalysis, one of the main training providers for psychoanalysts in the country, through its shared events and teaching staff.
• If you have strong clinical interests and the necessary experience, by choosing the Foundation Course at the Institute of Psychoanalysis as one of your option modules you will learn psychoanalytic theory from some of the most senior and eminent psychoanalysts in the country.

What you will learn

This course focuses on the interface between psychoanalysis as an evolving clinical practice, as a form of knowledge, and as a mode of critique. You will explore how psychoanalytic thought has been used to illuminate pressing social and political concerns, and examine the controversies that have surrounded its application outside the clinical setting.

You will be introduced to the key psychoanalytic concepts in detail, starting with Freud and moving through the history of psychoanalysis to contemporary psychoanalytic theory and practice. You will then critically assess the use of psychoanalysis to think about contemporary experiences of gender and sexuality, love and care, violence, war, racism and colonialism.

How you will learn

You can study this course full- or part-time and on campus, online or combining both through a flexible learning option. It has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening which may include lectures, seminars, small-group work, and group tasks such as class presentations. We provide you with creative and accessible learning materials including pre-recorded lectures, films, radio broadcasts, artistic work and online resources. You will also be encouraged to seek out psychoanalytic events beyond Birkbeck to write about them regularly.

You will devise your own independent research project, individually supervised by an expert in your area of interest. You will also choose option modules covering a wide variety of related areas to broaden your knowledge and skills, from race, empire and postcoloniality to mental health, past and present.

This course is part of our new Birkbeck Flexible Master’s UK, which gives you the choice of how you want to study - on campus, online or via flexible learning, which combines both.

• Depending on your experience and clinical interests, this course offers you the opportunity to take an option module run by the Institute of Psychoanalysis.
• Birkbeck has established a formal link with the University of São Paulo, Brazil. This link enables on-campus students on this course with Portuguese language skills to undertake an option module at the university as part of their course of study at Birkbeck.
• As well as the core course staff, lectures on our summer programme are given by internationally renowned Birkbeck associates.
• See our film Spaces of Psychoanalysis (2016), directed by Bartek Dziadosz and produced by Lily Ford of Birkbeck's own Derek Jarman Lab.

On successfully graduating from this MA Psychoanalytic Studies, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• an advanced critical ability in understanding and applying psychoanalytic ideas
• an understanding of how this links to real-world ideas and contemporary debates
• a grasp of the complex ethical debates and controversies around different ideas
• collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear, well-presented work.

Graduates have pursued a range of career paths in psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, counselling, research, education, journalism and politics. Possible professions include:

• psychoanalyst
• psychotherapist
• counsellor
• clinical psychologist.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.