MA Psychoanalytic Studies at Birkbeck, University of London

The MA Psychoanalytic Studies provides you with a unique opportunity to critically explore the origins of psychoanalysis, its central concepts, and their application to areas of culture, society, history and politics. Starting with the foundational texts of Sigmund Freud, and tracing the development of psychoanalytic ideas from nineteenth-century Vienna to the global present, you will learn how psychoanalysis has come to provide one of the most important and controversial ways of understanding the forces that shape the mind, and the social and political worlds we live in.

Faculty: School of Social Sciences  |  Duration: One year full-time, on campus; One year full-time, online; One year full-time, flexible learning; Two years part-time, on campus; Two years part-time, online; Two years part-time, flexible learning  |  Study mode: full-time, part-time, online option  |  Intake: October 2027  |  Location: London, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

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. Compulsory modules include Concepts in Psychoanalysis, Psychoanalysis and Culture.

Career pathways

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.

Official programme page