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Course type
Certificate
Credits
60

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long it takes
1 year
Read more about how long it takes
Study method
Distance learning
Course cost
See Fees and funding
Entry requirements
Find out more about
Entry requirements

Postgraduate Certificate in Social and Psychological Inquiry

Course code: K26

If you're working in a context which makes considerable use of social or psychological research or are fascinated by social research, this certificate will equip you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to appraise research and communicate your assessment to academic and non-academic audiences. Drawing together topics from criminology and psychology, it supports future study and adds value to your career by providing professional development in research literacy, managing research and conceiving of new studies.

  • Focuses on critical appraisal of research and constructing new questions
  • Applies focus relating social and psychological research to everyday and professional contexts 
  • Provides the opportunity to develop a case study relevant to your work environment or interests 
  • Develops your communication skills to academic and non-academic audiences, offline and online. 
Course type
Certificate
Credits
60

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
How long it takes
1 year
Read more about how long it takes
Study method
Distance learning
Course cost
See Fees and funding
Entry requirements
Find out more about
Entry requirements

How to register

Select the module you will study first, read the full description, and follow the instructions to register.

Modules

To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits from the following:

Compulsory module Credits Next start
Principles of social and psychological inquiry (DD801)

This module aims to equip you with critical research literacy skills that provide a crucial foundation for your continuing postgraduate studies within psychology and the social sciences.

See full description

Register
 60 04 Oct 2025

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 20 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

 

Learning outcomes, teaching and assessment

The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:

  • Knowledge and understanding
  • Cognitive skills
  • Practical and professional skills
  • Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes.

Credit transfer

For this qualification, we do not allow you to count credit for study you have already done elsewhere.

On completion

On successful completion of the required module you can be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate of Social and Psychological Inquiry entitling you to use the letters PG Cert SPI (Open) after your name.

You can progress from this Postgraduate Certificate in Social and Psychological Inquiry to our MA in Crime and Justice (F75),  MSc in Forensic Psychological Studies (F73) or MSc in Psychology  (F74)

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website. 

We regularly review our curriculum; therefore, the qualification described on this page – including its availability, its structure, and available modules – may change over time. If we make changes to this qualification, we’ll update this page as soon as possible. Once you’ve registered or are studying this qualification, where practicable, we’ll inform you in good time of any upcoming changes. If you’d like to know more about the circumstances in which the University might make changes to the curriculum, see our Academic Regulations or contact us. This description was last updated on 19 March 2024.

You must hold a UK honours degree (2:2 at least) or equivalent to study for this qualification. All teaching is in English, and your proficiency in the language needs to be adequate for postgraduate study and for contributing to online discussions by text and voice. If English is not your first language, we strongly recommend that you make sure you can achieve a score of at least seven in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). To assess your English Language skills in relation to your proposed studies, you can visit the IELTS website. Although experience of distance education may be an advantage, it is not essential.

How long it takes

Most students study the Postgraduate Certificate in Social and Psychological Inquiry part-time, completing 60 credits over one year. Typically, this means 20 study hours each week.

You must complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Social and Psychological Inquiry within four years.

Career relevance

Completing the qualification will enable students to manage social and psychological evidence. In particular students will able to independently source, select and review social and psychological research, evaluate its relevance for complex real life issue/cases, assess its validity and persuasively communicate their findings to academic and non-academic audiences. The postgraduate certificate will be of direct interest to existing professionals who wish to advance their careers or those wishing a career in all areas of public policy, social justice, management, advertising and marketing. It provides professional development for all those working in professions that value research literacy, analytic and communication skills.

Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.

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