Rowan Tunnicliffe

Stirling is one of the few places in Europe that actually offers a course in Behavioural Science, and despite being a new course it’s already very respected, and was recommended to me by a friend. I wanted to pursue a career in academia and the staff in the Behavioural Science Centre are very highly regarded in the area of behavioural economics, so to work with them was a really attractive prospect. The Stirling campus and surround area is beautiful and the facilities are great, especially the sports centre. The living costs are also very affordable compared to other parts of Scotland and the UK, and the city is good because there’s very easy access to the countryside, but if you want to visit a larger city, then the train to Glasgow only takes about half an hour, with Edinburgh not much further.

The course was taught in a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere; and because the group was relatively small, it meant that everyone’s view was heard and nobody was left behind. The content was also really interesting and relevant to a real world context. The regular workshops, conferences and external speakers were also very interesting, helpful and applicable to what we were learning. There can be a lot of work involved with the MSc, which is actually really interesting and worthwhile, but it’s also easy to get so caught up in it you miss out on other things. Definitely make a conscious effort to make and maintain friendships and other interests – even if it’s just a few hours per week. (Also invest in a good umbrella and waterproof coat!)

I’m currently doing a PhD, so the impact the MSc will have for me is slightly different to most people, but it was useful as it introduced me to a lot of relevant literature, and provided me with contacts in academia. The dissertation also taught me a lot about the research process.