its not strictly true that no esrc accreditation for a masters equals no phd funding. i spoke to the esrc re my course and they said that if the course one takes can demonstrate the equivalent desired aspects of an accredited course than no prob. of course the reason it may not be accredited is because it may not be applicable in the first place. in my case the course is a new one, currently unaccredited but worthy enough to be so. that is what you might want to check on before you commit your money and time.

fyi badhaircut - sussex's exp. psych. msc course claims to be gbr accredited.

hi- the best thing if you want to follow this route might be to take an experimental psychology msc which is basically a conversion course for non pysch grads, and i believe it gives you bps status if you wanted to become a clinical psychologist. it would also help you attain funding for a specifically psychological phd. sussex and bristol have this course off the top of my head, and im sure a few others will as well.

Hey guys - I have received offers from both edinburgh and ucl/birkbeck (joint hosts) to take a msc in neuropsych. the former will be great for the experience (i already live in london and am keen to branch out)and of course is no academic slouch, but the latter will be arguably better for teaching and contact with world leading experts. i am keen to go onto phd (ie with funding) and was wondering if it would make any real difference in the end assuming my grades were good at the end of the year and the fact that both unis are essentially great institutions (rae 5 etc)...any thoughts? cheers ; )

pink neuron - thanks for the comment, thats sounds interesting. who gave you the funding...and what kind of masters did you do to give you the crack at the funding? It sounds like we may be taking similar paths.

Hey there folks - I have just been accepted onto two msc courses with the plan to apply for a phd after completion. However, one of the courses is an esrc accredited course, whilst the other(my first choice)is not. Would this make a difference in getting funding later...close doors unnecessarily etc? I hear the esrc are pretty rigid with their funding regulations.(psychology/neuropsychology is the area) Any advice would be great. Thanks!!