The Master of Science in Addiction Studies is a postgraduate degree course that will be offered by the Faculty for Social Wellbeing and the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in October 2019.
Given the multifaceted, trans-disciplinary nature of addiction, this postgraduate programme explores the phenomenon of addictive behaviour from a number of disciplinary positions. While addictive behaviour has clear biological foundations, it manifests itself in culturally and socially contingent ways, is subject to different constructions in different societies and is also subjectively experienced as a psychological experience. The programme of study will therefore explore a number of conceptual models that have been developed to examine the phenomenon of addiction.
Today it is recognised that addiction may exist even in the absence of the ingestion of substances. This increases the scope of the study of addictive behaviour. The programme of study will engage significantly with advances in evidence based policy prevention and intervention and examine both national and international legal provisions in the area.
This M.Sc. will provide the opportunity for course participants to follow areas of interest through the electives they choose and by means of their dissertation. The programme will also be geared towards developing students' research skills and producing high-quality research projects, in the area, that are worthy of publication. This M.Sc. will prepare graduates for the exciting diversity of the addictions field as well as enticing them to further their studies to doctoral level in the area of addictions.
The M.Sc. in Addiction Studies is for those graduates, from a range of backgrounds, that include health, social, policy, legal and medical disciplines who wish to specialise in addiction, all those currently working in the addiction field and the evidence base for such, as well as those seeking to further develop their competencies.
