======= Date Modified 07 Nov 2010 18:53:47 =======
At my uni I believe I'd need to get at least 70% for my dissertation and 70% average for my courses to get a distinction for my MSc, getting a 70% average overall but less than 70% for courses wouldn't count even with a really high dissertation mark.

Obviously your uni may differ, but I found the exact criteria in the lengthy academic regulations for the course so hopefully you should be able to find out for sure whether this is the normal practice.

EDIT: @Jepsonclough That is incredible. I am going to think of you every time my course seems tough.

I believe the reason that Buckingham will not show up on some ranking tables is that, unlike almost every other university in the UK, it is an independent and private university. As it does receive state funding it also does not undergo the assessments which are often used to determine and rank university quality, such as RAE.

I don't really know much about the university from a student perspective, or what difference being a private university will make (apart from in terms of cost) I'm afraid.

Rather than embarking on a PhD (or MSc then PhD) in a completely different area to your first degree, have you thought about combing your interest in psychology with your existing knowledge (and enjoyment of) computing?

Areas such as computing for education, or numerous topics in Human Computer Interaction can be pretty varied and interdisciplinary, plus relevant to industry employers as well as academia.