Psychology Courses in the UK

What is Psychology?

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior.Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes.

Psychology studies the human mind and behavior and seeks to understand and explain thought and emotion. Most Psychology programmes seek to give the student a broad background in practical applications, experimental methodology, information technology and theory construction. Psychology modules include research, statistic methods and brain behavior, as well as looking at different branches of psychology such as criminal, educational, applied, law, management and forensic.

Types of Psychology Degrees

There are a number of specialty areas within the field of psychology which you could study. Some popular psychology types are listed below:

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Counseling Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Occupational psychology

There are also psychology courses related to business. Some popular psychology course types are below:

  • Business Psychology
  • Consumer Psychology
  • Organizational Psychology
Apply to UK University for Psychology
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Top Universities for Psychology in the UK

Top ten ranking Psychology universities in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2019 are listed below:

  1. University of St Andrews
  2. University of Bath
  3. University of Cambridge
  4. University of Oxford
  5. University College London (UCL)
  6. Durham University
  7. Cardiff University
  8. University of Buckingham
  9. Loughborough University
  10. Nottingham Trent University

The Universities listed above offers both, undergraduate and postgraduate (Masters) courses in psychology, with varied specializations in some cases.

The Complete University Guide however in their Psychology League Table 2020 ranks the best Universities for psychology in the UK. Refer to the link below to check out the list:

Best Universities for Psychology in the UK

Top Universities for Psychology in the UK by the Complete University Guide (Psychology League Table 2020):

  1. University of Oxford
  2. University of Bath
  3. University of Cambridge
  4. University of St Andrews
  5. University College London (UCL)
  6. University of Bristol
  7. King’s College London
  8. University of Exeter
  9. University of Lancaster
  10. University of Glasgow

Complete list is available at Top Universities for Psychology in the UK (117 UK Universities)

Psychology Courses Entry Requirements in the UK

Undergraduate courses in psychology in the UK – entry requirements

  • Typical International Baccalaureate requirements: 34 points
  • Typical A-levels requirements: ABB.
  • Typical IELTS requirements: 6.5 overall, with no lower than 6.0 in any one component.

The above are basic entry requirements. High ranking universities such as UCL, University of Oxford are very competitive and may require A*AA grades in 3 A-Level subjects or predicted IB score of 38 or higher for undergraduate courses.

Postgraduate courses in psychology in the UK – entry requirements

  • Typical marks in psychology degree: 60% (we recommend 65%) or CGPA 6.5 or higher (on 10)
  • Typical IELTS requirements: 6.5 overall, with no lower than 6.0 in any one component.

 

Careers in Psychology

Contrary to the popular misconception, psychology is a versatile degree, which can be applied to large number of disciplines. Students with a degree in psychology can go on to work in a variety of professions:

AdvertisingCareer CounsellorPsychiatric Technician
Case ManagerChild Care WorkerRehabilitation Specialist
Laboratory AssistantMarket ResearcherSales Representative
Social Service SpecialistsTeachersWriter
Human ResourcesMental HealthcarePsychotherapy

Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, once quipped:

“Success in investing doesn’t correlate with I.Q. once you’re above the level of 25. Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that get other people into trouble in investing.”

BPS: British Psychological Society

The British Psychological Society is a registered charity which acts as the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK, and is responsible for the promotion of excellence and ethical practice in the science, education, and application of the discipline.

One of the key steps on the way to becoming a psychologist and practicing as a psychologist in the UK is to gain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). This ensures that you have the right level of understanding to move on to the next stage of training.

You will already have GBC membership if you studied an undergraduate psychology degree that was accredited by the BPS. Courses that student select must be BPS accredited.

However, if you are an international student or have studied a non-accredited psychology degree, or another subject completely, but still want to progress in the field of psychology, then you can attain GBC by taking a psychology conversion course.

Psychology Conversion Courses

Conversion courses are intensive postgraduate programmes that allow individuals to pursue a career that their undergraduate degree or professional career hasn’t prepared them for. For instance, let’s say you studied LLB or Business Management at the undergraduate level, but wish to study Psychology as a postgraduate diploma or a Masters, it is possible to do so in the UK.

Students can study one of the two levels as a psychology conversion course:

  • MSc Psychology – 12 months programme in general
  • Postgraduate diploma (PGDip) or graduate diploma in psychology – 9 months in general

Most conversion courses are general and will have a title such as MSc Psychology or PGDip Psychology. Only a limited psychology conversions courses allow you to specialise at this stage, for example in educational psychology, developmental psychology or business.

Some psychology conversion programmes in the UK are as under:

There are a large number of such conversion psychology courses in the UK

Study in the UK

Wish to study psychology in the UK?

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