Psychology

Psychology is the study of mental life and behaviour, and covers a wide range of activities including memory, mental illness, psychological development, the effects of brain damage, the dynamics of social groups and the measurement of personality and abilities.

Why Aberdeen?

• Internationally recognised researchers in social cognition, neuroscience, lifespan development, perception, language and cognition, and occupational/industrial psychology
• There are a range of specialised laboratories including those for brain imaging analysis, eye movement recording, movement analysis, visual neuroscience, and face recognition
• The School is the oldest in the UK, being founded over 100 years ago, and maintains a strong commitment to providing a supportive and stimulating environment for undergraduate studies

Programmes

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Behavioural Studies

Accreditation

British Psychological Society

Study Abroad

Students intending to do an Honours degree in Psychology can study abroad in Year 2 of their undergraduate degree, subject to approval of the overseas curriculum by the Head of School.

Study abroad information

The opportunity to take Enhanced Study options as part of your degree and participate in co-curricular activities. See www.abdn.ac.uk/thedifference for more information.

There is a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited Honours degree and a Designated degree in Psychology. Application for entry to Honours occurs at the end of second year, and is based on academic performance achieved during second year. Students not continuing to Honours Psychology may complete the Designated degree or the Behavioural Studies Honours degree.

First Year

The Concepts and Theory course includes lectures and workshops on: Biological Psychology; Lifespan Development; Animal Learning and Behaviour; Cognitive Psychology; Perceptual Psychology; Social Psychology. The Methods and Applications course includes lectures and practical classes on all aspects of research methodology and descriptive data analysis in psychological research.

Second Year

There are lectures on: Developmental Psychology; Behavioural Neuroscience; Language and Cognition; Organizational Psychology; Perception; Social Psychology; Clinical Psychology. The Methods and Applications course builds on the research methodology gained in first year to examine more complex experimental designs and statistical methods.

Third and Fourth Year (Honours)

At level 3, there are lectures, tutorials, and practicals on: Biological Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Human Memory and Language; Research Methodology; Perception; Psychological Assessment; Social Psychology.

At level 4, students carry out and report an empirical investigation. They also select six options, currently from the following list: Evolutionary Psychology; Human Neuropsychology; Applications of Cognitive Neuroscience; Abnormal Psychology; The Cognitive Neuroscience of Person Perception; Cognition and Learning; Neuropsychology of Visual Awareness; Perspectives on Social Attribution; Brain and Body; Human Factors.

Variations

Students doing the Joint Honours programmes (all Psychology programmes are BPS accredited) take a full prescribed curriculum of level 3 Psychology courses split across years 3 and 4, and complete a smaller empirical project in their final year. The Major-Minor degrees include language courses at levels 1, 2 and 4. At level 4, students select four of the Psychology options instead of six. It is also possible to study Psychology as an MA degree. Please see the Arts section of the prospectus for more details.

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching is by means of lectures, laboratory practicals, workshops and tutorials, with more extensive experimental projects at levels 3 and 4. Assessment is by means of examination and continuous assessment.

Careers

Psychology graduates have many employment opportunities (usually after further postgraduate training), including clinical psychology, counselling, educational psychology, ergonomics, forensic psychology, health psychology, and occupational psychology. Further areas benefiting from an understanding of the human mind and behaviour include careers in teaching, business, marketing, and advertising. Further details of opportunities for graduates can be obtained from the BPS website.

Finding your direction

There are many opportunities at the University of Aberdeen to develop your knowledge, gain experience and build a competitive set of skills to enhance your employability. This is essential for your future career success.  The Careers Service can help you to plan your career and support your choices throughout your time with us – from first to final year – and beyond.

• More information on employability at the University of Aberdeen.
• More information on the Careers Service.
• More information on careers prospects and employability with a degree in Psychology.

Entrance Requirements

SQA Highers - AABB*
A Levels - BBB*
IB - 32 points, 5 at HL
ILC - AABB*

*including good performance in at least two Mathematics/Science subjects.

Advanced Entry - Advanced Highers ABB or A Levels ABB or IB 34 points (6 at HL), including A in Psychology

For further details of entrance requirements click here

Please click on the links below to find out more information on funding in your area.

• Scotland and EU (Excluding England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• Rest of UK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• International
• Scholarships

Related Links

• Scholarships
• Entrance Scholarships
• Funding Database
• England Wales and Northern Ireland Finance Guide