What is psychology?

What is psychology?

Psychology is the study of the mind and human behaviour. The subject is about how those around us think, what kind of feelings they experience, how they act and interact, and what motivates them. Psychology students learn to comprehend why people act in certain ways, how they respond to the world around them and which key factors could affect this. These might be social, biological, cognitive or emotional.

Psychologists explain our behaviour via scientific methods. They examine, test and make use of statistics to find patterns. But rather than just explain human behaviour, psychologists use their expertise to offer support and generate positive change.

There is overlap between psychology and a range of other disciplines such as medicine, anthropology, philosophy, biology and linguistics.

What do you learn on a psychology degree?

Most university psychology degrees are BSc courses but some are BA courses.

There are many schools of thought in psychology and students will be introduced to most of them in their first year. For instance, they will learn about the differences between biological and social psychology.

Biological psychology looks at genetic and hormonal influences on behaviour, while social psychology looks at humans through conditioning and environmental factors, observing how their behaviour is influenced by others. One historic debate is the nature v nurture question: whether someone acts in certain ways because of inherited or learned characteristics.

Modules regularly studied include cognitive neuroscience, neurobiology, developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive and experimental psychology, learning and memory, perception and the development of attachment behaviour.

Research methods and different types of data collection are seen as key parts of psychology, and courses are sometimes more statistics-based than expected.

The subject is mainly lecture- and seminar-based and placements are common. Some universities give students the opportunity to do a term or a year abroad on a placement alongside professional psychologists to learn from them and put into practice the skills and knowledge they acquired in year one or two of their degree.

Entry requirements for a psychology degree

Entry requirements for a psychology degree will vary based on the university and the country that you choose to study in. 

Most universities in the UK will require fairly high grades in your A-Level subjects usually A's and B's. Students applying to the US will have to demonstrate high SAT scores. 

What should I study to do a psychology degree?

Although studying psychology at school may provide a basic grounding in the subject, and make it easier to decide whether it is the right degree course for you, this is not always an option and the subject is rarely required by admissions tutors. In fact, the majority of institutions do not make any prior subjects mandatory.

A few universities require students to have studied at least one subject out of biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics before the start of a psychology degree course, while a small number of institutions adjust their entry requirements if certain subjects have been studied previously.

Sociology can also be relevant to tertiary study of psychology, although possessing a qualification in it does not generally lower entry requirements. Some applicants will also have studied subjects such as history, geography, philosophy, statistics or modern languages.

Skills gained in a psychology degree

Psychology students will gain many skills that are considered attractive to future employers. 

Because of the analytical nature of the subject, psychology graduates will develop their critical thinking skills and their ability to process information from experiments and tests. Many psychology students will have to write essays and create presentations as part of their assessments, thus developing their spoken and written communication skills.

The final project for many psychology students will be a research project, which will develop research and analytical skills.

Psychology is also a unique subject that develops numerical skills through analysing data and deciphering graphs and charts, and literacy skills through essay writing and research. 

What can you do with a psychology degree?

Because a psychology degree doesn’t really prepare you for a specific career, graduates can go into a wide range of jobs. 

Many graduates do follow the route to become a chartered psychologist and work as a therapist or a counsellor. 

Other careers that psychology graduates pursue include teaching, social work, working in HR and occupational therapy.

Visit our page here for more information on what you can do with a psychology degree.

Psychology degree programmes and postgraduate options

As with many other subjects, psychology can be studied at undergraduate, master’s and PhD level. 

An undergraduate degree serves as an introduction to psychology, covering a wide range of topics including cognitive psychology, behavioural science and biological psychology. As students progress through their degrees, they will have the opportunity to select modules that most align with their interests and narrow their areas of study. 

Undergraduates will also be taught how to conduct research and collect data for their final projects. 

Graduates can go on to study a master’s and PhD, selecting an area of psychology that in which to specialise. These further degrees can help to prepare graduates for a specific job or can be the start of a career in academia.

The workload for psychology students will vary between universities but there will be a mixture of lectures, smaller discussion groups or seminars and individual learning time to conduct reading and research for projects. 

How long is a psychology degree?

Most undergraduate programmes in the UK last three to four years, with some offering the opportunity to undertake a placement. This will usually be the same for undergraduate psychology programmes in Australia and Canada. In the US, students will study an undergraduate programme for three-four years and will typically declare their major in the second or third year. 

 A master’s programme typically lasts 12 to 18 months, while a PhD can take up to five years to complete. 

Trends in psychology

Psychology has always been a popular study choice. However, as conversations around mental well-being have progressed and society has become more aware of the prevalence of mental health problems, professions that help people deal with such conditions are increasingly important.

Additionally, psychologists are now being used to greater effect in areas such as education and policing to help tackle societal issues. 

Sectors associated with high levels of stress, such as law and banking, are also using psychologists to support their employees in maintaining good mental health.