Psychology
Entry requirements
A level
For entry to Year 2: ABB including Psychology.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
It is also a requirement of every applicant to have English and Mathematics at a minimum of National 5 Grade C or GCSE Grade C or 4 (or equivalent)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
For entry to Year 2: 34 points.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in relevant subject (Health and Social Sciences preferred) for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: DDM in relevant subject (Health and Social Sciences preferred).
Scottish Advanced Higher
plus AABB at Highers (including Psychology) for entry to Year 2.
Scottish HNC
HNC (Social Sciences) with B in graded unit (Psychology, Research Methods/Statistics required modules) for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: HNC (Social Sciences) with A in graded unit (Psychology, Research Methods/Statistics required modules).
Scottish HND
HND (Social Sciences) with BB in graded unit (Psychology, Research Methods/Statistics required modules) for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: HND (Social Sciences) with AB in graded units (Psychology, Research Methods/Statistics required modules).
Scottish Higher
We will consider T Levels as suitable for entry to our degree programmes, however, certain subject requirements may be required for entry to specific programmes. Where this is not evident as part of the T Level studies, we may ask for additional qualifications.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
BSc Psychology at Heriot-Watt University is accredited by the British Psychological Society – an accreditation required for anyone who wishes to pursue a career as a professional psychologist.
Psychology uses scientific methods to examine key themes in the relationship between mind and behaviour. Through psychological study, we can explore the influence biology has on behaviour; the way humans develop from early infancy to adulthood; and the way people perceive the world, think, solve problems and make decisions.
At Heriot-Watt, we begin with a problem and consider how psychology can help us address it with practical solutions for the real world. We have four specialist research labs which facilitate the work of academics and students alike.
Heriot-Watt’s BSc Psychology degree is informed by the work and knowledge of research-active academics whose expertise in psychology covers three key areas:
• Work, Society and Environment
• Lifespan Health and Wellbeing
• Cognition, Brain and Behaviour
During this degree you will study Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Individual Differences, Psychobiology, and Social Psychology. You will develop advanced skills in research, data gathering, data analysis, and report writing. You will also build your creativity, leadership, teamwork, communication, presentation, and problem-solving abilities. In Year 4 you will undertake your own research project.
**GO GLOBAL WITH PSYCHOLOGY AT HERIOT-WATT**
BSc Psychology is taught across Heriot-Watt University’s three main global campuses in Edinburgh, Dubai, and Malaysia. This means our students can easily transfer for one semester or more across our campuses and continue to study the same content whilst enjoying extremely beneficial life experiences.
**THE PSYCHOLOGY SOCIETY**
The Psychology Society is a student-run group for everyone interested in psychology. It holds regular social events like laser tag, wellbeing walks, and pub quizzes. It also teams up with the academic department to run informal psychology discussion nights in the student union. Our staff regularly bring their research to members of the public with performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where they present their research in unique and engaging ways.
**VOLUNTARY RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROJECT****
At Heriot-Watt University, undergraduate psychology students have the chance to get involved in research being conducted by academic staff and PhD students through our Voluntary Research Assistant project.
**PSYCHOLOGY CAREER PROSPECTS**
Psychology degrees develop a unique combination of interpersonal and transferable skills that are very attractive to employers. Our graduates have an excellent track record in gaining employment across business, teaching, counselling, nursing, marketing, and social work. Many of our students go on to work in clinical psychology, counselling, educational psychology, forensic psychology, and as health and occupational psychologists.
The BSc Psychology degree has been restructured in recent years to give students the chance to focus their studies on the areas of psychology that interest them most. For example, you can make choices from a range of optional courses to follow specialist pathways for Health, Education, Social Work or Business.
**ACCREDITATION**
BSc Psychology at Heriot-Watt University is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and qualifies Honours students for graduate registration with the Society. This is required for those wishing to take professional courses and qualify as professional psychologists (e.g. clinical, forensic, occupational or educational psychologists).
Tuition fees
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What students say
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Psychology (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Psychology (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£23k
£22k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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