Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Psychology

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C-B,B,B

Pass Access to Higher Education Diploma with 60 credits including at least 45 at Level 3

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Grade C/4 or above in GCSE Maths

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24-28

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DMM-DDM

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM-DDM

UCAS Tariff

104-120

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range and you meet any subject specific requirements (where applicable). If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we can still consider your application but will also take into account subjects studied at Level 3, your GCSE (or equivalent) profile and/or relevant non-academic achievements, references and your motivation for study.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Psychology

**Investigate the developing mind, apply social psychology to current events, and develop a scientific understanding of human experience with our BSc Psychology degree**

Explore human psychology, from behaviour to emotions and brain development with our BSc Psychology degree. On this course, you will learn how psychology applies to the individual, institutions, and even to politics.

Our psychology programme is accredited by the British Psychological Society. By successfully completing this course you will be eligible for the Graduate Membership with the British Psychological Society (BPS).

**A supportive community**

We are smaller than many other universities. This means the psychology department can foster a community that provides you with support from staff and peers. Our BSc Psychology student, Maya, tells us their teachers were "warm and friendly, committed to providing amazing opportunities for all of their students".

**Exceptional teaching from research-active staff**

We rose 42 places in the Complete University Guide (2023). Our student, Lara, explains that the teaching on the psychology course is "to the highest standard" and that "the lecturers are incredibly knowledgeable".

Our staff also actively contribute to research, covering:

- non-traditional romantic relationships

- intergroup relationships

- attentional biases associated with anxiety

- intergenerational relationships within family contexts

- decision making

- visuomotor processing.

**Attend talks on key developments**

With our Student Psychology Society, you can attend exciting talks hosted by guest speakers, so you keep up to date with pressing issues and key developments.

**Work placements: build professional experience**

During your Psychology degree, you may also undertake a paid work placement. Our Workplace Learning Team will help organise this and will make sure yours is in a convenient location.

Previous students have worked with:

- charities

- schools

- hospitals

- care settings

- businesses.

Modules

Students complete six modules during their first year which will give them an introduction to Research Methods, and Biological, Social, Cognitive and Developmental Psychology. Conceptual and historical issues will give context and background to current understanding. Alongside your knowledge of the subject, you will also be acquiring and practising academic skills that will underpin your studies. Your second year will again be based around the core themes of the BPS syllabus: Research Methods, Cognitive Psychology, Psychobiology, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Individual Differences. Students wishing to graduate with a BPS accredited programme will complete an Empirical Research Project in a psychology or psychology-related topic. This is an opportunity to carry out original research in an area of your choosing. Although closely supervised by a member of staff, this is very much the student's own work.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,320
per year
International
£16,320
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

St Mary's University, Twickenham

Department:

School of Allied Health and Life Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

89%
Psychology

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 (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

78%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
81%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

72%
Library resources
68%
IT resources
68%
Course specific equipment and facilities
85%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
37%
Male students
63%
Female students
72%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
D

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.

£19,500
high
Average annual salary
91%
low
Employed or in further education
41%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
11%
Teaching and educational professionals
10%
Childcare and related personal services

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

£19k

£22k

£22k

£26k

£26k

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.

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here