What is it Like to Study Psychology at University?

Psychology degrees have seen a massive upsurge in popularity in recent years. These degrees have become the staples of many university undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums, along with law and business studies.

Before going to university, prospective students like to know what they’re setting themselves up for with a degree, so they will often look into what a degree is like at university before studying.

What do I need to study psychology?

A passion for the subject is absolutely key, you certainly do not want to be studying a subject that you don’t love – especially one like psychology, where the intensity of the course starts from the very beginning.

With regards to the required A-Levels you need for the course, it can vary depending on the university that you happen to be studying at, however, the main consensus among most universities is that you will need essentially all A’s or A*’s at A-Level in Mathematics, Physics, Biology or Chemistry if you want to be in with a chance of a place.

Although not all of these A-Levels are required by all of the universities we recommend having a look into this before you start applying, there may even be an admissions test before you start, too.

The cost of university is always changing, but there are always a number of grants, scholarships and bursaries to help with the financial side of a degree if you require them.

How much reading is involved?

According to students studying psychology, there is quite a lot of reading that you need to do. Psychology is one of the more difficult degrees and many of your assignments will require you to cite your sources and will require you to back up a lot of the arguments that you have. Also, a lot of your learning will be done in lectures but with a particular focus on various academic’s views and opinions on psychology.

In fact, the world of psychology is changing every single day, so there will constantly be a need to read up on the most recent studies by industry professionals, who will regularly detail their experiences with certain techniques or new innovations in the sector, all of which are essential if you’re studying a psychology degree.

How difficult is it to study psychology?

The degree is difficult no matter what aspect of psychology you happen to be studying, don’t take this too hard, no university degree is easy.

A psychology degree tends to focus more on coursework, exams and lectures, although there will be the occasional need for practical work too. But the rewards from a degree in psychology are far more rewarding. Just be prepared for a lot of work.

Psychology will always have an element of difficulty regardless of what level of university or college you're studying it in, just make sure you read as much as possible before you start work. It is possible to have your workload lightened slightly if you are studying an online psychology degree.

The modules will change depending on the university you are at and in which particular discipline of psychology you are studying, however, the usual psychology modules are:

• Introduction to social and differential psychology
• Language and communication
• Neural basis of vision and action
• Research methods C
• Research methods D
• Social and cognitive development

These modules are studied in a more in-depth nature at a postgraduate level. Some of the careers listed below require you to have studied these modules at a postgraduate level before.

How much coursework is involved when studying psychology?

The amount of coursework can vary depending on what area of psychology you are studying and which university you are studying at. The general view of the coursework that psychology offers is that it is tremendously difficult. The coursework deadlines are apparently not very flexible either; we recommend that once you’re set an assignment that you crack on with that as soon as you possibly can, which is a good bit of advice for any university degree really.

The coursework also has a minimum grade rating for you to achieve what you need in the degree. Some universities will not accept some coursework with a grade below C or some even below a B or A! We recommend that you knuckle down with the coursework if you plan on doing this at university.

How much does it cost to study psychology?

It’s almost impossible to get the exact costing of an undergraduate psychology degree as costings tend to vary depending on the university that you happen to be studying at, however, an estimated £8,500 – £12,000 tuition fee undergraduate degree is a fair estimate. Prices can be either side of those prices depending on the university and the tier of the degree that you do.

The cost of university is always changing, but there are always a number of grants, scholarships and bursaries to help with the financial side of a degree if you require them.

The degree is difficult no matter what aspect of psychology you happen to be studying, don’t take this too hard, no university degree is easy.

What jobs can you get with a psychology degree?

The likelihood of a job at the end of a degree is difficult for everyone, however with psychology degrees the jobs can be difficult to find. It all depends on what your goals are and what you want to do.

If you want to become a clinical psychologist for instance, then we recommend looking into this more with your tutor and trying to gain some work experience where and when you can. However, psychology does have the added benefit of having more jobs that can operate slightly outside the remit of psychology, which you can see below!

• Actuarial analyst
• Advertising account planner
• Advice worker
• Careers advisor
• Clinical psychologist
• Counselling psychologist
• Counsellor
• Educational psychologist
• Forensic accountant
• Forensic psychologist
• Further education teacher
• Health psychologist
• Occupational psychologist
• Primary care graduate mental health worker
• Psychological wellbeing practitioner
• Sport and exercise psychologist