Psychology

Psychology is an experimental and
observational science, in which evidence from
research studies is used to develop and evaluate
theories. If you are expecting psychology to tell
you how to read other people’s minds, then you
will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you
enjoy controversy and the critical evaluation of
ideas, and if you like investigating questions
using a scientifc approach, then you will
probably enjoy psychology.
Why study Psychology at
Edinburgh?
Research in Psychology at the University of
Edinburgh has a strong international reputation:
in the most recent Research Assessment
Exercise, 45% of the research output in
Psychology was rated 3* (internationally
excellent), and 15% was rated 4* (world-
leading). You will have the opportunity to learn
from researchers who are leaders in their feld,
because most offer one of the huge range of
specialist fourth year courses that you choose
from in your fnal year. These courses are built
on the close links between teaching and
research that we try to establish here. These
links are also developed through the supervised
research undertaken by third and fourth year
students in specialist areas, some of which has
been published subsequently.
We also have a Voluntary Research Assistant
scheme, which gives honours students
experience of working on an ongoing project
with a member of staff.
Psychology at the University of Edinburgh has
close links not only with the other disciplines
within the School of Philosophy, Psychology &
Language Sciences, but also with a wide variety
of other Schools such as Biological Sciences,
Education, Informatics, and Social & Political
Science. Psychology is located in a large,
elegant building where there are excellent
facilities for teaching, learning and research -
including well-equipped laboratories, computer
suites, a library that honours students regard as
an extremely valuable resource, and a bright,
comfortable concourse, which is a great place
for holding tutorials, supervision and peer
support groups, as well as meeting friends.
What does the degree involve?
In frst to third year, you will study all of the
following core areas:
• cognitive psychology (which investigates
the mental processes involved in
perception, thinking, reasoning, memory
and language);
• individual differences in personality,
intelligence and mental abilities;
• biological and comparative psychology
(how the brain works and what the study
of animal behaviour can teach us about
human behaviour);
• social psychology (how behaviour is
infuenced by other people’s attitudes or
by the social context);
• developmental psychology (how abilities,
behaviour and characteristics change with
age).
Thus, you will have studied all (single honours)
or most (combined honours) of the core areas
required for an accredited degree to an
advanced level, so that you have more freedom
to develop your own areas of interest in your
fnal year.
In the fourth year, you will select specialised
subjects from over twenty courses on offer,
covering a very wide range of topics. For
example, some current options are: basic
tendencies of personality; causes and
consequences of personality; memory, ageing
and the brain; children with language
impairments; Marxist psychology; clinical
neuropsychology; critical social psychology;
frontal lobe functions; history of unorthodox
psychology; human working memory; mind,
body and consciousness; neuropsychology of
perception and action; parapsychology;
psycholinguistics of language production;
psychological therapies; social judgement and
decision making; eye movements and visual
cognition.
Throughout all four years, you will learn about
research methods and statistics with an applied
approach and focus on transferable skills. This
will include learning how to design
psychological experiments, how to use a variety
of research methods, how to use statistical
techniques to analyse your fndings, how to do
qualitative research, and how to interpret
evidence from psychological research
appropriately.
What can I study Psychology with?
Psychology can be studied with many other
subjects, leading to several different degrees.
The content of the Psychology courses is
identical in these different degrees, but there
are some restrictions if you want your degree
accredited by the British Psychological Society.
The range and extent of the subjects you study
alongside Psychology will determine the degree
you undertake.
Students studying towards the BSc Psychology
(UCAS Code C800) choose Biology courses
from a range including animal biology, medical
biology, physiology and neuroscience with
pharmacology, alongside their Psychology
courses in frst and second years. In their third
and fourth years, they take only Psychology
courses.
Psychology can also be studied as a combined
honours MA degree with Business Studies,
Linguistics, Philosophy and Sociology. In the
third and fourth year of these joint honours
degrees, each of the two named subjects
accounts for approximately half of your study
time.
In addition, Psychology can be studied as part
of the MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) and
the BSc Cognitive Science.
Psychology
The University of Edinburgh
College of Humanities and Social Science
April 2014
What is Psychology?
Psychology deals with the understanding and explanation of
behaviour and experience, and with how these change and develop
throughout our lives. Psychologists are interested in many factors
that affect our behaviour - from biological bases to social infuences.
They also study how we perceive our environment; how we think,
learn and remember; how we communicate, both through language
and non-verbally; how we differ from one another in personality and
abilities; with what changes, and how, throughout our lives.
Degrees in Humanities and Social Science Degree in Science and Engineering
MA Honours in:
Psychology
Psychology and Business
Psychology and Linguistics
Philosophy and Psychology
Sociology and Psychology
Cognitive Science (Humanities)*
BSc Honours in:
Psychology
BSc Honours in:
Cognitive Science*
* Please see separate information sheets on Cognitive Science MA and BSc
What sort of teaching and
assessment methods are used?
Courses are taught through a combination of
lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical classes,
project work and computer-based exercises
(e.g. in research methods and statistics).
Carrying out your own experiments and
research projects, writing scientifc reports, and
presenting your research to fellow students and
staff in seminars and through poster
presentations, are important aspects of
studying Psychology. Second and third year
courses therefore contain an important
practical component. All fourth year students
carry out a research project on a topic of their
choosing and write an 8,000 word dissertation
on it.
First and second year work is assessed
through a combination of coursework (essays
and practical reports) and examinations. Entry
to honours is decided at the end of second year
on the basis of performance in coursework and
examinations. Final honours degree
classifcations are awarded on the basis of third
and fourth year examinations and continuous
assessment.
Are there any opportunities to
study abroad?
A small number of students (usually in third year)
elect to spend a year studying at either a
European or a North American University -
Psychology has particular links with Grenoble in
France, Amsterdam in The Netherlands, and
Copenhagen in Denmark. Individual
programmes are devised with the help of your
Personal Tutor and the University’s International
Offce.
What can I do after my degree?
All honours Psychology degrees at the
University of Edinburgh are accredited by the
British Psychological Society enabling you to go
on to further professional training. This will
mean taking a postgraduate qualifcation in
clinical, educational, occupational, health, or
forensic psychology. Because of its unique
combination of both scientifc and humanistic
approaches, a degree in psychology equips you
for a wide range of careers. The transferable
skills such as research, statistical, IT, writing and
communication as well as group work skills,
which you develop throughout the course, are
valued very much by employers in various
sectors. Previous graduates have gone on to
work in health care, social services or personnel,
human resources, management, business and
fnance, media and advertising, law, medicine,
sports and politics.
How do I fnd out more?
You will fnd our most up to date entry
requirements at: www.ed.ac.uk/studying/
undergraduate/degrees
We strongly encourage you to visit the
Psychology website: www.psy.ed.ac.uk
Here you will also be able to explore some of
the outside links, particularly to the British
Psychological Society. The ‘Teaching’ section of
our website has full details on all the lectures at
every level of the course.
We can also be contacted as follows:
Psychology
PPLS
The University of Edinburgh
Dugald Stewart Building
Charles Street
Edinburgh, EH8 9AD
Tel: 0131 650 3440
Email: [email protected]
“I find Psychology interesting because it is able to take in different
areas of other subjects and apply them to people. In a single day,
biological, social and mental aspects can all be covered. It is this
diversity that makes it such a fascinating subject as, whatever your
interest, it is likely Psychology has something to offer”
Recent Psychology graduate
Typical degree curriculum: MA / BSc Psychology
1
st
Year MA 2
nd
Year MA 3
rd
Year MA/BSc 4
th
Year MA/BSc
Psychology 1 (40 credits)
Choice from a range of outside courses
(80 credits)
Psychology 2 (40 credits)
Choice from a range of outside courses
(80 credits)
Methodology 1 (10 credits)
Methodology 2 (10 credits)
Psychology Group Project
(10 credits)
Psychology Literature Review
(10 credits)
Critical Analysis (10 credits)
Psychology courses (70 credits)
Dissertation in Psychology (40 credits)
General Paper in Psychology (10 credits)
Choice from a range of Psychology
courses (60 credits)
Tutorial and coursework assessments
(10 credits)
1
st
Year BSc 2
nd
Year BSc
Psychology 1 (40 credits)
Origin and Diversity of Life
(20 credits)
Molecules, Genes and Cells 1
(20 credits)
Choice from a range of outside courses
(40 credits)
Psychology 2 (40 credits)
Choose three from a range of Biology
courses (60 credits)
Choice from a range of outside courses
(20 credits)
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For more
detailed information
on degree structure
and content, please see:
www.ed.ac.uk/schools-
departments/student-
recruitment/publications-
resources/degree-
programmes