Psychology
Abertay University
UCAS Code: C800 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Abertay University
UCAS Code: C800 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Entry into Year 2 with AAB to include Psychology and one from Government & Politics, English, Sociology, History, Chemistry, Biology, Human Biology, Maths or Physics
HNC (BTEC)
Entry into Year with HNC (BTEC) Health & Social Care
HND (BTEC)
Entry into Year 1 with HND (BTEC) Health & Social Care
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Entry into Year 2 with 34 Points to include Psychology and one from Modern Studies, English, Sociology, History, Chemistry, Biology, Human Biology, Maths or Physics plus one other AH
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Health & Social Care
Scottish Advanced Higher
Entry into Year 2 to include Psychology and one from Modern Studies, English, Sociology, History, Chemistry, Biology, Human Biology, Maths or Physics
Scottish HNC
Entry into Year 2 with an HNC in one of the following:- Applied Science - Graded Unit B plus Higher Psychology at C Social Science - Graded Unit C Next Gen Social Science - Graded Unit P to include Psychology A and Psychology B Entry into Year 1 with an HNC in one of the following:- Additional Support Needs - Graded Unit C Childhood Practice - Graded Unit C Coaching & Developing Sport - Graded Unit C Counselling - Graded Unit C Legal Services - Graded Unit C Police Studies - Graded Unit C Social Care - Graded Unit C Social Services - Graded Unit C Working with Communities - Graded Unit C
Scottish HND
Entry into Year 2 with HND Social Science - Graded Units CC Entry into Year 1 with an HND in one of the following:- Additional Support Needs - Graded Unit C Counselling - Graded Unit C Legal Services - Graded Units CC
Scottish Higher
T Level
Pass (C and above)
in Core Component. Education & Early Years Health Healthcare Science Science Legal Services
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Psychology is the scientific study of the most complex machine imaginable: the human mind. Study the science behind human behaviour, and tailor your studies to suit your interests on this flexible degree.**
You’ll explore how actions, interactions, thoughts and feelings trigger our behaviours. Then you can put your learning into practice with an optional work placement, discovering how theory applies to real-life situations. This means you develop a wide breadth of expertise and skills. You’ll graduate with a deep understanding of how psychology impacts our everyday life and a set of valuable transferable skills.
You'll learn:
- How we understand, think and learn about the world around us.
- How memory is formed and what impacts on the way we remember.
- How everyone uses verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.
- How biological and social factors influence behaviour.
- How cognition, emotion and socialisation develop across our lifespan.
Psychology is both an experimental and observational science. This means you will observe and measure human behaviour, tackle literature searches, then develop, test, and evaluate theories. This culminates in designing and conducting your own supervised research project in your final year, which is one of the cornerstones of your degree.
**This degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)** and its core areas follow the curriculum set out by the BPS. This is essential if you want to become a Chartered Psychologist and means successful graduates can apply for further professional training.
**Psychology degrees here at Abertay are flexible**. You can switch to another 'Psychology with' pathway if you develop an interest in a particular topic later.
**No other Scottish university is offering these flexible undergraduate degree pathways in psychology**. We believe this gives you a distinct edge when it comes to applying for postgraduate study or employment.
This course is in the **UK Top 10 for Course Satisfaction in the 2023 Guardian University Guide**.
Modules
Year 1 core modules (subject to change over time) - PSY101 Introductory Psychology; PSY104 Comparative Psychology; PSY105 Introduction to Psychological Research Methods; Abertay 101 Being Successful at Abertay.
You will also be required to select two option modules, one in Term 1 and one in Term 2. In Term 2 you must study and pass three MySuccess modules of your choosing. For detailed module information please check our website.
Assessment methods
The programme is a mixture of lectures, practical laboratory classes, seminars/tutorials and independent study. The practical laboratory classes offer the chance to learn relevant scientific techniques first hand, and an opportunity to engage in research by designing experiments and collecting and analysing data. You are assessed using a variety of assessment types. These include examinations and class tests, laboratory reports, essays, presentations (both oral and posters), research projects and writing scientific articles and case studies. Assessment is through a range of methods including exams, tests, practical laboratory reports and student presentations.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Abertay Campus
Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
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.
£18k
£21k
£27k
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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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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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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