Philosophy and Psychological Studies (Q43)
Open University
UCAS Code: Not applicable | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Open University
UCAS Code: Not applicable | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
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About this course
Philosophy and psychology seek to answer profound questions about ourselves and our place in the social and physical universe. In this degree you'll investigate a range of philosophical debates about ethics, justice, scientific knowledge, religion, art, and the self. You'll cover the core approaches in social, cognitive and developmental psychology, and some applied aspects of professional practice. You’ll learn to read and understand scientific and philosophical texts; use different research methods; communicate clearly and logically; and work and think independently.
**Key features of the course**
- Investigate profound questions about human minds and behaviour from two complementary perspectives.
- Engage with current research and discover how both psychologists and philosophers address pressing, real-life issues.
- Learn how to evaluate evidence, construct well-informed arguments and present your conclusions convincingly.
- Develop valuable transferable skills that are highly prized in the workplace, including skills in communication, problem-solving, numeracy and self-management.
Modules
This degree has three stages, each comprising two modules.
At Stage 1 you’ll study two compulsory modules that will introduce you to arts and humanities and the study of psychology.
You’ll develop essential study skills while engaging with a wide range of topics in the arts and humanities before you are introduced to some of the key topics in psychology. Together, these subject areas provide sound preparation for your Stage 2 philosophy and psychology modules.
Next, in Stage 2, you’ll study two further compulsory modules, one in each of philosophy and psychology.
You’ll investigate the diverging ideas of philosophers past and present in areas such as the self, ethics, the philosophy of religion, knowledge and science, the mind, and political philosophy. You’ll also explore a broad range of psychological approaches to areas such as identity, language and meaning, personality and the social world – while exploring contemporary psychology and its historical roots.
Finally, in Stage 3, you’ll study one compulsory philosophy module and choose from two psychology options.
You’ll complete your study of philosophy by exploring questions about the value of fiction, the ethics of war, life and death, knowledge and reason. In psychology, you can choose between focusing on social psychology, exploring issues such as gender, multiculturalism, global conflicts and work; or exploring the relationship between counselling and forensic psychology.
Tuition fees
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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?
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Philosophy
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Psychology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
After graduation
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Philosophy
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
Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.
Psychology
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.
Philosophy
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£26k
£30k
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.
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.
£16k
£23k
£25k
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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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:
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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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