by Kath Smith
There are a huge number of psychology degrees available.
Many offer general psychology courses, covering the main areas of Psychology.
Some are more specialised including degrees in occupational psychology, psychology and counselling, social psychology, psychology and criminology. Reading the exact content of such degree courses is essential, as some do turn out to contain quite a lot of general psychology. If choosing a more specialist degree it is important to thoroughly research the content to ensure that you will be able to sustain interest for 3 years. You must also consider whether you choice of career will be very restricted because of the restricted content of the degree. A course which covers mostly counselling will only interest a narrow range of employers and will make a change of career more difficult. Other specialist degrees may however include a number of transferable skills e.g. computing and research techniques which a range of employers may find attractive.
Advice. Unless you have a real urge to take a specialist degree it is probably best to take a general one.
It is also possible to take a combined degree. The range is large, including psychology and economics, biology, law, Spanish, women’s studies, sports science and music to name a few. Choice of university may be limited if the combination is an unusual one.
GRADUATE BASIS FOR REGISTRATION.
The British Psychological Society is the professional body which monitors the behaviour of psychologists. Many degrees have been approved by the BPS and confer the Graduate Basis for Registration. This will be important if;
You want to take a post graduate course in psychology e.g. clinical psychology, educational psychology.
You want to work as a professional psychologist and be registered as a Chartered Psychologist. Anybody can call themselves a psychologist, but you can only call yourself a Chartered Psychologist if you are registered. You are registered by the BPS and it is a guarantee to the public that you are properly trained and can be trusted! Register are available in public reference libraries.
Advice. Even if you don’t want to be a professional psychologist or take a post graduate psychology course it is still best to take a degree that confers the graduate basis for registration just in case you change your mind. If you take a psychology degree that is not recognised by the BPS it is possible to take a conversion course ( but this takes a couple of years and can be expensive ) or to take an exam. If you are sure that you do not want to follow a degree in psychology you may find that degrees that do not offer the Graduate Basis for Registration have a more varied content.
If you take a combined degree at least 50% of it must be psychology in order to get the graduate basis for registration.
To check if a degree has been approved by the BPS look in the prospectus or phone the university and ask. If you are told that they have applied but it hasn’t yet been granted, don’t take the risk.
If the prospectus says that the course allows graduate membership of the BPS this is not the same as conferring the graduate basis for registration. Don’t be tricked.
BSc or BA?
Some degrees offer a BSc in Psychology and others offer a BA. Often there is little difference in the content of the 2 types of degree and there tends to be just as much on research methods and statistics in a BA. A BSc may do more biological and cognitive psychology and the university may be particularly interested in you having science and maths A levels
A level qualifications
Many universities are looking for high grades at A level e.g. BBB, BBC. There are courses that accept lower grades and some will accept you with 2 A levels. Some courses ask for science A levels ( psychology may or may not be counted as a science ) and some will look favourably on those who have A level maths. Psychology at A level is not required and some places actually prefer you not to have done any psychology before ! If you have taken A level psychology they may well ask for a high grade e.g. Essex prefer you to have at least a B.
You will be expected to have maths GCSE at grade C or above and some places are now asking for a B in maths.
Further factors that may influence your choice.
The area in which you wish to live, the price of accommodation, travel and beer in that area ( London is obviously expensive ), whether you would prefer to live on a campus or away from the university etc.
Assessment methods. Some degrees do not involve any coursework, whilst with others the coursework may account for over 50% of the final grade.
Whether the university has a good reputation for its research. Examples include Bangor, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Kent, Lancaster, Leeds, London - Royal Holloway and University college, Nottingham, Reading, Sheffield, Surrey, Swansea and York. There are obviously many other universities with excellent reputations as well.
Where to find further information.
Computer programs such as WHICH ( available in careers ) and ECCTIS ( available on the network ) These allow you to obtain information on psychology courses throughout the country.
There are a couple of useful books in careers which also guide you through your choice of degree. these are:
Gale Which degree course. Published by the BPS
Getting into Psychology. Published by Trotman
CRAC degree course guide to Psychology. These are available in the careers library. This guide provides detailed information about courses.
Careers also houses a selection of prospectuses from different universities.
What to do after you have obtained a Psychology degree.
Some people chose to take their Psychology further and take a postgraduate course in Psychology. These include such areas as clinical , occupational, forensic and educational psychology. Some chose to do research in psychology and perhaps take a PhD.
If you want information on any of the above options you can visit careers. They have a Psychology draw which contains leaflets about such careers. You can also write to the British Psychological Society. The address is available in careers.
There are many other occupations where a degree in Psychology is useful. These include teaching, nursing, social work, advertising, market research and personnel. Taking a degree in Psychology should equip you with a broad range of skills that will be attractive to many employers.
Educational Psychology and taking a PGCE following a Psychology degree can be a problem. If you are considering either of these options take further advice.