Psychology Degree, whats involved?

In the UK, a psychology honours degree looks at theory in psychology and how this has been supported by research and put into practice.

A typical degree would involve being taught a large amount of theory on many different topics, such as cognitive, evolutionary, social and biological psychology to name a few. This is always accompanied by examining research studies which have supported and contested current theories. Throughout a psychology degree you are required to develop strong critical thinking skills and be able to construct valid arguments both for and against theories-no theory is without it's weak points. The degree will also look at how theory and research has been applied to aspects of psychology in society, such as in forensic, clinical and educational settings.

Research is a large component of any psychology degree and this involves learning the many methodologies adopted in psychological research. They fall into two broad categories, namely qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative studies are usually experimental and use statistics for analysis. Qualitative studies are less 'scientific' as they gain data using interviews etc, but they are just as imporant as experiments. A psychology degree would teach you about both these broad methodologies (there is a LOT to learn!), including the use of some quite complex statistics for analysis. The use of qualitative methods is becoming more popular in psychology and so chances are the research you do throughout your degree will involve you using both methods at some point. The study of research methods also involves learning about ethics.

You will also have to design and conduct your own research, usually for your dissertation. Here you design, conduct, analyse and write up a report on your findings. Some universities also have a placement scheme for undergraduate psychology students to spend a period of time working in a psychology role, but not all Uni's offer this.

Many people assume that a psychology degree teaches you how to 'read' people to the point that you become almost psychic around others, but this is just not the case! A psychology degree equips you with the skills to be critical of 'obvious' answers, to use evidence rather than just accepting so called 'common sense' answers and to be creative in finding solutions to problems that aren't as black and white as they appear. The content of the degree varies so much because it ranges from examining the behaviour of groups or crowds of people, to very indepth descriptions of how the eye and brain perceive a simple picture. It incorporates some very different subjects such as sociology, biology, history, philosophy and even subjects like linguistics.

Your assessment would usually involve writing essays, research proposals, research reports and literature reviews. You will also need to do various written exams, a dissertation and possibly an oral presentation of your dissertation findings.

Try going to the British Psychological Society website at www.bps.org.uk for more info.

Hope this helps!

Are you in the UK?

Try going on the websites of universities, and search the Undergraduate Prospectus for Psychology. Just search in google some like Bristol University, or Manchester, you'll get everything you'll need.

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