UCAS Psychology - How do I decide on a Psychology course?

There are hundreds of Psychology courses…how on earth do you decide? As with the choice of university there are several different considerations to inform your decision…

1: Rankings

Just google ‘University rankings for Psychology degrees’ and you will have a choice of league tables to look through. This shows how degrees compare with one another with regard to several criteria such as satisfaction with teaching, student experience and value for money.

You need to consider what you think you will achieve in your A levels. The universities with the highest rankings ask for the highest grades. Most of the tables will give average offer points. You need to add up what you’re likely to get; A= 120 B= 100 C=80 D=60 and E=40 for A level. Half the figure if you will have an extra AS level, so, for example, if you have, or will have, a C grade at AS level in another subject ( usually your fourth one) add 40 to your total.

It’s important to do this tally because your choices need to be realistic. Be honest with yourself.

2: The possibilities

If you feel you want to experience time abroad it is possible with some degrees to have a term or a year abroad. This is something you might really want to do so check whether your course has this possibility

3: Combining with other subjects

It may be that you are interested in a degree which combines Psychology with another subject. These are a great idea if you really want to study two subjects to degree level, but if you think you will wish to pursue a Psychology career then you will need to have Graduate Basis of Registration(GBR) which is awarded by the British Psychological Society. This may not apply to combined degrees and without it you will have problems accessing post graduate courses in Psychology to become, for example, a clinical, educational or forensic psychologist. Check this!

If your degree doesn’t have GBR and you wish to become a psychologist you will have to complete a conversion course which would mean another year of study full time (or 2 years part time). So it is possible, but will take more time.

4: The department

A useful consideration in choosing courses is the ‘flavour of the department’. You will find that all psychology degrees offer a good grounding in the subject but when you enter your last year you will have a dissertation to write and psychology specific modules to attend. These will be based around the specialisms and research interests of the Professors and senior lecturers in your department… so have a dig around and see what each department offers and what the research interests are. It may help you make the decision.

Don’t forget…The UCAS website is a fantastic resource and should be your first place to look for help and information