Introduction
Explore the science and history of the way we think, with access to state-of-the-art psychology facilities in our Science Centre in Cambridge.
Psychology affects everything we do. You’re curious about people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour – and that’s what sits at the heart of our British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degree course.
We’ll encourage you to keep asking questions, to develop the scientific, analytical and research skills you need to become a psychologist. Together, we’ll explore the different facets of psychology including applied, social and clinical psychology, cognitive neuroscience and biological psychology.
By studying BSc (Hons) Psychology at ARU, you’ll immerse yourself in the science of mind and behaviour – and take the first step towards a career as a chartered psychologist.
Psychology is a broad field and there are many areas you could specialise in.
Our BSc (Hons) Psychology degree will give you a sound understanding of the main principles of psychology. But we know you’ll find particular areas that you’re fascinated by. All psychologists do. So, right from Year 1, our optional modules give you the freedom to explore your own interests in more depth.
You’ll learn from expert tutors who are actively engaged in research work. And you can take advantage of our specialist facilities too, including laboratories for measuring electrical activity in the brain, eye movement, psychoneuroimmunology, emotions and communication, psychometrics, and much more.
Outside of the lab, there’s the chance to join weekly seminars from guest speakers and take an optional placement year.
After graduation, you can continue your professional training and find a career that’s perfect for you. You might choose to specialise as a forensic, clinical, health or occupational psychologist. The choice is yours.
TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT
Year 1
In your first year as a psychology undergraduate, you’ll learn all about the ideas that underpin modern psychology, including psychoanalysis, biological psychology and behaviourism.
We look at how psychologists work today, and the current model used to understand mind and behaviour. We cover social and developmental psychology too, and the interrelated areas of language, and cognitive and emotional development.
All psychologists are skilled in understanding and conducting research. We’ll get a thorough grounding in these skills, and you’ll make good use of them throughout your degree.
We also start to specialise, with optional modules on human behaviour, and mental health and illness. Plus there’s the chance to learn a language, with our Anglia Language Programme.
Modules are subject to change and availability.
Year 2
This year sees you building on the knowledge and skills you gained in Year 1.
Once again we focus on strengthening your research skills. We look at statistics, data collection and analysis; and at research projects directly involving people, or observation of people’s behaviour. You’ll put together a research proposal, or ‘call for funding’, and consider research ethics.
We continue to study social psychology and human behaviour, touching on topics including perception, learning, memory, language and social cognition. And finally, we look at mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. You’ll develop your knowledge of diagnostic criteria and the importance of understanding and treating the individual.
Modules are subject to change and availability.
Year 3
Year 3 of your psychology degree is all about exploring subjects that are of real interest to you.
You’ll start work on your Major Project: planning, designing and conducting a research project, collecting data and analysing the results.
There’s also a raft of optional modules on offer. Delve into cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, consumer psychology, forensic psychology and the emerging area of cyberpsychology. Investigate lifespan development and atypical development, covering subjects such as autism. Learn about the main interventions used by psychologists. And examine topics from sexuality and gender, to stress and emotion. When you graduate, you’ll be well-prepared for further, specialist training as you embark on your career in psychology.
Modules are subject to change and availability.
Facilities and accreditation
Specialist labs
At ARU you’ll be based in our £45m Science Centre. It opened in 2018 and features a range of psychology labs including:
- EEG Lab
- Perception Lab
- Neuroscience Lab
- Developmental Lab
- Psychometrics Lab.
Industry-standard equipment
Our labs house commercial software packages and specialist psychological equipment such as:
- PowerLab devices for monitoring emotional and physiological response
- a portable Nexus device, for recording similar activity outside the lab
- a Tobii Pro 300TX eyetracker
- driving simulator
- Oculus Rift VR headset
- visual and acoustic stimulation systems
- functional near-infrared spectroscopy
- 64 channel Brain Vision EEG/ERP system.
British Psychological Society
Achieve a second-class honours degree or above, and you’ll be eligible for graduate chartered membership of the British Psychological Society. It’s your first step towards becoming a chartered psychologist.
Careers
Psychology graduates are in demand.
As a graduate chartered member of the British Psychological Society, you could undertake further training to become a counselling or clinical psychologist, or specialise in areas like health, educational or forensic psychology.
Psychologists have skills that are sought after in other industries too, including the ability to understand social behaviour and analyse data.
Whichever path interests you most, you can be sure that you’ll graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities that industry needs. We work with employers, and they help us review what we teach and how we teach it – offering hands-on, practical opportunities to learn through work-based projects, internships or placements.
Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us. If you’d like to continue your studies, we offer a range of postgraduate degrees including MSc Foundations in Clinical Psychology, MSc Clinical Child Psychology, and MSc Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.
