Yahoo News Best ten UK universities to study psychology
Fascinated by the inner workings of the human mind? A degree in psychology can be incredibly rewarding and lead to a whole host of careers - whether you want to work as a psychologist or do something completely different.
Here, we list the top ten UK universities that offer psychology degrees, with information on entry requirements, the course and the biggest advantage to studying there.
The rankings are based on the latest data from the Complete University Guide, which ranks university courses according to graduate prospects, entry standards, research quality and student satisfaction.
10. Loughborough University
Entry requirements: AAB
The course: Loughborough's psychology department prides itself on its academics, whom it describes as "leaders in their fields of research". Compulsive modules for undergraduates include cognitive, social, biological, developmental and experimental psychology.
Students are also encouraged to develop the necessary skills for carrying out psychological research. A number of degrees are available, including Business Psychology, Social Psychology, Sport and Exercise Psychology and Psychology with Criminology.
Biggest advantage: Students can opt to study abroad for a year. Alternatively, they can take a year-long work placement, which will help them to build valuable contacts and real-life skills.
Click here to read our guide to the University of Loughborough
9. University of Exeter
Entry requirements: AAA - AAB
The course: This degree is designed to provide students with an excellent foundation in key areas of psychology - including developmental, cognitive, biological, social, clinical and personality - as well as in research methods and data analysis.
Students can opt to study abroad between their second and final years at an institution with links to Exeter. Work there will count towards their degree.
Biggest advantage: State-of-the-art facilities, including the Mood Disorders Centre and labs where students can interview brain-damaged and depressed patients.
Click here to read our guide to the University of Exeter
8. University of Glasgow
Entry requirements: AAB (A-level); AABB - AAAAAA (Scottish Highers)
The course: A degree in psychology at the University of Glasgow is designed to help students develop their independent research and communication skills, as well as critical thinking.
This is achieved through a combination of lectures, coursework and practical lab classes, during which they are introduced to key theories, literature and experiments in the field.
Biggest advantage: Students can study abroad either through the Erasmus+ programme or the International Exchange programme.
Click here to read our guide to the University of Glasgow
7. University of Birmingham
Entry requirements: AAA
The course: Students cover all areas that make up the core of contemporary psychology, including child development, learning, abnormal behaviour, cognitive psychology, perception, personality, social psychology, and brain and behaviour.
In their third year, they can concentrate on the themes that interest them most, by choosing four modules from a wide range of subjects.
Biggest advantage: The department has top scores in research quality and graduate prospects. Specialist research centres at the university include the Centre for Human Brain Health, the Institute for Mental Health and the Centre for Applied Psychology.
Click here to read our guide to the University of Birmingham
6. University College London (UCL)
Entry requirements: A*AA
The course: This degree covers a wide spectrum of subjects as well as giving students the opportunity to specialise.
Compulsory modules include the study of experimental design in psychology, the neurological underpinnings of behaviour, health and clinical psychology, language, cognition, individual differences, social psychology and perception.
Optional modules range from Human Learning and Memory to Organisational Psychology.
Biggest advantage: The department scores highly on research quality. Indeed, the UCL Division of Psychology & Language Sciences is one of the largest centres of psychology teaching and research in the UK.
Click here to read our guide to University College London
5. Durham University
Entry requirements: AAA
The course: Students are given a thorough grounding in psychology through a series of core modules in their first and second years, including Cognitive and Biological Psychology, Psychological Research and Statistics for Psychology.
In their third year, they can choose from a variety of optional modules, ranging from Psychopathy to Child Health in a Social Context, before carrying out a research project of their choice.
Biggest advantage: Staff have a wide range of research interests, which allow the department to offer a broad range of final-year course options.
Click here to read our guide to Durham University
4. University of St Andrews
Entry requirements: AAB (A-level); AAAB (Scottish Highers)
The course: Students can choose to study psychology either in the Science or Arts faculty. Compulsory topics in the first two years of study include the theoretical foundations and modern developments of psychology, the empirical basis of psychology, and an introduction to a variety of subjects in contemporary psychology.
Students who do well in their second year can go on to do the two-year Honours programme, where they will have the chance to develop their research skills.
Biggest advantage: The department has links with several American, Canadian and Australian universities - including the University of California and the University of Melbourne - where students can spend a year abroad.
Click here to read our guide to the University of St Andrews
3. University of Cambridge
Entry requirements: A*AA
The course:The Psychological and Behavioural Sciences course at Cambridge covers all aspects of psychology, including behavioural and cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, social psychology, as well as atypical development and adult psychopathology.
Students are given plenty of choice, with topics ranging from brain mechanisms to group social behaviour.
Biggest advantage: Graduates have excellent career prospects: past alumni hold prominent positions in psychology and related fields across the world. Others have entered careers in the media, management, the Civil Service, finance, law and business.
Click here to read our guide to the University of Cambridge
2. University of Bath
Entry requirements: A*AA
The course: Bath psychology students are given a solid grounding in the discipline, with a focus on biological, clinical, cognitive, health and social psychology.
Compulsory modules in the first and second years range from Quantitative Research Methods to Controversies in Psychology and Developmental Psychology. In their final year, students complete their own research project and select optional units.
Biggest advantage: Bath is one of the few universities to offer psychology students a placement opportunity, where they can apply the theory they have learned in a practical context.
Past placements have been made at the Centre for Research in Autism and Education, the National Crime Agency, Inspectorate of Prisons and Great Ormond Street Hospital - among others.
Click here to read our guide to the University of Bath
1. University of Oxford
Entry requirements: A*AA
The course: The Experimental Psychology degree offered at Oxford is taught as a scientific discipline, and involves lots of practical work and experimentation.
Areas of study include biological, human experimental, cognitive, social and developmental psychology and neuroscience. In their final year, students can conduct their own research project on a topic of their choice.
Biggest advantage: Oxford's renowned tutorial system. Tutorials consist of a weekly one-hour meeting with a tutor, during which a piece of written work is read and commented upon.
Click here to read our guide to the University of Oxford
