Psychology is an immensely popular subject to study at university in the UK with many uses in the fields of health, education, business, law and marketing as well as others. In this article, we discuss the merits of studying Psychology at university as well as how to best prepare for UK university applications to study Psychology.

University courses for psychology do not usually have any required subjects that you must have studied in order to apply. However, below is a list of subjects that have a bearing on different aspects of psychology and are therefore useful to explore in preparation for a psychology degree.

• Psychology

• Biology

• Mathematics

• English

• Human Geography

• Anthropology

• History

• Economics

It is also important to note that some Psychology degree courses are accredited by following the guidelines of the British Psychological Society which will affect you if you wish to work as a practising psychologist with chartered status. To learn more about the different psychology courses available for study at university level in the UK, visit the UCAS website here.

Depending on the university, psychological research facilities will differ and they will have a greater focus on different areas such as scientific research or applied psychology. Regarding where to study Psychology in the UK, below are the top ten UK universities renowned for their courses in psychology:

• University of St Andrews

• University of Cambridge

• University of Oxford

• University College London

• University of Bath

• Loughborough University

• Durham University

• University of Surrey

• University of York

• University of Birmingham

As you develop further in your degree, you will have the opportunity to focus on specific areas - these are often related to any specialisms explored at your university. When studying a psychology degree in the UK, you are likely to cover the more general areas below.

• Research methods – how to create accurate experiments and process the data.

• Statistics – how to interpret mass data and draw conclusions from it.

• Cognition – this involves multiple topics such as learning, language, memory and thought.

• Biological psychology – how the structure of the body, especially the brain affects the mind.

• Developmental psychology – how the psychology of children develops as they mature.

• Social psychology – differences and interactions between individual and group psychology

A wealth of resources for the study of Psychology can be found online with some of the best examples linked below. For any students interested in or preparing for the study of Psychology at university, the best preparation is to read extensively and critically discuss ideas with like-minded individuals. Get into the habit of routinely reading academic psychology research to develop your vocabulary and awareness of academic context.

• Queen Mary University - Psychology Useful Websites Summary

• Classics in the History of Psychology

• Social Psychology Network

• Harvard University’s Brain Neuroimaging Project

• Sigmund Freud Internet Archive

• APA Dictionary of Psychology

• British Psychological Society - Reader’s Digest

For more advice or for a free personalised university application plan, contact our team at info@libraeducation.co.uk.

We hope that this article will provide you with greater preparation for your applications to study psychology at university in the UK and help portray you as a prime candidate. We wish you success in this next exciting stage of your academic career.