Psychology

Why Psychology at ARU?

• Our degrees are accredited by the British Psychological Society and delivered in our world-class Science Centre with dedicated Psychology labs.
• Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs; designed and developed with regional employers to give you exposure to ‘real world’ problem-solving.
• Explore world-leading research with 98% of our Psychology research being recognised as internationally significant (REF 2023).
• We offer support with the cost of living, and Psychology courses deliver compressed teaching across three days of the week, freeing your time for work experience.
• In your final year, tailor your degree by choosing from a diverse range of optional modules, allowing you to specialise your degree.

What do you study in a Psychology degree?

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 BPS accredited Psychology degree.

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 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. For example, some of our graduates have applied their knowledge to:

• Social work
• Counselling
• Marketing
• Human resources
• Teaching
• Careers advising

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.

Our course is continually developed to ensure that our students have relevant employability skills – we have an Employers' Action Group, a panel of graduate employers from a range of sectors relevant to psychology who provide us feedback on our courses to ensure you are developing skills that will put you in good stead for employment.

You'll also have the opportunity to take our final year module ‘Psychology in the Workplace’, which involves acquiring 35 hours of work experience and includes guest speakers from industry.

ARU ranked in the top 10% in the country for graduates in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2024), and 5th in the country for the proportion of UK undergraduates who are employed as managers, directors, or senior officials 15 months after graduating. We're also in the top 10% in the country for the number of graduates in employment and further study who agreed they are using what they learnt during their studies.

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.

Employability and personal career development

Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.

To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.