research studies is used to develop and evaluate theories. If you are expecting psychology to tell you how to read other peoples minds, then you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you enjoy controversy and the critical evaluation of ideas, and if you like investigating questions using a scientifc approach, then you will probably enjoy psychology. Why study Psychology at Edinburgh? Research in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh has a strong international reputation: in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 45% of the research output in Psychology was rated 3* (internationally excellent), and 15% was rated 4* (world- leading). You will have the opportunity to learn from researchers who are leaders in their feld, because most offer one of the huge range of specialist fourth year courses that you choose from in your fnal year. These courses are built on the close links between teaching and research that we try to establish here. These links are also developed through the supervised research undertaken by third and fourth year students in specialist areas, some of which has been published subsequently. We also have a Voluntary Research Assistant scheme, which gives honours students experience of working on an ongoing project with a member of staff. Psychology at the University of Edinburgh has close links not only with the other disciplines within the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, but also with a wide variety of other Schools such as Biological Sciences, Education, Informatics, and Social & Political Science. Psychology is located in a large, elegant building where there are excellent facilities for teaching, learning and research - including well-equipped laboratories, computer suites, a library that honours students regard as an extremely valuable resource, and a bright, comfortable concourse, which is a great place for holding tutorials, supervision and peer support groups, as well as meeting friends. What does the degree involve? In frst to third year, you will study all of the following core areas: cognitive psychology (which investigates the mental processes involved in perception, thinking, reasoning, memory and language); individual differences in personality, intelligence and mental abilities; biological and comparative psychology (how the brain works and what the study of animal behaviour can teach us about human behaviour); social psychology (how behaviour is infuenced by other peoples attitudes or by the social context); developmental psychology (how abilities, behaviour and characteristics change with age). Thus, you will have studied all (single honours) or most (combined honours) of the core areas required for an accredited degree to an advanced level, so that you have more freedom to develop your own areas of interest in your fnal year. In the fourth year, you will select specialised subjects from over twenty courses on offer, covering a very wide range of topics. For example, some current options are: basic tendencies of personality; causes and consequences of personality; memory, ageing and the brain; children with language impairments; Marxist psychology; clinical neuropsychology; critical social psychology; frontal lobe functions; history of unorthodox psychology; human working memory; mind, body and consciousness; neuropsychology of perception and action; parapsychology; psycholinguistics of language production; psychological therapies; social judgement and decision making; eye movements and visual cognition. Throughout all four years, you will learn about research methods and statistics with an applied approach and focus on transferable skills. This will include learning how to design psychological experiments, how to use a variety of research methods, how to use statistical techniques to analyse your fndings, how to do qualitative research, and how to interpret evidence from psychological research appropriately. What can I study Psychology with? Psychology can be studied with many other subjects, leading to several different degrees. The content of the Psychology courses is identical in these different degrees, but there are some restrictions if you want your degree accredited by the British Psychological Society. The range and extent of the subjects you study alongside Psychology will determine the degree you undertake. Students studying towards the BSc Psychology (UCAS Code C800) choose Biology courses from a range including animal biology, medical biology, physiology and neuroscience with pharmacology, alongside their Psychology courses in frst and second years. In their third and fourth years, they take only Psychology courses. Psychology can also be studied as a combined honours MA degree with Business Studies, Linguistics, Philosophy and Sociology. In the third and fourth year of these joint honours degrees, each of the two named subjects accounts for approximately half of your study time. In addition, Psychology can be studied as part of the MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) and the BSc Cognitive Science. Psychology The University of Edinburgh College of Humanities and Social Science April 2014 What is Psychology? Psychology deals with the understanding and explanation of behaviour and experience, and with how these change and develop throughout our lives. Psychologists are interested in many factors that affect our behaviour - from biological bases to social infuences. They also study how we perceive our environment; how we think, learn and remember; how we communicate, both through language and non-verbally; how we differ from one another in personality and abilities; with what changes, and how, throughout our lives. Degrees in Humanities and Social Science Degree in Science and Engineering MA Honours in: Psychology Psychology and Business Psychology and Linguistics Philosophy and Psychology Sociology and Psychology Cognitive Science (Humanities)* BSc Honours in: Psychology BSc Honours in: Cognitive Science* * Please see separate information sheets on Cognitive Science MA and BSc What sort of teaching and assessment methods are used? Courses are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical classes, project work and computer-based exercises (e.g. in research methods and statistics). Carrying out your own experiments and research projects, writing scientifc reports, and presenting your research to fellow students and staff in seminars and through poster presentations, are important aspects of studying Psychology. Second and third year courses therefore contain an important practical component. All fourth year students carry out a research project on a topic of their choosing and write an 8,000 word dissertation on it. First and second year work is assessed through a combination of coursework (essays and practical reports) and examinations. Entry to honours is decided at the end of second year on the basis of performance in coursework and examinations. Final honours degree classifcations are awarded on the basis of third and fourth year examinations and continuous assessment. Are there any opportunities to study abroad? A small number of students (usually in third year) elect to spend a year studying at either a European or a North American University - Psychology has particular links with Grenoble in France, Amsterdam in The Netherlands, and Copenhagen in Denmark. Individual programmes are devised with the help of your Personal Tutor and the Universitys International Offce. What can I do after my degree? All honours Psychology degrees at the University of Edinburgh are accredited by the British Psychological Society enabling you to go on to further professional training. This will mean taking a postgraduate qualifcation in clinical, educational, occupational, health, or forensic psychology. Because of its unique combination of both scientifc and humanistic approaches, a degree in psychology equips you for a wide range of careers. The transferable skills such as research, statistical, IT, writing and communication as well as group work skills, which you develop throughout the course, are valued very much by employers in various sectors. Previous graduates have gone on to work in health care, social services or personnel, human resources, management, business and fnance, media and advertising, law, medicine, sports and politics. How do I fnd out more? You will fnd our most up to date entry requirements at: www.ed.ac.uk/studying/ undergraduate/degrees We strongly encourage you to visit the Psychology website: www.psy.ed.ac.uk Here you will also be able to explore some of the outside links, particularly to the British Psychological Society. The Teaching section of our website has full details on all the lectures at every level of the course. We can also be contacted as follows: Psychology PPLS The University of Edinburgh Dugald Stewart Building Charles Street Edinburgh, EH8 9AD Tel: 0131 650 3440 Email: psyinfo@ed.ac.uk I find Psychology interesting because it is able to take in different areas of other subjects and apply them to people. In a single day, biological, social and mental aspects can all be covered. It is this diversity that makes it such a fascinating subject as, whatever your interest, it is likely Psychology has something to offer Recent Psychology graduate Typical degree curriculum: MA / BSc Psychology 1 st Year MA 2 nd Year MA 3 rd Year MA/BSc 4 th Year MA/BSc Psychology 1 (40 credits) Choice from a range of outside courses (80 credits) Psychology 2 (40 credits) Choice from a range of outside courses (80 credits) Methodology 1 (10 credits) Methodology 2 (10 credits) Psychology Group Project (10 credits) Psychology Literature Review (10 credits) Critical Analysis (10 credits) Psychology courses (70 credits) Dissertation in Psychology (40 credits) General Paper in Psychology (10 credits) Choice from a range of Psychology courses (60 credits) Tutorial and coursework assessments (10 credits) 1 st Year BSc 2 nd Year BSc Psychology 1 (40 credits) Origin and Diversity of Life (20 credits) Molecules, Genes and Cells 1 (20 credits) Choice from a range of outside courses (40 credits) Psychology 2 (40 credits) Choose three from a range of Biology courses (60 credits) Choice from a range of outside courses (20 credits) The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336 Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this leafet at the time of going to press. However, it will not form part of a contract between the University and a student or applicant and must be read in conjunction with the Terms and Conditions of Admission set out in the Undergraduate Prospectus. Printed on recycled paper for Student Recruitment and Admissions www.ed.ac.uk/student-recruitment. PDF version available at: www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/information-sheets For more detailed information on degree structure and content, please see: www.ed.ac.uk/schools- departments/student- recruitment/publications- resources/degree- programmes