Psychology at St. Andrews Enrolment Undergraduate Courses Degree options Postgraduate Courses Evening Part-time Degree Programme Distance Learning Vacation Scholarships Subsequent Careers Facilities Resources for current students (Sub-honours, honours and postgraduate)

Psychology at St. Andrews

Modern psychology is about the fundamental understanding of perception, thinking, motivation and behaviour at several different levels, including the study of animal and human brains that perform all these tasks.

How do we remember things? How does brain damage affect memory? How do nerves transmit information and how does the brain process it? How do we preceive a three dimensional world? Why does conflict occur between social groups? What are the roles of inheritance and experience in determining IQ?

Academic psychology differs significantly from the popular image of what psychology is. The word psychology still often reminds people of Freudian psychoanalysis, and the treatment of pathology. In fact, to deal with the latter it is necessary to understand how the normal mind and brain work, and the discoveries made by a scientific approach to these issues over the last decade or two constitute a major part of the psychology taught at St Andrews. Our research, which has been formally recognised as top class, also directly informs our teaching curriculum in areas such as;

Perception Human Cognition Social Psychology Origins of Mind Behavioural Neuroscience

Previous research projects include The BBC Prison Study by Professor Steve Reicher and Professor Alex Haslam. This study is currently included in the A Level syllabus.

Enrolment

You can study psychology here without having done it before. Therefore Arts and Science students are on an equal footing. Basic mathematical skills are, of course, an advantage in learning the necessary statistical techniques, but this subject is also taught from the basics. Please see our admissions page for details on required entry qualifications. Prospective students may find it helpful to browse through the First Year textbook, Psychology(3rd European Edition) by Martin, Carlson & Buskist, published by Pearson.

Undergraduate Courses

First Year One First level module is taught in each semester. These modules (PS1001 & PS1002) can be taken as a First Year subject in either the Arts or the Science Faculties. PS1001 and PS1002 can be taken at any stage of a General Degree. The aims of the Psychology PS1001 and PS1002 are: to provide an introduction to the theoretical foundations and modern developments of Psychology to provide an introduction to a variety of subjects which make up contemporary Psychology to provide a thorough grounding in the empirical basis of Psychology

The principal teaching method is lectures. In addition, a specialised methodology and practical course will introduce methods of research including experimental design, analysis and interpretation of results. The skills necessary for writing research reports will be stressed. It will be assumed that entrants have no previous knowledge of Psychology. More detailed information can be found in the handbook and example lecture.

First year handbook (pdf)
Sample Lecture: Social Psychology (pdf)

PS2001 and PS2002, the Second level modules, take some of the material introduced in First Year to more advanced levels and introduce new areas. Small group tutorials supplement formal lectures. A prerequisite for entry into Second level is performance to an agreed standard in PS1001 and PS1002. More detailed information can be found in the handbook.

Second year handbook (pdf)

Entry to Honours (Psychology 3000 level modules) depends upon an agreed high standard of performance in Psychology PS2001 and PS2002. In Honours, the frontiers of research in Psychology will be explored: students about to enter honours
will find it useful to read around the subject before starting formal classes (see Pre-Honours reading list pdf).

The format of taught courses changes to reflect the greater depth of understanding: students enjoy research projects and contributing to seminars rather than merely passively receiving lectures. The breadth of subjects available for study reflects the interest of staff members and some choice for specialisation is available. Participation in the active research life of the School is encouraged and empirical projects are conducted under the guidance of a member of the academic staff. Students conduct their own library research for an in-depth review essay. More detailed information can be found in the handbook. Honours Handbook (pdf) Honours Photographs - a gallery of honours classes from 1979 to present day.

Degree Options

Single Honours - Psychology, Neuroscience.

Joint options -
Psychology and - Art History, English, French^w, Geography, German^w, International Relations, Management, Mathmatics, Mediaeval History, Philosophy, Social Antrhopology or Theological Studies.

Psychology with - French, Geography, Linguistics or Spanish.

^w - available with integrated year abroad.

Evening Part-time Degree Programme The School also contributes three modules to the evening part-time degree programme at St. Andrews University. Evening Part-time Degree Programme (University)

Postgraduate/Post-Qualified Programmes by Distance Learning The School runs postgraduate/post-qualified open learning programmes for staff working with adults with learning disabilities. Adults with learning disabilities who have significant and complex needs. Adults Support, Protection and Safeguarding.

Vacation Scholarships Vacation scholarships provide students with an excellent opportunity to sample real-life research (independent from assessed work) and are particularly useful for students considering postgraduate research degrees. Funding opportunities

Subsequent Careers A degree in Psychology is recognised by the British Psychological Society as a professional qualification. This provides openings to a wide range of careers in health and social welfare, some of which will require additional training (such as educational or clinical psychology). Rachel Dunn is currently a student representative (4th year) of the Students Members Group for the BPS, and can be contacted for further information. In recent years a high proportion of graduating students have gone on to further study in psychology or psychology-related careers. Other graduates move into less closely related fields (for example, personnel, management, sales and marketing, accountancy and banking, civil service and law) and many employers recognise the value of an education in Psychology for the transferable skills it brings.

Facilities

The School of Psychology at St Andrews is one of the most well-equipped in the country. Our facilities pages detail all the resources available within the School, including those for teaching and research. The facilities for conducting research are excellent and most areas of psychological research are actively pursued.

There are 24 full-time academic staff with a wide range of specialist interests in the field of Psychology. The School also has six teaching fellows and demonstrators, 13 technical support staff as well as secretarial and administrative staff. Staff-student contact hours are maximised, especially at Honours level.

The School of Psychology has its own library and there is, in addition, a large collection of relevant books and journals in the main University Library. Computing facilities in the School and throughout the University are excellent.

The School encourages staff-student consultation on all issues of common interest. There is a staff-student committee and students are represented at staff meetings. Students are encouraged to attend the School’s research seminars and there is an active Psychological Society which organises lectures and social events throughout the academic year.

Current Students