Five reasons to study psychology at Surrey

We have a research-led focus to our teaching, with our course accredited by the British Psychological Society, ensuring everything you learn is up-to-date and relevant to employers. You’ll be taught by lecturers who are active researchers within their respective fields. 

These may include Professor Angelica Ronald, an expert in the genetic and environmental causes of neurodevelopment and mental health in children; Professor Michael Pluess, an expert in mental health and psychological wellbeing in humanitarian crises and low-income settings; Dr Kathrin Cohen Kadosh, an expert on the effects of the gut biome on the brain; Professor Jane Ogden, an expert in eating behaviour and obesity; and Dr Harriet Tenenbaum, an expert in the social development of children.

In your first and second years of our Psychology BSc, you’ll study topics that are fundamental to biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology, including personality theory, global challenges, research methods, and statistics, ensuring you have a solid foundation upon which to build the rest of your degree. 

In your third year, you’ll select four modules, exploring topics such as educational psychology, behaviour change, health and clinical psychology, morality and emotions, neurodevelopmental disorders, forensic psychology, social and moral development, and thought and language. These will allow you to specialise and delve deeper into your areas of interest. 

You’ll also get the opportunity to work alongside a supervisor to conduct your own scientific research project. This means you can deepen your knowledge in areas of psychology that you learnt about in the previous years or expand your knowledge to other fields such as environmental psychology or health psychology.

You will also be able to monitor eye tracking and physiological measures such as earlobe temperature, heart rate and galvanic skin response, both in the lab and remotely, using mobile data loggers. 

As one of our students, you will get access to 20 bookable project rooms, a breakout space, equipment lockers and a computer lab. 

Our Psychology course is one of only a few in the UK that offers a Professional Training placement year. Our placements give you the opportunity to apply your psychological knowledge to people-facing environments and gain work experience in an area of personal interest. You can choose to work for a range of employers, including hospitals and clinics, schools, universities, social survey companies, and personnel and occupational guidance groups, to practise and enhance your skills. Previous placement organisations have included the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police, the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy, the National Crime Agency, Broadmoor Hospital, and Disney. 

You can also use your transferrable skills by working in other fields including scientific communications, marketing and data analysis. Financial support is provided for students on placement abroad. 

We have an excellent track record for employability, with 94% of our psychology graduates in full-time employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA). Typical roles include clinical psychologist, consultant, crime analyst, human resources specialist, market researcher, rehabilitation assistant, social therapist and wellbeing practitioner. 

Our alumni have taken roles in a variety of sectors in the UK, with recent graduates joining Forensis, GlaxoSmithKline, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Hays plc, Salesforce, and St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

With the critical thinking, analysis, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills learnt throughout the course, several graduates have sought alternative careers in law, management, marketing and teaching. Many students also use this course to apply for further study, including postgraduate research.

Find out more about our Psychology BSc.