Degree type: BSc (Hons)
UCAS Code: C800 BSc/Psy
Duration: 4 years (full-time)
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain and behaviour and the complex interactions between them. You will learn about a wide range of human experiences including emotions, attitudes, growing up and ageing, remembering and learning.
The psychology course covers normal behaviour and also abnormal behaviour, such as mood problems, drug use and crime, as well as mental or neurological disorders (e.g. depression, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease), or developmental disorders (e.g. autism).
The core areas follow the curriculum set out by the British Psychological Society. They include:
There are also further specialist options in third and fourth year, such as psychology and the law, psychology in education and health, animal psychology, sports psychology, psychology of language, face recognition, and psychopharmacology.
How you learn
The course uses a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, practicals, seminars and tutorials, and also makes use of supporting electronic resources. The first two years will give you a broad introduction to psychology, sociology and research methods.
As you progress through the course, you will devote increasingly more time to independently accessing relevant information for your coursework, private and collaborative study, teamwork, scholarship and personal reflection. Typically, you will be in class for approximately 12-15 hours per week, with approximately 20–25 hours of independent study.
During seminars and tutorials you are encouraged to develop a confident understanding of the shape, the history, and the contemporary and practical relevance of psychology. In your third and fourth years, you will study core modules and choose specialist options. All psychology students undertake a research project in their final year.
How you are assessed
The course comprises a mixture of assessment methods, including essays, seen or unseen exams, reports of psychological experiments, and presentations.
Higher BBC; A Level CC; ILC (H) BBC; UCAS Tariff 168 points*
*See UCAS Tariff Guidance below
Essential subjects: English or a literate subject (e.g. History)
UCAS Tariff Guidance
Although there is no limit to the number of points that you can accumulate, for entry to Abertay you must have qualifications at an appropriate level (SCQF 6/NQF 3); you cannot count the same or similar qualifications twice; Standard Grades, Intermediate 2s, GCSEs and key/core skills cannot be counted; and D grades at SQA Higher and Advanced Higher are not counted.
Applicants who have taken either SQA Highers or A Levels must offer at least three Highers or two A Levels for degree entry (or two Highers or one A Level for DipHE entry). If you have studied a subject at two different levels, the most advanced will be taken into consideration; e.g. if you studied both Higher Biology and Advanced Higher Biology, then only the Advanced Higher will be counted.
Overseas
All applicants are required to provide certified proof of competence in English Language. The University's minimum requirements are IELTS 6.0 (with no band lower than 5.0), TOEFL CBT 223, TOEFL 563, TOEFL IBT 85 or a suitable equivalent qualification.
Mature
Applications from mature students are assessed on the same criteria used for school leavers, e.g. SQA Highers or GCE A Levels, where relevant school leaving qualifications exist. For those without standard entry qualifications, consideration is given to experience gained as well as professional qualifications and other forms of learning that could provide evidence of ability to benefit from a particular course.
The successful completion of approved access courses (such as those offered by Dundee College in association with the universities of Abertay, Dundee and St Andrews) provides significant evidence of ability to benefit from study at Abertay.
For further advice please use our Ask a Question section.
Career
A British Psychological Society-accredited psychology degree conferring eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartership is essential for becoming a professional psychologist (working, for example, in clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health, occupational and sport psychology).
Occupations for which a psychology degree will provide a good basis, often following additional postgraduate training, include primary or secondary school teacher, lecturer, social worker, personnel officer, market research executive, social researcher, psychotherapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist and drug rehabilitation worker.
Psychology graduates have transferable skills, which are in high demand in the general graduate job market, such as numeracy, statistics and information technology skills, communication skills and analytical thinking.
Professional accreditation
The programme is accredited as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC), provided the minimum standard qualification of Second class Honours is achieved. This is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
