Psychology
The psychology department aims to give students deeper insight into why we behave, think and feel the way we do, whilst providing fundamental key skills for life and study beyond A-Level.
Studying psychology fosters skills of critical thinking, research analysis, scientific methodology and extended essay writing, providing a strong foundation for further study in various disciplines, from medicine to liberal arts. The subject’s evidence-based approach (encapsulating statistical analysis and critical evaluation of the reliability and validity of research), allows students to reflect on both every day and abnormal phenomena through an academic lens, but also lends understanding to their own individual experiences. Many students find invaluable the insight gained into their own behaviour and emotions.
Psychology is relevant to all of us, and to all subjects: neuroscience and health behaviour in relation to medicine; the analysis and interpretation of inferential statistics; understanding obedience in Nazi Germany; deconstructing the validity of psychodynamic theory for application to Literature and Philosophy; understanding cultural and demographic influences in individual and group norms and outcomes.
Psychology graduates are in demand due to their breadth of expertise; comfortable in the skills of the sciences and humanities, graduates emerge with an enhanced ability to fact check, weigh up arguments and apply learning to real world scenarios. Similarly, the department aims to provide a multitude of super- and cross-curricular activities such as the Digest magazine, Club, mini-research project and Book Club. These aim to engage students beyond the syllabus, allowing them to consider psychology in action through the application of psychology to their areas of particular interest.
Further study in the subject is an excellent all-round foundation for most careers (including marketing, teaching, research, data analytics and HR), and provides opportunities for specialisation in the fields of clinical psychology, occupational psychology, sport psychology, forensic psychology and educational psychology.