Undergraduate Prospectus 2009

Why Study Psychology at Bath?

Psychology is both the science of mental life and a science of behaviour. It is a popular and broad discipline covering social behaviour, neuropsychology, thinking and reasoning, and child development. A psychology degree also involves a critical appreciation of different theoretical perspectives and extensive training in research methods.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Bath is world renowned for its excellence in both teaching and research. We have 16 academic staff and almost 300 undergraduates as well as a thriving postgraduate community. The teaching team is enthusiastic and approachable; there is a lively research environment with many open seminars.

Our undergraduate degree programme is recognised by the British Psychological Society as providing the Graduate Basis for Registration. It provides students with a grounding across the discipline but focuses particularly on:

• cognitive psychology
• health psychology
• social psychology

Up to a fifth of the programme is comprised of 'streams' in non-psychology options. You must follow one of these 'streams' for the first two years.

Our programme also emphasises the importance of marketable and transferable skills, and you are required to spend your third year (minimum 30 weeks) on placement.

The placement year

• Compulsory
• Working with a professional psychologist in an apprentice role
• Usually unpaid
• Support staff specific to placements help you organise the placement year
• Possibilities are varied (e.g. clinical, educational, occupational or research settings)
• Most final year dissertations arise out of research work done during the placement year
• Invaluable as a preparation for your career choice.

You may take your placement in Europe and this is particularly valuable if you choose one of the language streams.

Recent placements include:

• Research at Harvard University (USA)
• Forensic psychology in Melbourne (Australia) and Liverpool (UK)
• Alcohol and drug addiction work in Britain, Australia and the United States
• Family therapy
• Market research
• Helping construct a new reading test with educational psychologists
• Working on the WHO Quality of Life Project
• Research with the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police
• Studying autism in children.

Career opportunities

www.bath.ac.uk/careers/destinations/intro.html

Psychology is highly marketable in communications, counselling, health, management, police work and social research in addition to its traditional place in clinical, educational, market research and occupational contexts. Much professional work in psychology requires further specialist training but there are many areas of work in which a psychology first degree is a recognised asset on its own. Over half of Bath graduates in Psychology go on to specialist graduate training in psychology.