Psychology at Aberystwyth University

The Department of Psychology is home to over 400 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Our staff are committed to a student-centered approach to both our teaching and research activities. As a post-graduate in Psychology, you will be supervised by individuals who are experts in their respective areas, active in research, and who use the latest research findings to inform these activities.

The Department’s degrees are accredited by the British Psychological Society, a mark of quality widely acknowledged by employers in the professional field and which grants the opportunity for our under-graduates to gain membership of the society. We also have wide-ranging expertise, from experimental cognitive science through to sports performance and forensic psychology.

The University has a thriving graduate community supported by continuous professional development opportunities and a range of facilities designed to enable you to reach your highest potential. Postgraduate students are integral to the Department of Psychology; opportunities to develop learning and teaching skills, in some cases applied experience, and opportunities to present ideas, data and applied experience in a dynamic, supportive and engaged environment.

Despite being research-focused, this PhD (3 years full time) presents opportunities in a number of domains from research and scholarship at one extreme to applied work in areas such as mental health, child protection, health promotion, product design and organizational behaviour at the other. The areas in which you are able to work are to an extent determined by the specific area of your graduate qualification.

Overview

The Department is equipped with excellent teaching and research facilities including eye-trackers, sound attenuated chambers, biological measurements laboratory, qualitative research rooms, transcription rooms, experimental research cubicles, high-quality video editing facilities and dedicated computer workrooms.

Our postgraduates are located in the heart of the Department, with computer and storage facilities. We also have options of individual offices for periods of research activity where available. You will be expected to review your training needs with supervisors on an annual basis, which may include training in methods, clinical research, and/or conference attendance.

The university has a proud tradition of research excellence, as demonstrated in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2014) assessment. It placed the university in the top 50 institutions for research power and intensity. It submitted 77% of eligible staff and 95% of the university's research was of an internationally recognised standard.