Psychology, Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience BSc at Royal Holloway University of London

The course

Psychology is an important subject because it relates to the whole range of human experience, from visual perception to complex social interactions. It involves the study of how people think, react and interact, and is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivations that underlie such behaviour. 

Our three year psychology, clinical & cognitive neuroscience degree examines the relationships between the brain and higher functions such as decision-making and consciousness, the causes, symptoms and treatments of common brain disorders such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease, and methods for studying the brain such as functional MRI.

You’ll study in one of the country’s top Psychology departments with excellent ratings for both research and teaching. The course explores a broad range of key areas within psychology specialising in the final year in the study of neuroscientific approaches to understanding cognition and clinical mental health issues.

Our research and teaching enhance one another, bringing students in touch with the frontiers of psychological knowledge. You’ll benefit from state of the-art equipment including an on-site MRI scanner for studying brain structure and activity, instruments for recording electrical changes in the brain (EEG), apparatus to stimulate focal areas in the brain (TMS) and a dedicated baby lab for studying the development of infants.

You’ll join a close-knit department with a high staff-to-student ratio, learning in small tutorial groups. The Department of Psychology has been awarded the Athena SWAN Silver Award for efforts to promote equality and women in science, and scores consistently high satisfaction rankings in the annual National Student Survey.

Our flexible degree programmes enable you to apply to take a Placement Year, which can be spent studying abroad, working or carrying out voluntary work. You can even do all three if you want to (minimum of three months each)! To recognise the importance of this additional skills development and university experience, your Placement Year will be formally recognised on your degree certificate and will contribute to your overall result. Please note conditions may apply if your degree already includes an integrated year out, please contact the Careers & Employability Service for more information. 

• Examine the underlying causes of clinical conditions.
• Learn about neuroscience techniques and their application.
• Benefit from the department’s advanced research facilities.
• Contribute to cutting-edge research with our world leading academics.

Your future career

Royal Holloway's Department of Psychology graduates are highly employable, and go on to enjoy rewarding careers in a range of different fields. All of our psychology courses are recognised by the British Psychological Society as the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership – giving you the option to undertake postgraduate study in Psychology.

Study psychology, clinical and cognitive neuroscience at Royal Holloway and you’ll graduate with a range of desirable transferable skills, including advanced literacy and numeracy skills, critical reading, report writing, interviewing, survey research, observation, experimentation and the ability to use statistical methods to assess research findings. We support students with careers information and advice throughout the duration of their studies, and hold annual ‘Meet Our Grads’ events to help students share the knowledge and experience of our alumni.

The Department of Psychology is dedicated to helping students prepare for their graduate careers. Throughout their studies, students benefit from a series of careers seminars, events, advice and information. Plus, we have established connections with many local organisations, including the Macular Society, Southern Addictions Advisory Service and Bishop Creighton House, providing you with the chance to enjoy rewarding placement opportunities.

Within six months of graduation, 90% of psychology graduates (Unistats 2015) have gone onto full time employment or further studies. As well as careers directly linked to criminology and psychology, the transferable skills gained will form an excellent basis for potential careers in criminal justice agencies. As such, graduates have found employment with criminal justice agencies such as the Crown Prosecution Service, the police, probation service, youth custody and the prison service. Others have pursued careers in banking, publishing, media, management, local government, mental health support, youth work or other support work. In addition, a large number of students progress to further study at masters or doctoral level.