BA Degree in Psychology at University of Richmond

Programme Overview

A highly popular programme which is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), our BA degree in Psychology will enable you to explore the fascinating world of human behaviour. Learn about memory, language, creativity, personality, social interaction and brain processes and the reasons for psychological differences between people.

Based at our campuses in Richmond and Kensington in London, you’ll gain a thorough understanding of both the theory and practical application of psychology, as our programme prepares you for a professional career in psychology or any number of career opportunities.

Like our other undergraduate programmes, our BA in Psychology is based on the American liberal arts tradition, which offers a multi-disciplinary approach. So alongside an introduction to Psychology and the History of Childhood in your first year, you’ll also study Research and Writing and Creative Expression, with students from other disciplines, making a truly international education.

You’ll also have the advantage of studying for one degree and acquiring two – one from the UK and one from the US.

In the second year you’ll dig deeper into the discipline as you study Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Biological Psychology.

An exciting range of subjects are on offer in the final two years, from Cognitive Neuroscience to Experimental Methods in Psychology, with really interesting electives where you can specialise such as Psychology and Cinema; the Psychology of Happiness and Well-being; Clinical Psychology and Criminology.

You’ll have the opportunity to be a member of the only Psi Chi chapter in the UK, the International Honor Society in Psychology, which aims to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship, and to advance the science of psychology. Many of the Society’s members have gone on to distinguished careers in psychology.

Develop your research skills through our Mind in Society Psychology Research Centre, which organises talks and conferences on such issues as the concept of resilience and how individuals and communities bounce back after adversity.

As a student of Psychology at Richmond, you will get access to our new Psychology Laboratory to design and conduct your own research with faculty supervision (we have a full-time Lab technician). The Psychology Lab hosts over 40 students actively engaged in research each semester. It’s fantastic preparation for your next steps upon graduation, either further study as a postgraduate student or in a position of employment.

Richmond is a member of highly prestigious US Psychology organisation, Psi Chi

The Psychology Department at the University and the Richmond Psychology Association have established the first UK-based official chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, which aims to encourage excellence in scholarship and advance the science of psychology.

Richmond is the only university or organisation in the UK to have official membership of Psi Chi, providing all of our Psychology students with a unique opportunity to benefit, from helping obtain psychology-related careers to networking, providing online resources to research opportunities.

More than three-quarters of a million lifetime members have joined Psi Chi. Many of the Society’s members have gone on to distinguished careers in psychology, including several presidents of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS), numerous US and international award winners, and various other renowned research psychologists, authors, professors, and practitioners.

Top 5 reasons to study this programme:

• The BPS accreditation offers Graduate and/or Chartered Membership of the Society and access to the widest range of training, development and employment opportunities
• Equips you with the ability to put theories into practice in one of the following professional areas: counselling, clinical, legal, forensic science
• Provides scientific insights into human and organisational behaviour transferable into areas such as Neuroscience, Law, Management, HR and Marketing Research
• Opportunity to be a member of the only Psi Chi chapter in the UK, the International Honor Society in Psychology
• American liberal arts system provides inter-disciplinary approach which broadens skills and knowledge

After you graduate

Career Paths

Stanford University School of Medicine, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, ChildNet Youth and Family Services, Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai, West London NHS Trust, Education for Change Public Schools, FBI, Forensic Science, Marketing Research, Teaching, Education and Management

Our students have previously interned at:

The Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience – UCL, Vision Lab – UCL, Anna Freud Centre, Mental Health Internship at the NHS, Collingham Child and Family Psychiatric Unit, The Tavistock Clinic

Further Education Destinations
MSc War and Psychiatry at King’s College London, MSc Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck College London, MSc Clinical Mental Health Sciences at University College London, MSc Research at Oxford University, MSc Criminology at City University