BA Hons Psychology & Social Policy at University of Strathclyde

Study with us

• study the science of behaviour and the reasons for differences between individuals, across the lifespan
• learn about the social and economic challenges facing both Scotland and the UK
• acquire skills in communication, numeracy and critical thinking
• gain insight into how different societies organise their resources to meet individual and social needs
• our BA degrees in Humanities & Social Sciences are initially broad-based. In Year 1, you'll study three subjects, including your chosen subject(s)

Why this course?

You'll look at conditions of behaviour – how we learn, remember, co-ordinate our actions and interact with others – and the reasons for differences between individuals, such as personality or intelligence.

Due to the popularity of the course and performance criteria for entry into Honours (Year 4) the numbers admitted to Years 2 and 3 of the course are limited.

Social Policy examines the ways in which societies distribute resources and develop services to meet individual and social needs. Key social policy issues examined include poverty; economic, race, age and gender inequality; social justice health; education; criminal justice and housing.

It utilises a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to improve our understanding of how societies organise their resources to meet individual and social needs and how they measure progress in these areas. 

This programme gives you the opportunity to learn more about the social and economic challenges facing Scottish society and place these in a broader international perspective. It draws on disciplines such as history, sociology, anthropology, economics, law, psychology, social anthropology and politics.

Learning & teaching

Our methods include:

• lectures
• small-group tutorials
• practical labs
• online tutorials
• online wikis
• group work
• problem-based learning
• one-to-one supervision

These methods are used across all years of the degree and aim to provide you with opportunities to learn and work in different ways.

Careers

As a psychology graduate, continuing your studies will help you become a professional psychologist, which can lead to working in areas such as clinical, educational or occupational psychology. Many graduates also work in research.

Other possible careers are teaching, human resource management, social work, counselling and management and professional positions throughout the private and public sectors.

The most common employment destinations for social policy graduates include:

• local & national government policy development and research
• regional & urban development
• business administration & management
• third sector/charity research & policy development
• children’s services
• education
• health & social welfare
• protective services