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2023/24
2024/25

BSc Psychology with Professional Placement

  • UCAS code
    C810
  • Typical offer
    AAB
  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  4 Years

Gain valuable clinical experience with BSc Psychology with Professional Placement, a course that can be tailored to meet your interests.

This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and enables you to choose to take further training to become a professional psychologist. It incorporates a year-long placement that will enable you to develop valuable professional skills.

The degree will give you a thorough grounding in key areas of psychology and allows you to choose modules that suit your specific interests, including a range of modules from other subjects. Should you wish to study abroad, you can spend a semester of your final year at one of our overseas partner institutions.

As a psychology student you can take advantage of research laboratories, neuroimaging facilities and resources for observing participant behaviour. Additionally, we have various in-house NHS clinics, including our Anxiety and Depression and Speech and Language Therapy clinics, the Centre for Autism, as well as the world-renowned Charlie Waller Institute for evidence-based psychological treatments on site.

The first year of the course will introduce you to the concepts required for BPS qualification, including cognition, neuroscience, development, perception and research methods. You will then cover these and other subjects in far greater depth during the second year. In the final year of the degree you can develop your knowledge by exploring the areas that interest you most. The vast majority of modules in this year are optional and are regularly revised in order to incorporate the latest developments in psychology. Recent modules have included subjects such as autistic spectrum conditions, behavioural economics, nutritional psychology, and emotion, empathy and their disorders.

Throughout the course you will gain practical experience, and learn how to devise and run your own experiments. During the final year you will carry out an original piece of research on a topic of your choice. In the past these have included the effects of emotion on cognition, the effects of Huntington's Disease on quality of life, and using puppets to test children's IQ. You may even have the opportunity to present your work at conferences, and a number of past projects have won awards from the BPS and British Neuroscience Association.

For more information, please visit the School of Psychology website.

Placement

You can gain experience of working with professional psychologists by spending a year working within an NHS clinic, research lab or organisation.

You may have the opportunity to carry out this placement at one of our in-house organisations. These include the Anxiety and Depression in Young People clinic, Speech and Language Therapy clinic, the Charlie Waller Institute, Centre for Autism, and the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health.

Placement year fees

During your placement year you will pay 15% of the full course fee.

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250

New international students: £27,650

*UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes

UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Placement year fees

If you spend a full year on placement, you will only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee for that year. For more information, please see our fees and funding pages or contact placements@reading.ac.uk.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

As a graduate of this course you will be qualified for further training to become a professional psychologist. Our BSc Psychology with Professional Placement course is accredited by the British Psychological Society and provides you with the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership.

This course will provide you with a range of transferable skills, including analytical qualitative abilities, writing experience, presentation skills and the ability to think and analyse scientifically.

You could go on to work for organisations such as the NHS, civil services, schools or charities. Skills learned on the course also open up many doors within the private sector, in areas such as HR, recruitment, management consultancy, publicity, finance and journalism. Alternatively you can choose to further develop your skills by moving into research, teacher training or postgraduate studies.