How To Succeed In Studying Psychology

Obtaining a psychology degree currently gives you several career options. A highly employable skill, you can work in different fields including education, health, business, law and justice, and social sectors. Psychology is a very broad course and comes with various concepts.

What is psychology?

Psychology can simply be defined as the study of the mind and behavior. Being an applied science, it explores the thoughts and understanding of a group of people and individuals through general principles, and the use of and case studies to assess the situation.

A person who practices psychology is called a psychologist. His/her job is to try to understand the role the mind plays in an individual’s behavior and its effect on society.

Why you should study Psychology?

As already mentioned, psychology is a highly employable skill and a field for critical thinkers. Through it, you acquire knowledge on the people’s behavior and factors that influence them. You can find answers to why do people become dissidents, criminally minded, depressed, engage in vices, or aggressive among others. The statistics or factors involved can be difficult to understand but through scientific methods, some conclusions are made. This makes psychology an interesting program to pursue.

Career opportunities for Psychology graduate

Earning a psychology degree makes you fit to work in several fields. Through the course, you are thought transferable skills like research and communication, presentation, interpersonal relationship, writing and listening skills, and ethics, etc. This puts you in a position to work as a psychologist, teacher and lecturer, market research, counselor, forensic department, career advisory service, HR, advertising, and the sports sector.

What do graduates do and how much can they earn?

Psychologists play different roles according to the sectors they find themselves. Therefore what a graduate does in his/her field is determined by the employment requirements. Like any other field, the earnings depend on your qualification level and where you find yourself. The salary of an undergraduate psychologist is different from a person having a master’s or Ph.D. Also, your level of field experience counts.

What qualifications do you need?

I believe by now you have developed a great interest in psychology and wish to pursue it at college or university. Well, there is a price to pay for that. You need certain qualifications to be admitted to study psychology. Depending on the entry requirements of the university you are applying, and the field of study, you may need an A-Level in any of the following Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Economics, Environmental Science, Geology, Geography, Psychology or Statistics. You may need to check the website of your preferred university for the entry requirements.

Degrees you can study

  • BA Psychology and Philosophy
  • BA Psychology with Sport and Exercise Science
  • BA Psychology and Management
  • BA Psychology and Theological Studies

How you will be assessed

The assessment for psychology courses varies from university to university. Depending on where you find yourself and the type of degree you are pursuing, you can be assessed through lectures, course work, practical, workshop, thesis/dissertation, writing an exam, essays, and presentations.

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

At the postgraduate level, you can do a straight MA’s in Psychology, or master’s courses in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology, Sport Psychology, Adolescent Psychology, Addiction Counselling, and Advanced Cognitive Therapy.

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