Program Overview

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Psychology MA (Honours) 2025 entry

Overview

The MA (Hons) in Psychology will introduce you to a broad range of areas that are studied by psychologists, including perception, cognition, motivation and behaviour. You will be grounded in the theoretical foundations and modern developments of contemporary psychology. Emphasis is placed on practical classes and learning research techniques right from the start.

A degree in Psychology from St Andrews is recognised by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as conferring basis for graduate registration provided requisite modules are passed with appropriate grades. BPS recognition qualifies you to undertake training in various areas of professional psychology including clinical and educational psychology.

Entry Requirements

Standard Entry Grades

• SQA Highers: AAAB
• GCE A-Levels: AAB
• IB points: 36 (HL 6,6,5)

Minimum Entry Grades

• SQA Highers: AABB
• GCE A-Levels: ABB
• IB points: 36 (HL 6,5,5)

Gateway Entry Grades

Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades, but meet the University's contextual criteria, may be interested in one of the University’s Gateway programmes.

General Entry Requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

• SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing science
  • Geography
  • Applications of Mathematics
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology
• GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing Science
  • Geography
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology

Course Details

The MA (Hons) in Psychology is a four-year course run by the School of Psychology and Neuroscience.

First Two Years

Your first two years of study provide an introduction to a variety of subjects which make up contemporary psychology as well as a thorough grounding in the empirical basis of psychology.

Alongside psychology, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year, you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two.

Final Two Years

The skills you gain in statistical analysis, research and presentation will prepare you for your final two years, during which you will have the opportunity to specialise in a wide range of advanced subjects. These subjects can be broadly described as (but are not limited to):

• social psychology
• developmental psychology
• evolutionary and comparative psychology
• behavioural and cognitive neuroscience
• cognitive psychology
• perceptual psychology
• clinical psychology

During your final year, you will also have the opportunity to carry out a research project on a topic chosen in consultation with staff from the School.

Modules

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in psychology alongside modules in at least one other subject.

Typically, you will take one psychology module per semester during your first two years, and three to six psychology modules per semester during your third and fourth years (known as Honours).

First Year

• Fundamentals of Psychology 1: introduces the theoretical foundations, historical perspectives and modern developments of psychology, and provides a thorough grounding in the empirical basis of psychology.
• Fundamentals of Psychology 2: expands upon the topics discussed during Fundamentals of Psychology 1 and continues to introduce the variety of subjects which make up contemporary psychology.

Second Year

• Advanced Principles of Psychology 1: covers the relations between, for example, brain and behaviour, cognition, perception, comparative aspects of behaviour, social and clinical psychology. It also contains a methodology component covering laboratory and field techniques.
• Advanced Principles of Psychology 2: provides a more advanced treatment of a number of areas in psychology and extends the range of teaching from previous modules.

Honours Modules

Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered in previous years:

• Aggressive Behaviour
• Assessment in Clinical Psychology
• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology and the Emotional Disorders
• Collective Behaviour
• Communicating Psychology and Neuroscience
• Data Science for Psychology & Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Evolutionary and Comparative Psychology
• Psychology of Music
• Psychology of Visual Art
• The Psychology of Social Change
• The Psychosocial Impact of Dementia
• Vision in a Complex World

Teaching

Psychology is taught using a variety of methods including traditional lectures, seminars, practicals, tutorials and individual supervision.

Assessment

Sub-honours modules are assessed by a combination of coursework and examinations. At Honours level, modules are either entirely assessed by coursework, by examination, or by a mixture of the two.

Fees

• Scotland: £1,820
• England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man: £9,535
• EU and overseas: £31,670

Joint Honours Degrees

You can also take Psychology as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

Careers

There are a number of professions directly linked to a psychology degree such as clinical, educational, industrial and forensic psychology. It is also associated with jobs in the welfare area and in personnel.

Popular careers areas for psychology students include:

• academia
• advertising
• civil service
• general management
• human resources
• marketing and sales
• social work

Psychology graduates also possess key transferrable skills, including:

• scientific approach to problem-solving and information acquisition with current information technologies
• critical skills in assessment and review of information
• written and oral presentation skills
• group discussion and participation
• ethical values in science and society